Cand. Sci. (Psychol.), Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Age Psychology of the Faculty of Preschool Pedagogy and Psychology, Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU), Moscow, Russian Federation
Background. Modern preschool development is characterized by a shift toward hybrid interaction formats, where media content is becoming a significant factor in the formation of children’s subcultures. Studying the influence of the media environment on free play is essential for addressing socialization issues, developing a child’s personality, and implementing the principles of spiritual and moral education in preschool education.
Objective. To study the influence of media content on play intentions and the methods for implementing them in playful interactions with peers, as well as to highlight sociocultural factors in modeling free play in preschool children.
Sample. Children aged 5-6 and 6-7 years, students in the senior and preparatory groups of the Smart School kindergarten in Moscow (N=18).
Methods. The primary research method was the original experimental game “Magic World in a Sandbox,” accompanied by non-participant observation and video recording. Playful interactions were organized in triads of participants of different genders. A qualitative analysis of video recordings of play sessions was conducted.
Results. The study identified strategies and mechanisms by which media content influences the structure and content of children’s subculture. It was found that popular media characters are used by children primarily to model strategies for defense, security, and threat overcoming. Gender-specific patterns in play behavior were identified: boys tend to engage in fragmented episodes of territorial defense and confrontation, while girls tend to create holistic narratives of care, restoration of well-being, and restriction of play space.
Conclusions. A pronounced transformation of the sociocultural component of child development is observed, including elements of deformation under the influence of marketing technologies interfering with children’s play space. The experimental game “Magic World in the Sandbox” has proven its effectiveness as a tool for assessing the sociocultural specifics of free play in modern preschoolers.
The relevance of research. The article broadly discusses the issue of education of parents (legal representatives) of children of early and preschool age. The problem of parental education has been relevant for more than a century. During this period, it has been transformed from a simple transmission of information and the elimination of parental illiteracy in matters of health, development, and upbringing of children to an activity that is one of the measures of state support for parents, a way to form a generation of conscious and competent parents.
Organization of the study. The purpose of the study was to develop the content side of the education of parents (legal representatives) of children attending preschool educational organizations. The authors of the article propose to trace the dynamics of society’s approaches to educating parents, reveal the key features of the phenomenon of modern parenthood. Modern parents, living in the age of wide access to information, continue to experience difficulties in family education. However, their needs are no longer connected with information, but with help in a critical analysis of information, selection of the one that will help their educational practice, formation competent and effective parenting skills.
Research results. The implementation of the tasks of psychological and pedagogical support and assistance in the development of competent parenthood is facilitated by the educational activities of teachers of preschool educational organizations. The article contains a brief description of the developed Education Program for parents (legal representatives) of preschool children attending preschool educational organizations. The program was developed by the Laboratory of Preschool Education of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Institute of Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education by order of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation as part of the development of state support measures in terms of the preparation and implementation of educational programs for parents of children attending preschool educational organizations (in pursuance of paragraph 3 of the list of instructions of the President of the Russian Federation dated June 14, 2022 No. Pr-1049GS following the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation on May 25, 2022).
Conclusions. The Education Program for parents (legal representatives) of preschool children attending preschool educational organizations contains content that can serve as a guide for preschool teachers in educational activities.