The Importance of Creative Play for Preschool Children

The Importance of Creative Play for Preschool Children

«The Importance of Creative Play

for preschool children

»

Creative play is play that is created by children themselves. In them, the game plot is determined by the players themselves, there is no set program for children’s behavior, and the child’s actions in an imaginary situation and its comprehension come to the fore.

Theoretical ideas about the essence of children's play, developed in Russian psychology, basically boil down to the following:

• The game takes its place among other reproductive activities, being the leading one in preschool age. It is in the process of play as a leading activity that the main mental new formations of a given age arise.
• The game is a special activity, social in origin, content and structure.
• The development of play does not occur spontaneously, but depends on the conditions of the child’s upbringing, i.e. social phenomena.

The problem of teaching play, its formation as an activity, stood out and was most clearly formulated in psychological and pedagogical studies of young children and abnormal children. This problem is clearly formulated by A.V. Zaporozhets.

As a result of psychological research, practical pedagogy turned out to be focused on the formation of actual play activity in young children. However, in relation to preschool children, pedagogical guidance of the game was reduced mainly to enriching the specific content of the game, to organizing positive relationships in the game.

Meanwhile, conditioned play action, which is formed in early childhood and is, of course, the basis of a more complex game of a preschooler, does not yet provide a transition to it (with role-playing behavior and creative plot construction lying at its center). As a result, the game is extremely monotonous. Often, even by older preschool age, children’s play activity does not reach its developed forms. This forces us to pose the problem of the formation of play activity more broadly - as the problem of the gradual transfer to children of increasingly complex methods of play activity throughout preschool childhood.

In connection with this problem, a number of more specific problems arise:

1. what methods of play should be developed in a child and in what sequence;
2. what nature should the formative influences of an adult have, and under what conditions will they be most effective;
3. what forms of play will most contribute to the mental development of the child at each stage of preschool age.

It is possible to approach the solution of these problems only by first considering the question of the importance of play for the development of a child.

The developmental functions of the game are more clearly defined in Russian psychology and pedagogy.

Considerations expressed by L.A. are essential for understanding the developmental significance of the game. Wenger, who emphasized the need to clearly define the specific influence of play on a child’s development. Wenger proceeds from the fact that each specific activity requires certain abilities specific to it and creates conditions for their development.

D.B. Elkonin, considering the developmental function of the game, dwells, first of all, on its significance for the development of the motivational needs of the child’s sphere.

L.S. points out the development of the child’s imagination and imaginative thinking in play. Vygotsky, D.V. Medzheritskaya.

Learning and development of creativity occurs in unity and interaction. This was convincingly proven by E.A. Flerina, who criticized the “theory of decay” of children’s creativity. E.A. Fleurina has proven that decline can come from lack of training or poor training; With proper guidance and training, children's creativity reaches a relatively high level.

The works of educational psychologists analyze the significance of the game for the moral development of the child, primarily the role of the content of the game itself, through which the child masters the norms and rules of relationships between people.

According to R.I. Zhukovskaya, children are united in play by a common goal, common interests and experiences, joint efforts to achieve a goal, and creative searches.

T.A. Markova believes that the development of friendship between children is significantly influenced by long-term creative play.

Playing together creates the conditions for the emergence of a “children’s society” and real relationships between children in it. A.P. Usova sees the main educational significance of the game precisely in the presence of “social” qualities in children, i.e. qualities that enable you to interact successfully with others.

Already existing ideas about the developmental significance of an expanded form of play activity need to be supplemented with data on how play influences the child’s development at each age stage. So far, science does not have such specific data. Therefore, it is necessary to consider play activity from the point of view of the consistent complication of its structure and trace the possibilities and characteristics of children mastering it at different age stages.

The solution to this issue requires the fusion of psychology and pedagogy. In a new type of research - psychological and pedagogical, where the features of the development of a child’s play activity are studied in the process of its active formation. Vygotsky pointed out the need for this type of research. This idea was further developed in the works of psychologists V.V. Davydova, D.B. Elkonina.

In the psychological studies of A.N. Leontiev, D.B. Elkonin and others considered the development of children's play from the point of view of the dynamics of motivation and changes in the psychological content of activity.

First stage

The development of play is associated with the child’s mastery of the specific functions of objects that are inaccessible to him in his practical activities - practical play.

Second phase

The development of the game is associated with mastering the relationships between people that mediate the relationship to the subject - role-playing game.

Third stage

- highlighting the hidden tasks and rules of human actions and relationships in these relationships - a game with rules - and a shift in motive from the process of activity to its result - a dramatization game and a fantasy game.

Children's games are extremely diverse in content and nature of organization, so their exact classification is difficult.

The basis for the classification of games, which is accepted in Russian pedagogy, was laid by P.F. Lesgaft. He approached the solution to this issue, guided by his basic idea of ​​the unity of the physical and psychological development of the child.

In domestic pedagogy, the question of the classification of children's games was clarified in the works of N.K. Krupskaya. In her works, she highlights games that are created by the children themselves, and those that are organized, with ready-made rules.

Types of games for preschoolers and their role in children's development consultation (senior group) on the topic

The game occupies a strong place in the system of physical, moral, labor and aesthetic education of preschool children. It activates the child, helps increase her vitality, satisfies personal interests and social needs. Considering the invaluable role of play in the life of preschoolers, I would like to dwell on this issue in more detail.

The problem of the game is widely covered in scientific and methodological literature (in the works of D. V. Mendzheritskaya, D. B. Elkonin, L. S. Vygotsky, L. P. Usova, A. I. Sorokina, R. I. Zhukovskaya, L. V. Artyomova and other classic authors).

A child’s personal qualities are formed in active activities, and above all in those activities that become leading at each age stage and determine his interests, attitude to reality, and the characteristics of relationships with people around him. In preschool age, such a leading activity is play. Already at early and junior age levels, it is in play that children have the greatest opportunity to be independent, to communicate with peers at will, to realize and deepen their knowledge and skills. The older children become, the higher the level of their general development and education, the more significant is the pedagogical focus of the game on the formation of behavior, relationships between children, and the development of an active position. The game gradually develops purposefulness of actions. If in the second and third years of life children begin to play without thinking, and the choice of game is determined by the toy that catches their eye and by imitation of their friends, then later children are taught to set goals in construction games, and then in games with toys. In the fourth year of life, the child is able to move from thought to action, i.e. able to determine what he wants to play, who he will be. But even at this age, children often have a predominant interest in action, which is why the goal is sometimes forgotten. However, already at this age, children can be taught not only to deliberately choose a game, set a goal, but also to distribute roles. At first, the prospect of the game is short - arrange a Christmas tree for the dolls, take them to the dacha. It is important that the imagination of every child is aimed at achieving this goal. Under the guidance of the teacher, children gradually learn to determine a certain sequence of actions and outline the general course of the game.

There are several classes of games:

· creative (games initiated by children);

· didactic (games initiated by adults with ready-made rules);

· folk (created by the people) .

Creative games make up the most rich typical group of games for preschoolers. They are called creative because children independently determine the purpose, content and rules of the game, most often depicting the life around them, human activities and relationships between people.

Creative play is essential for a child's all-round development. Through playful activities, children strive to satisfy their active interest in the life around them and transform into adult heroes of works of art. Thus creating a playful life, children believe in its truth, are sincerely happy, sad, and worried.

Creative play teaches children to think about how to implement a particular idea. Creative play develops valuable qualities for a future student: activity, independence, self-organization.

Creative games:

• Plot-role-playing (with elements of labor, with elements of artistic and creative activity).
• Theatrical activities (directing, games - dramatization).
• Design.

A plot-based role-playing creative game is the first test of social forces and their first test. A significant part of creative games are plot-based - role-playing games with “someone” or “something”. Children develop interest in creative role-playing games from the age of 3-4 years. The child’s reflection of the surrounding reality occurs in the process of his active life, by taking on a certain role, but he does not imitate completely, because he does not have real opportunities to actually perform the operations of the accepted role. This is due to the level of knowledge and skills, life experience at a given age stage, as well as the ability to navigate familiar and new situations. Therefore, in a creative plot-role-playing game, he performs symbolic actions (“as if”), replaces real objects with toys or conditionally with those objects that he has, attributing to them the necessary functions (a stick is a “horse”, a sandbox is a “steamer”, etc.). d.) Children portray people, animals, the work of a doctor, hairdresser, driver, etc. Understanding that the game is not real life, children at the same time truly experience their roles, openly show their attitude to life, their thoughts, feelings , perceiving the game as an important and responsible matter.

The structure of a role-playing game, according to D.B. Elkonin, includes the following components:

1. The roles that children take on during the game.
2. Play actions through which children realize the roles they have taken on and the relationships between them.
3. Playful use of objects, conditional replacement of real objects at the child’s disposal.
4. Real relationships between playing children, expressed in various remarks, through which the entire course of the game is regulated.

Saturated with vivid emotional experiences, role-playing game leaves a deep imprint in the child’s mind, which will be reflected in his attitude towards people, their work, and life in general. Under the influence of enriching the content of games, the nature of relationships between children changes. Their games become cooperative, based on a common interest in them; the level of children's relationships increases. For children at play, coordination of actions, preliminary selection of a topic, a calmer distribution of roles and game material, and mutual assistance during the game become characteristic.

In addition, increasing the level of role relationships helps to improve real relationships, provided that the role is performed at a good level.

However, there is also a feedback - role relationships become higher under the influence of successful, good relationships in the group. A child performs his role in the game much better if he feels that the children trust him and treat him well. This leads to a conclusion about the importance of choosing partners and the teacher’s positive assessment of the merits of each child.

Theatrical activity is one of the types of creative play activity, which is associated with the perception of works of theatrical art and the depiction of received ideas, feelings, and emotions in a playful form. They are divided into 2 main groups: director's games and dramatization games.

In the director's game, the child, as a director and at the same time a voice-over, organizes a theatrical playing field in which dolls are the actors and performers. In another case, the actors, scriptwriters and directors are the children themselves, who during the game agree on who plays what role and what they do.

Dramatization games are created based on a ready-made plot from a literary work or theatrical performance. The game plan and sequence of actions are determined in advance. Such a game is more difficult for children than inheriting what they see in life, because you need to well understand and feel the images of the characters, their behavior, remember the text of the work (sequence, unfolding of actions, character remarks), this is the special meaning of games – dramatization – they help children better understand the idea of ​​a work, feel its artistic value, and have a positive effect on the development of expressive speech and movements.

Children's creativity is especially clearly manifested in games - dramatizations.

In order for children to be able to convey the appropriate image, they need to develop their imagination, learn to put themselves in the place of the heroes of the work, to be imbued with their feelings and experiences.

In the process of work, children develop their imagination, form speech, intonation, facial expressions, and motor skills (gestures, gait, posture, movements). Children learn to combine movement and speech in roles, develop a sense of partnership and creativity.

Another type is construction games . These creative games direct the child’s attention to different types of construction, contribute to the acquisition of organizational design skills, and attract them to work. In construction games, children’s interest in the properties of an object and their desire to learn how to work with it are clearly demonstrated. The material for these games can be construction sets of different types and sizes, natural material (sand, clay, cones, etc.), from which children create various things, according to their own plans or on the instructions of the teacher. It is very important that the teacher helps students make the transition from aimlessly piling up material to creating thoughtful structures.

In the process of construction games, the child actively and constantly creates something new. And he sees the results of his work. Children should have enough building material, different designs and sizes.

Material for construction games:

• Natural material (leaves, cones, snow, clay, sand)
• Artificial material (mosaic, paper, modular blocks, construction sets of various types and sizes).

With all the variety of creative games, they have common features: children, independently or with the help of an adult (especially in dramatization games), choose the theme of the game, develop its plot, distribute roles among themselves, and choose the necessary toys. All this should happen under the tactful guidance of an adult, aimed at activating children’s initiative and developing their creative imagination.

Games with rules. These games provide an opportunity to systematically train children in developing certain habits; they are very important for physical and mental development, character development and willpower. Without such games, it would be difficult to carry out educational work in kindergarten. Children learn games with rules from adults and from each other. Many of them are passed down from generation to generation, but educators, when choosing a game, must take into account the requirements of our time.

According to the content and conduct of games with rules, they are divided into two groups: didactic and mobile.

Didactic games mainly contribute to the development of children’s mental abilities, since they contain a mental task, the solution of which is the meaning of the game. They also contribute to the development of senses, attention, and logical thinking. A prerequisite for a didactic game are rules, without which the activity becomes spontaneous.

In a well-designed game, it is the rules, not the teachers, that guide children's behavior. The rules help all participants in the game to be and act in the same conditions (children receive a certain amount of material, determine the sequence of actions of the players, and outline the range of activities of each participant).

A didactic game is a multifaceted, complex pedagogical phenomenon: it is a gaming method of teaching preschool children, a form of education, an independent gaming activity, and a means of comprehensive education of a child.

Didactic games, as a gaming method of teaching, are considered in two forms:

· Games - activities;

· Didactic games.

In a game-activity, the leading role belongs to the teacher, who, in order to increase children’s interest in the activity:

· Uses a variety of gaming techniques that create a game situation;

· Creates a game situation;

· Uses various components of gaming activities;

· Transfers certain knowledge to students;

· Forms children’s ideas about the construction of a game plot, about various game actions with objects, teaches them to play;

· Creates conditions for transferring acquired knowledge and ideas to

independent creative games.

The didactic game is used in teaching children, in various classes and outside of them (physical education, mental education, moral education, aesthetic education, labor education, development of communication skills).

Education Ways

In domestic preschool pedagogy, a classification of children's games has developed, based on the degree of independence and creativity of children in the game. Initially, P.F. approached the classification of games according to this principle. Lesgaft, later his idea was developed in the works of N.K. Krupskaya.

She divides all children's games into 2 groups. The first N.K. Krupskaya called them creative; emphasizing their main feature - independent character. This name has been preserved in traditional domestic preschool pedagogy for the classification of children's games. Another group of games in this classification are games with rules.

Modern domestic pedagogy classifies role-playing, construction and theatrical games as creative games. The group of games with rules includes didactic and outdoor games.

Theatrical play is very closely related to the plot-role-playing game and is its variety. Role-playing play appears in a child at approximately 3 years of age and reaches its peak at 5-6 years of age; theatrical play reaches its peak at 6-7 years of age.

As a child grows up, he goes through a number of stages, and his play also develops step by step: from experimenting with objects, familiarizing himself with them to displaying actions with toys and objects, then the first plots appear, then role-playing is added and, finally, dramatization of plots.

D.B. Elkonin calls role-playing play a creative activity in which children take on and in a generalized form reproduce the activities and relationships of adults, using substitute objects. Theatrical play appears at a certain period and, as it were, grows out of the plot-role-playing game. This happens at a time when, at an older age, children are not satisfied only with reproducing the plots of real relationships between adults. Children become interested in basing the game on literary works, revealing their feelings in it, making dreams come true, performing desired actions, acting out fantastic plots, and inventing stories.

Role-playing game and theatrical play have a common structure (structure). They include substitutions, plot, content, game situation, role, role-playing actions.

Creativity is manifested in these types of games in the fact that children creatively produce everything that they see around them: the child conveys his feelings in the depicted phenomenon, creatively implements the idea, varies his behavior in the role, and uses objects and substitutes in the game in his own way.

The difference between plot-role-playing and theatrical games is that in plot-role-playing games children reflect life phenomena, and in theatrical ones they take plots from literary works. In a role-playing game there is no final product, the result of the game, but in a theatrical game there can be such a product - a staged performance, a staging.

Due to the fact that both types of games, role-playing and theatrical, belong to creative types, the concept of creativity should be defined. According to encyclopedic literature, creativity is something new, something that has never happened before. Thus, creativity is characterized by 2 main criteria: novelty and originality of the product. Can children's creative products meet these criteria? Certainly not. N.A. Vetlugina, a prominent researcher of children's artistic creativity, believes that in his creativity a child discovers new things about himself, and tells others new things about himself.

Consequently, the product of children's creativity has not objective, but subjective novelty. The remarkable scientist teacher T.S. Komarova understands a child’s artistic creativity as “the child’s creation of a subjectively new (meaningful for the child, first of all) product (drawing, modeling, story, dance, song, game, invented by the child), inventing new ones for the unknown, previously unused details that characterize the image being created in a new way (in a drawing, in a story, etc.), inventing your own beginning, end of new actions, characteristics of heroes, etc., using previously learned methods of depiction or means of expression in a new situation (for depicting objects of a familiar shape - based on mastery of facial expressions, gestures, voice variations, etc.), the child’s showing initiative in everything, coming up with different options for images, situations, movements, as well as the very process of creating images of a fairy tale, story, game - dramatization, drawing, etc., searching in the process of activity for ways to solve a problem (visual, playful, musical).

Indeed, in the game the child comes up with a lot himself. He comes up with the idea and content of the game, selects visual and expressive means, and organizes the game. In the game, the child manifests himself as an artist acting out the plot, and as a screenwriter, building its outline, and as a decorator, arranging a place for the game, and as a designer, embodying a technical project.

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