PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Professor of department of social psychology and victimology of faculty of psychology, Novosibirsk state pedagogical university, research associate Research Laboratory of social and psychological researches NSPU, children’s practical psychologist, Honorary worker of higher education of the Russian Federation, full member of Academy of polar medicine and extreme ecology of the person, Mentor of NSPU (Novosibirsk, Russia)
Relevance. The toy is a carrier of strong emotionally loaded images. Historically, it acts as an intergenerational translator of culture and is one of the most important factors in the socialization of a child. At the same time, the modern toy market is not regulated in any way in terms of emotional and figurative content. This makes it necessary to analyze the emotional and imaginative qualities of game products for children from the perspective of its developmental function.
Progress of the study. The aim of the study is to identify the emotional content of toys recommended by manufacturers and sellers for preschool children. A sample of 150 photos of toys for preschool children taken in children’s goods stores, on manufacturers’ websites and the most popular marketplaces was carried out. To process the data, the “Image Expert” program was used, which includes a battery of measured image parameters that take into account the modalities of human perception in their expression through specific emotions.
Research results. A quantitative analysis of the range of gaming products included in the research complex, offered for preschool children by manufacturers, stores, and electronic trading platforms, showed that intellectual and constructive toys predominate in the total volume. The analysis set also included soft and interactive toys, professional and household play sets, dolls, robots, and children’s weapons. The analysis of the emotional content of the toys showed a low intensity, inexpressiveness of the toys despite the bright colors and bizarre shape. The perceptual properties of toys are contradictory, which reduces their overall emotional content and gives the toys a deceptive, insincere character. In general, toys offered for preschooler’s appeal more to the child’s mind rather than to the emotions, and also implicitly convey information about the insincerity and unreliability of the world around them.
Conclusions. Emotional well-being determines the full-fledged development of a child, one of the means of ensuring which is a child’s toy as a special socio-cultural and psychological phenomenon. Therefore, a conscious and responsible choice of toys by adults should become a sustainable element of a child’s healthy lifestyle. The data obtained make it possible to outline a scientific perspective and determine the subject of further research, and will also be informative for parents and teachers of educational institutions in order to form their sense of responsibility when choosing toys for preschool children.
The article discusses the problem of reduced play activity of a modern preschool. An overview of the research on the importance of the play as a factor in the development of the child in the preschool period of childhood is presented. The concept of «play dysontogenesis» is introduced, which means violated, not corresponding to psychological laws development of the play in preschool age due to a number of socio-cultural and educational factors. The reasons for the occurrence of play deprivation are revealed, which have a negative impact on the normal development of the child and the formation of the main neoplasms of preschool childhood. It has been shown that the simplification of the children’s play leads to mental and personal infantilism, a decrease in the ability to plan one’s own actions, a delay in the formation of significant mental functions and personality aspects, and a socio-normative disorientation of a growing person. Based on the data of individual authors and the materials of earlier studies, we suggest a high risk of the formation of various psychological dependencies and deviations, the emergence of play addiction and other socio-behavioral deviations as a result of a lack of play in preschool age. The results of familiarization with training curricula for preschool educational institutions are discussed, which indicate the complete absence in many programs of universities of theoretical disciplines, practical courses and workshops on psychology and pedagogy of children’s play, including applied aspects of teaching future educators how to organize and accompany preschool play. The conditions for the rehabilitation of the play as a unique social, psychological, cultural and age phenomenon, proposed by E.O. Smirnova as fundamental measures in modern preschool education, are outlined.
Relevance (context) of the subject of the article. The role of the play in preschool age is a priority. At the same time, the predominance of the cognitive dominant in educational standards has an adverse effect on the full living of a child of preschool childhood. When discussing the problem of standardization of education, special attention is paid to the forecasts of D.B. Elkonin, that did not loose their importance today regarding the reform of education in general and preschool education in particular. It is noted that the idea of “high standards of education”, implemented through the introduction of programs for the early development of intellectual skills in children and their preparation for the use of high technologies in the future, simplifies the development of a preschooler.
Organization of the research. The purpose of the study was to determine the presence of ontogenetically successive types of play in the system of additional education of preschoolers. The research method was a content analysis of the content of advertising products for services offered by institutions of additional education for children of early and preschool age. More than 500 advertisements have been analyzed. The analysis showed that the list of proposals is dominated by areas focused on the knowledge component, many of which prevent the formation of age-related neoplasms.
Research results. The results of an analytical study of the services offered by institutions of additional education for young and preschool children indicate the dominance of the school preparation service, the implementation of which begins from 2–3 years of age. The ratio of “developing” services for children offered by extracurricular institutions is shown, in which there is completely no orientation to the leading type of activity of a preschooler – the play. It is indicated that the implementation of both basic and additional education for preschool children in modern conditions is carried out with the predominant use of school forms and teaching aids.
Conclusions. The analysis showed that the use of school forms, methods and techniques when teaching preschoolers in preschool and additional education institutions outside the reliance on the leading type of activity deprives children of a full-fledged childhood. Limited by the framework of educational and other standards, preschool childhood today is deprived of the means to construct the image of adulthood, the image of the social future and the prospects of one’s own individual formation.