Developmental psychology - preschool age. Psychology of a preschooler Psychological development of preschool children

1. Physical and mental development of a preschooler.

2. Development of the personality of a preschooler.

1. Physical and mental development of a preschooler

Chronological framework (age boundaries) - From 3 to 6-7 years.

Physical development. During this period, the anatomical formation of tissues and organs, an increase in muscle mass, ossification of the skeleton, the development of circulatory and respiratory organs, and the weight of the brain increase. The regulatory role of the cerebral cortex increases, the rate of formation of conditioned reflexes increases, the second signaling system develops

social situation. The child has a great desire to comprehend the semantic basis of the actions of adults. The child is excluded from active participation in the activities and relationships of adults.

Leading activity Role-playing game. At the age of 2-3 years, “single games” are pronounced in children, the child is focused on his own actions. Gradually, children begin to “play side by side”, uniting purely outwardly, since everyone should have their own toy.

At the age of 3-5, “short-term associations” arise, the duration of communication depends on the ability to create and implement a game plan and on the possession of game actions; the content of the game is not yet conducive to sustainable communication.

At the age of 4-6, "long-term associations of players" arise, the child strives to reproduce in the game the actions of adults and their relationships. The child has a need to have a partner. In the game, there is a need to negotiate with each other, to organize a game with several roles together.

Mental development. The development of differentiated sensitivity is noted. There is development sensory standards, the formation of perceptual actions. At 3 years old, the child manipulates the object without trying to examine it, they name individual objects. At 4 years old, the child examines the object, highlights the individual parts and features of the object. At 5-6 years old, the child systematically and consistently examines the subject, describes it, and establishes the first connections. At the age of 7, the child already systematically, systematically examines the subject, explains the content of the picture

Developing perception space, time and movement, the child perceives works of art.

Social perception develops as the ability to perceive and evaluate relationships with other people.

Stability of attention depends on the nature of the perceived objects. This age period is characterized by a different ratio of involuntary and voluntary attention in different types activities. There is a formation of stability and concentration of attention.

Representations are being developed as the basis of figurative memory. There is a transition from involuntary memory to arbitrary. The productivity of memorization is affected by the attitude and nature of the activity. Children develop eidetic memory. The past and the future appear in the structure of the child's self-consciousness.

For thinking characterized by a transition from visual-effective to visual- figurative thinking(4-5 years), the formation of the simplest forms of reasoning (6-7 years), at the age of six, causal thinking appears. There is a development of methods of mediation, schematization, visual modeling (6-7 years). At the age of 4, thinking is formed in the process of objective actions. At the age of 5, thinking precedes objective action. At 6-7 years old, children transfer a certain mode of action to other situations, elements of verbal-logical thinking appear.

Development imagination Depends on the experience of the child, imagination affects the creativity of children. Imagination is accompanied by a bright emotional coloring. Game and visual activity affects the development of imagination.

Speech is mastered as the main mechanism of the child's socialization. Phonemic hearing, active and passive vocabulary develops, the vocabulary and grammatical structure of the language are mastered. At the age of 5 there is an awareness of the sound composition of the word, at the age of 6 children master the mechanism of syllabic reading.

2. Development of the personality of a preschooler

personal development. There is a development of self-consciousness, it is formed due to intensive intellectual and personal development. There is a critical attitude to the assessment of an adult and a peer. Peer assessment helps you evaluate yourself. In the second half of the period, based on the initial purely emotional self-assessment and rational assessment of someone else's behavior, self-esteem. By the end of preschool age, a correct differentiated self-esteem, self-criticism develops. At 3 years old, the child separates himself from the adult; about himself, about his qualities yet does not know. At the age of 4-5, he listens to the opinions of other people, evaluates himself on the basis of the assessments of the elders and his attitude to the assessments; seeks to act in accordance with his gender. At 5-6 years old, assessment becomes a measure of the norms of behavior, evaluates on the basis of accepted norms of behavior, evaluates others better than oneself. At 7 years old, the child tries to evaluate himself more correctly.

The development of the arbitrariness of all processes takes place - one of highlights mental development. The volitional behavior of a preschooler is largely due to the assimilation of moral attitudes and ethical standards. Capriciousness, stubbornness and negativism in crisis periods of development do not indicate a weak development of the will.

At this age, children are characterized by variability in the manifestation of temperament, maturation of properties nervous system, the type of temperament affects the behavior in various types activities. The basic qualities of the personality develop, personal qualities are formed under the influence of self-awareness, and imitation affects the development of character. In various activities, intensively develop capabilities, activity shows talent. Creativity is being formed as a basic characteristic

In to school age communication motives develop. There is a formation of subordination (hierarchy) of motives. Children are guided by the assessment of adults, this serves as the basis for the development of motives for achieving success.

Main impact on development emotions and feelings renders one of the neoplasms of age - self-consciousness (inner world). The inner experiences of the preschooler become more stable, feelings develop. Participation in gaming and other activities contributes to the development of aesthetic and moral feelings.

Communication with adults is different different ages: at the age of 3-5, communication is extra-situational-cognitive (objects and phenomena of the surrounding world are learned). At the age of 5-7 years - extra-situational-personal (recognize the features of the relationship between peers and adults and the characteristics of their personality). Communication with peers has the character of game cooperation, children learn empathy.

Neoplasms at preschool age. The beginning of the development of arbitrariness. The ability to generalize experiences. Moral development. Ability to perceptual modeling. socialized speech. The development of visual-figurative and the emergence of verbal-logical thinking. The emergence of the "inner world".

Crisis 7 years - it is a crisis of self-regulation, reminiscent of a crisis of 1 year. According to L.I. Bozovic is the period of the birth of the social "I" of the child. The child begins to regulate his behavior by rules. Basal requirement- respect. Loss of childish spontaneity (mannering, antics). Generalization of experiences and the emergence of inner mental life. The ability and need for social functioning, for occupying a significant social position.

Tasks for independent work

1. Get to know modern research on the problem of preschool childhood. List the main issues considered by the author of the article you like.

1. Dyachenko O. M. On the main directions of development of the imagination of preschoolers // Questions of Psychology. - 1988. - №6. - P.52.
2. Yakobson S.G., Doronova T.N. Psychological principles of the formation of initial forms of educational activity among preschoolers // Questions of Psychology. -1988. - No. 3. -WITH. thirty.
3. Yakobson S. G., Moreva G. I. Self-image and moral behavior of a preschooler // Questions of Psychology. - 1989. - №6. - P.34.
4. Sokhin F. A. Psychological and pedagogical problems of the development of speech of preschoolers // Questions of Psychology. - 1989. - №3. - P.39.
5. Sinelnikov V. B. Formation of figurative thinking in preschoolers // Questions of psychology. - 1991. - №5. – P.15.
6. Kataeva A. A., Obukhova T. I., Strebeleva E. A. On the genesis of the development of thinking in preschool age // Questions of Psychology. - 1991. - No. 3. - P. 17.
7. Veraksa I. E., Dyachenko O. N. Ways of regulating the behavior of preschool children // Questions of Psychology. - 1996. - №3. – P.14.
8. Kolominsky Ya. L., Zhuravsky B. P. Social and psychological features of joint game and labor activity preschoolers // Questions of psychology. - 1986. - №5. - P.38.
9. Yakobson S. G., Safinova I. N. Analysis of the formation of the mechanisms of voluntary attention in preschoolers // Questions of Psychology. - 1999. - №5. – C.3.
10. Ermolova T.V., Meshcharikova S.Yu., Ganoshenko N.I. Features of personal development of preschoolers in the pre-crisis phase and at the stage of the crisis of 7 years // Questions of Psychology. - 1999. - №1. – P.50.
11. Poddyakov N. N. Domination of integration processes in the development of preschool children // Psychological journal. - 1997. - No. 5. - P.103-112.
12. Kamenskaya V. G., Zvereva S. V., Muzanevskaya N. I., Malanov L. V. Differential psychophysiological signs of motivational influence on the effectiveness of intellectual activity of older preschoolers // Psychological journal. - 2001. - №1. – S. 33.
13. Sergienko E. A., Lebedeva E. I. Understanding of deception by children of preschool age in the norm and with autism // Psychological journal. -2003. -#4. –p.54.
14. Elkonin D. B. Children's game // World of Psychology. - 1998. - No. 4. - S. 58-64.
15. Smirnova E. O. Playing with the rules as a means of developing the will and arbitrariness of a preschooler // World of Psychology. - 1998. - No. 4. – P.64-74.
16. Abramenkova VV The game forms the child's soul // World of Psychology. - 1998. - No. 4. - P.74-81.
17. Tendryakova M. V. Game and expansion of the semantic space (mutual transitions of the game and reality) // World of Psychology. - 2000. - №3. - P.113-121.
18. Zanchenko N. U. Conflict characteristics interpersonal relationships and conflicts between children and adults // World of Psychology. - 2001. - №3. - P.197-209.
19. Senko T. V. The relationship of personal behavior, emotional and need sphere and the sociometric status of the older preschooler // Adukatsyya i vykhavanne. - 1997. - №3. - P.35-44.
20. Korosteleva M. M. Improving the quality of preschool education in Belarus. - 2004. - №10. – P.28.
21. Lebedeva IV Psychological analysis of the manifestation of aggression and anxiety in a preschooler. - 2004. - №11. – C.3.
22. Ermakov V. G. On the problems of developmental education in the field of mathematical education of preschoolers. - 1996. - No. 8. –S.9-19.
23. Abramova LN Features of the relationship of preschoolers in joint activities // Adukatsyya i vykhavanne. - 1996. - №10. - P.43-55.
24. Abramova LN Influence of the nature of contacts between an adult and a child on the behavior and emotional manifestation of complaints of a preschooler. - 1998. - No. 4. - P.24-30.

2. Give answers to the following questions:

a) why, when communicating with peers, even dull ones, the child expands his vocabulary much better than when communicating with parents ?;

b) children aged 5-6 were shown films. In them, men and women performed work that is usually done by members of the opposite sex. The man was a nanny, and the woman was the captain of a large ship. After watching the film, they asked the question: “Who was the nanny and who was the captain?” Give a forecast of possible answers;

c) in young children, behavior is strictly determined by the situation they perceive. Each object pulls the child to touch it, feel it. Objects dictate to him what and how to do. Yes, the door can be opened and closed. This continues until about 3-4 years. How to teach a preschooler to perform an objective action consciously and voluntarily?

1. Darvish O.B. Developmental psychology: Textbook for students of higher education. textbook institutions / Ed. V.E. Klochko. - M .: Publishing house VLADOS-PRESS, 2003.
2. Kulagina I.Yu., Kolyutsky V.N. Developmental Psychology: The Complete Life Cycle of Human Development: A Textbook for Higher Students educational institutions. - M.: TC "Sphere", 2001.
3. Mukhina V.S. Age psychology: phenomenology of development, childhood, adolescence: Textbook for students. universities. - 5th ed., stereotype. - M .: Publishing Center "Academy", 2000.
4. Obukhova L.F. Developmental psychology of development. - M .: "Rospedagenstvo", 1989.
5. Shapovalenko I.V. Developmental psychology (Psychology of development and developmental psychology). – M.: Gardariki, 2004.

In developmental psychology, preschool childhood is considered one of the most difficult and important stages in the mental development of a child. Each parent needs to know the psychological characteristics of preschoolers in order to be able to create favorable conditions for the development of the baby, to raise him as a strong, harmonious personality.

The preschool period is divided into three stages:

• younger preschool age (3-4 years);
• medium (4–5 years);
• senior (5–7 years).

The psychological characteristics of the child largely depend on the age group he applies. In the psychology of younger preschool age, the need for love and attention of adults, gender self-identification come to the fore. Already at the age of three, the child begins to understand whether he is a boy or a girl, admires the parent of his gender and tries to imitate him. For older preschoolers, communication with peers and the development of creative inclinations are of great importance. Accordingly, the approach to education must undergo changes.

Psychological characteristics of preschool children: briefly about the development of mental processes

The development of thinking takes place in several stages.

1. Visual-effective thinking (typical for the psychology of children of primary preschool age) - thought processes are inextricably linked with the performance of actions. As a result of repeated manipulations with real objects, their physical transformation, the child gets an idea of ​​their properties and hidden connections. For example, many guys like to break, disassemble toys into pieces to see how they are arranged.
2. Visual-figurative thinking (the dominant type of thinking in the middle preschool age). The child learns to operate not with specific objects, but with their visual images, models.
3. Verbal-logical thinking. Begins to form at the age of 6-7 years. The child learns to operate with rather abstract concepts, even if they are not presented in a visual or model form.

The psychological characteristics of preschool children must be borne in mind when dealing with them. For example, a 4-year-old baby is interested in when dad will come home. You explain that he will be back in the evening after work. It is likely that a few minutes later the baby will ask the same question. And this is not a prank. Due to the peculiarities of children's thinking, the child simply could not comprehend the answer given to him. Using the words "after", "in the evening", you appeal to the verbal-logical thinking, which the child has not yet formed. In order for the baby to understand you, it will be much more effective to list the activities, events in his life, after which the father will appear at home. For example, now we will play, have lunch, sleep, watch a cartoon, it will get dark outside the window, and dad will come.

Attention in the preschool period is still involuntary. Although it becomes more stable as it gets older. Hold children's attention is obtained only if you maintain interest in activities. The use of speech helps to organize attention on the upcoming activity. It is much easier for older preschool children who say out loud the instructions received from adults to focus on their implementation.

Arbitrary memory begins The most difficult material for a child is easier to learn if its memorization is organized in the form gaming activity. For example, to help a child memorize a poem, you need to play a scene with him based on this work.

At preschool age, the process of mastering speech is basically completed. A transition is made from situational speech (“Give me a doll”, “I want to leave”) to an abstract one, not directly related to the momentary situation. The vocabulary is growing rapidly.

At the age of 3-5 years, egocentric speech is observed - commenting on one's actions aloud without addressing a specific interlocutor in order to influence him. This is an absolutely normal phenomenon, an intermediate form between social and inner speech, performs the function of self-regulation.

A child's mastery of speech is the most important condition for his full-fledged mental development. Much depends on how often and how adults communicate with the baby. It is important not to lisp with the child, not to distort words. On the contrary, carefully monitor the literacy and purity of your speech when talking with a child. After all, children develop their speech skills by actively imitating others. Speak the words clearly, slowly, but emotionally. Talk to your baby and just in his presence as often as possible. Accompany verbal comments to all your actions.

Do not limit yourself to everyday speech. Learn together tongue twisters, rhymes - everything that is good and rhythmically falls on the ear. Play riddle game. This will help to form in the child the ability to analyze, generalize, the ability to determine the characteristic features of an object and draw logical conclusions.

Game as a leading activity

Preschool games can be divided into three categories:

• movable (ball, tag, blind man's blind man's blind man's blind man's eye), primarily contributing to the development of the physical body;
• educational (puzzles, lotto) - developing intelligence;
• role-playing - the most popular among preschoolers and play a major role in their psychological development.

The psychology of preschool children pays close attention to children's fears and phobias, since their specificity can indicate the nature of the existing problems in the psychological development of the baby. For example, recurring nightmares involving a negative female character (Baba Yaga, someone else's aunt) may indicate the child's rejection of certain features of the mother's behavior. But since the parents are idealized by the baby, negative emotions towards them are repressed and personified in the form of negative heroes of fairy tales or evil strangers.

The psychological characteristics of children are such that they can use fears to attract attention to themselves, to arouse sympathy. Such behavior can provoke insufficient emotional responsiveness of parents, jealousy of a child for a younger brother or sister.

There is a direct relationship between the number of fears in the baby and his parents, especially the mother. The channel for the transmission of anxiety becomes maternal care, consisting of some fears and anxieties. In this case, it is not so much the child who needs therapy as the parents themselves. Listening to hypnotic suggestions for fear and panic attacks will help put your nerves in order:

In addition to these factors, children's phobias develop as a result of fixation in the emotional memory of strong fears. However, one should not think that any irrational fear in preschool age is a pathology. Many of the children's phobias, from the point of view of preschool psychology, are considered natural, characteristic of a given age period, and as the child grows older, they go away on their own. For example, the fear of death, attacks, abductions, fear of closed space, darkness are considered the norm.

Methods of treatment of children's fears and other psychological problems reminiscent of the favorite activities of preschoolers:

• art therapy (drawing, modeling);
• play therapy;
• fairy tale therapy (Ericksonian hypnosis).

The point of using such techniques is that the logical thinking of preschoolers is not yet sufficiently developed, and a rational explanation to the child of the groundlessness of his fear will not bring results. It is necessary to appeal to figurative thinking - through archetypes and symbols, with which fine art and fairy tales are thoroughly saturated.

You should never forget that the psychology of children, their perception of others is significantly different from adult perception. Understand why the child acts this way and not otherwise, help him, if necessary, correct his behavior in better side, reach out to his consciousness and receive desired results from education will help the materials collected in this thematic section. All publications are systematized according to relevant topics. Such as psychological preparation and adaptation to school, hyperactivity, typical children's psychological crises and conflicts, fears and aggression. great attention paid to various methods of psycho-gymnastics and relieving nervous tension: isotherapy, fairy tale therapy, relaxation, sand therapy, questions of competent encouragement and (where without it!) Punishment.

Contained in sections:
Includes sections:

• Psychology of preschoolers. Consultations and recommendations for psychologists
• Hyperactivity. Hyperactivity disorder in children, attention deficit
• Psychogymnastics and relaxation. Removal of emotional stress

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All sections | Psychology of preschoolers

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In developmental psychology, preschool age is described as one of the most important stages in personality development. It is during this period that the child's perception of himself and his capabilities, attitude to the world and communication stereotypes are laid. Psychology of preschool age helps parents understand the developmental features and reasons for the behavior of the baby.

Preschool in modern psychology is considered to be the age of 4 to 7 years. The beginning of this period is preceded by a crisis three years. This is a rather difficult period in the life of parents, since the child shows extreme negativism and strong stubbornness.

It is this crisis that means that the child differentiates, separates from the mother and manifests itself as a separate person with his own opinions and desires. In order for him to successfully pass this stage, parents should in no case humiliate or break a preschooler. It is necessary to show him that he is being heard, and he has the right to his feelings, but it is the right of adults to decide.

Having passed this crisis, the child enters a new level of relations with adults. If earlier he was the "navel of the earth", his mother's continuation, now he becomes a separate person and a full member of the family. He must follow the family rules, and he has his first duties (clean up toys).

The boundaries of the family are revealed, and the child discovers the world. At this time, he usually begins to visit kindergarten where learns to interact with peers as well as other adults. Here is the first social role.

The desire for independence is an important characteristic of preschool age. The child strives to be an adult, but cannot yet be one. This is what gives rise to the role-playing game as an opportunity to "play as an independent adult."

A preschooler tries to imitate the elders in everything, from intonation to gestures and behavior. At this age, the child, like a mirror, reflects his parents. For them, this is a great opportunity to look at themselves from the outside and think about what they teach their children.

Game as a way of development

Preschool psychology defines play as the leading activity in the development of children of this age. What does "leading activity" mean? This means that it is this activity that has the main influence on the development of the child's personality and all his mental processes.

During the game, the child learns to control his behavior according to the chosen role. This is how his arbitrary behavior is formed. But do not think that the game for the baby is just a fantasy, a pretense. No. For him, the game is an emotionally rich and absolutely real activity, where he can become anyone: a doctor, a salesman, a teacher, a knight or a princess.

Joint play helps children develop communication skills, and also contributes to the emergence of social motives (success, leadership).

In the process of a role-playing game, the following neoplasms appear in a preschooler:

• subordination of motives, that is, the ability to subordinate one's personal desires to the rules of the game;
• learning to communicate with other children. He masters the skills of interaction with peers, getting both positive communication experience (friendship, common toys) and negative (resentment, quarrels);
• mastering the word "NECESSARY", and understanding that it is much stronger than the word "I WANT".

Cognitive processes of a preschooler

All mental processes develop rapidly in preschoolers. A distinctive feature of all cognitive processes in preschool age is their acquisition of arbitrariness.

At a younger preschool age (3-4 years), perception is closely related to the child's emotions, and the more positive feelings and vivid impressions the child experiences when exposed to some kind of stimulus, the more accurate the perception will be. But already at an older age (5-7 years), perception becomes not just a reaction to a stimulus, but a tool for understanding the world around. Visual perception is especially developed in preschoolers.

Attention and memory retain their involuntary character, but towards the end of the period their arbitrariness develops. By the age of 5, the stability of attention and its volume increase. Moreover, it was found that the stability of attention is associated with the nature of the child. In calm children, it is 2 times higher than in emotional ones.

The most important mental function that affects the development of a preschooler is memory. The child is able to memorize a lot of various information, but only when he is interested, and this happens during the game. No special memorization techniques will work.

The development of the thinking of a preschooler goes through several stages. At the beginning, the child has developed visual-effective thinking, then - by the middle of preschool age - it turns into visual-figurative thinking, and at the end, verbal-logical thinking begins to form.

These psychological features of the development of preschool children, and in particular, the features of thinking, must be taken into account when communicating with a child. For example, a child of 4-5 years old asks when his mother will return home. You answer that she will come home after work. And after a couple of minutes the child asks the same question. No, he is not joking with you and heard your answer well. Simply due to the specifics of children's thinking, he did not understand him.

The words "after", "then" refer to the category of time (past, present, future), and this refers to verbal-logical thinking. And the child operates visually and effectively. Therefore, in order for the child to understand you, list after what actions and events the mother will appear at home. For example: “we will take a walk now, then we will have a meal, we will watch a cartoon, it will become dark outside the window, and then mom will come.”

At preschool age, the centers responsible for speech functions, and the process of mastering native speech is completed. The vocabulary of the little man is greatly increased. At six years old, a child's active vocabulary contains 2500-3000 words. This is three times more than a three-year-old baby.

However, these figures are completely dependent on the environment in which children grow up. Preschoolers have a large vocabulary if their parents talk a lot with them and read fairy tales and stories with them (this is how they get acquainted with literary speech).

This period is characterized by the so-called word creation of children, the ability to form bizarre forms of words or use words in an unusual sense.

Leading needs of a preschooler

The psychology of preschool children often contains contradictions. For example, at this age they have two new needs:

• communication with other children;
• the need to be engaged in some important activity for society.

But the child cannot fulfill the second need in society. How can he resolve this contradiction? This is what leads to the emergence of a role-playing game, which enables a preschooler to play the role of adults who are engaged in socially important activities.

An important need for a baby at this age is the need for acceptance and unconditional love. It is important for him to feel that he is special for his parents, and they love him simply for what he is. Acceptance and love from parents creates a solid foundation for healthy self-esteem. Having matured, the child will not be "curried" to earn love.

Unconditional love does not mean the absence of punishment for wrongdoing. But parents need to separate personality and actions and punish the child precisely for misconduct, and not for the fact that he is “bad”. It is necessary to explain to him that he is good, and they love him, but parents should punish him for his misconduct.

Personal development

According to preschool psychology, in the period from 4 to 7 years, the foundation of the personality is laid: self-esteem, subordination of motives, assimilation of moral norms and rules, as well as the ability to evaluate and control one's behavior.

The preschooler learns to name emotions and recognize their manifestations in themselves and others. It is very important during this period to teach him a healthy attitude towards negative emotions and how to express them correctly. To do this, adults themselves must have a well-developed emotional intelligence.

At this age, the child shows such emotions as empathy and care. “Social” emotions develop: a sense of pride and joy for a good deed, a sense of shame for a bad one.

Self-Esteem and Self-Consciousness

At this stage of development, the child develops the ability to evaluate his own actions and the actions of others. And it is then that self-esteem and self-image are formed.

Self-esteem is based on the self-concept. Although it would be more correct to say: “You are a concept”, since at first the preschooler’s self-image is formed from how his parents evaluate him. Therefore, parents should be careful in evaluating their child, more often pay attention to his dignity and abilities, so that he grows up as a self-confident person.

Moral development and the hierarchy of motives

A preschooler actively learns the norms of behavior and morality and begins to think in moral categories: bad - good, kind - evil, honest - dishonest. significant role in moral development the little person is played by the parents, and it is they who pass on their values ​​to the children.

An important neoplasm of this age is the subordination of personal motives to public ones. In early preschool age, children show personal motives, one of which is to win the approval of a significant adult. At senior school age, motives are subordinated: personal motives are inferior to social motives (to do a good deed, or to obey the desire of the group).

Knowledge of the norms and rules of behavior, as well as the ability to evaluate their actions at senior preschool age, lead to the fact that the child learns to control his actions and manage his behavior.

gender

Awareness of oneself as a being of a certain gender is already present in three-year-olds. Moreover, at first, children can copy the behavior of a parent of their own gender - girls put on jewelry like mothers, and boys conduct business conversations on a toy phone. Growing up, they will already try to behave accordingly: the daughter will ask to help in the kitchen, the boy will repair the car with his grandfather.

Interestingly, preschoolers tend to be friends only with peers of their own gender: girls with girls, and boys with boys. At the same time, disparaging statements towards the opposite sex are possible.

There is no end to the creative flight of the child. Imagination takes the baby far, far away. He is interested in drawing, sculpting, gluing, and much more. Encourage these activities. This is how his imagination develops, his talents and self-confidence are revealed.

Pochemuchki, greedy and brawlers

Preschool is the age of a thousand and one questions. The kid is actively exploring the world, and he is interested in knowing everything: what the sun is made of, and why the bag rustles. Although sometimes these questions are inappropriate, always take the time to answer them. So you expand the horizons of the baby and strengthen your relationship.

On the playground, you can often see little "greedy" who do not want to share toys with other children. Mothers who do not want conflicts encourage their children to give the toy to play. But is it right? Preschool children are still selfish and it is important for them to "own" their toys. Besides, there is nothing wrong with having a sense of ownership in relation to your toys. Imagine if a person came up to you and asked you to play on your phone. You would refuse, and others would call you greedy.

This is how a child feels when he is asked to give his toy to another. Better explain to your child that the toy belongs to him, and if he wants (I emphasize: if he wants), he can give it to someone to play, but that child will definitely return it. If the baby does not want to give, it is his right to dispose of his toy.

There are also children who strive to hit, push or call names. Firmly, but without anger, stop the child. Usually at the age of 4, the baby begins to test the boundaries of other people. In other words, "How can I interact with others?" And if undesirable behavior is not stopped, it will continue to manifest itself.

How to help a child develop?

There is a concept of "zone of proximal development". He was introduced into psychology by the famous Soviet psychologist L.S. Vygotsky. The zone of actual development is the child's skills that he performs on his own, without the help of adults.

Also, at preschool age, the child actively develops many mental functions, and with the assistance of an adult, he can learn a lot. Only you need to do it not FOR him, but TOGETHER with him. What a preschooler can do with the help of an adult, a little later he will be able to do himself. This is called the zone of proximal development. If you want to teach your child something, do it with him first. In addition, this is how we develop his confidence in his abilities.

We are always in a hurry somewhere, and it seems to us easier and faster to do something for the child. But then we expect that he himself will be able to put away toys, cut out paper and put clothes in a closet.

Children are capital in which you need to invest time and attention, and they will pleasantly surprise you.

The end of preschool age is also marked by a crisis. This period is difficult for both parents and the child himself. He can be stubborn, argue, refuse to carry out your instructions, make claims and even be cunning.

The psychology of a preschooler sees the reason for such behavior in the new social role that the child is mastering. He is included in a new system of relationships, where he has his own responsibilities, which may seem difficult to the baby.

The most important characteristic of this crisis is that the child is no longer as clear as before. His experiences are now stored within and are not always visible on the surface. The reason for this is the loss of childish spontaneity and the desire to imitate an adult. But only these imitations in the form of grimacing and antics are not cute and funny, but cause irritation.

• Be patient. A newly minted student can be touchy and quick-tempered. It has to do with his self-esteem. In school, learning involves some competition over who is better and more successful. This creates internal tension.
• For the same reason, the child needs your support and faith in his strength. Express them to him more often.
• And of course, spend time with the whole family. The feeling of family unity will instill in him the confidence that he is always loved, no matter what happens.

Alena is a constant expert of the PupsFull portal. She writes articles on psychology, parenting and learning, and child play.

Articles written

Every parent raising a child of 3-6 years old should know the psychological characteristics of preschool children. At this time, cognitive processes are rapidly developing, the main personal characteristics of the future full-fledged member of society, its moral and emotional-volitional sphere are being laid. In order for a child to grow up as a healthy and harmonious personality, it will be necessary to create favorable conditions for its development.

Characteristics of the age stage

At preschool age, the baby develops rapidly both physically and mentally. He has already learned to recognize the signals coming from the outside world, the stage of their analysis and synthesis is coming. There is an accumulation of knowledge, skills, and their improvement.

This age covers the period from 3 to 7 years. It begins with the separation of oneself from parents and ends with the development of self-consciousness. It is divided into 3 stages:

• younger preschool age (3-4 years);
• middle preschool age (4-5 years);
• senior preschool age (5-7 years).

Each period has its own characteristic psychological features of development. At the age of 3-4 years, the baby begins to actively assert itself. He strives to do everything independently and in his own way, praises himself, his actions and demands the same from adults. Often such reactions as disobedience, stubbornness, negativism appear - all these are signs of a crisis of 3 years.

Psychological development for preschoolers aged 3-4 years includes the transition from a visual-effective type of thinking to a visual-figurative one, the period of active formation of speech ends, the vocabulary has more than 1000 words. Attention and memory are involuntary.

Older preschoolers form stable attachments to adults; for psychological health, the baby needs parental love, attention and understanding. Are activated Creative skills, arbitrariness of attention and memory appears, emotional reactions become more stable, strong-willed and moral components of the personality develop. A conscience and a sense of duty are formed, the norms and rules of behavior in society, the concepts of good and evil, friendship and love are firmly mastered. Children of this age love funny Games, they are amused by absurdities and fables.

The psychological characteristics of older preschool children are characterized by the fact that at this stage of development, broad cognitive interests come to the fore. This is the age of little "why-why" who want to understand how the world works. A characteristic feature of this age period is curiosity, a keen desire to understand the surrounding reality. It is very important to support it so that in the future it will be transformed into an interest in learning and a love of knowledge.

The role of play and mental neoplasms

The development of mental processes in preschool age is in its infancy. The child actively explores the world and asks a lot of questions. Cognitive processes develop - memory, attention, thinking, speech, emotional-volitional sphere, as well as creative abilities. Knowing the peculiarities of the mental development of preschool children, parents build harmonious relationships with them and educate a healthy personality.

The leading activity of preschoolers is a game, mastering the norms of behavior in society and the world of human relations. The child seeks to separate from adults, forms his own situation, where he is the master of the situation. But in reality, he cannot take a full part in the life of adults due to a number of physical and mental limitations. The symbolic form that helps to assert itself is role-playing game, which satisfies a number of conditions:

• the child imitates the actions of adults;
• invents a situation where real things are replaced by toys;
• the symbolic nature of what is happening;
• The process includes a number of rules and restrictions.

All this ensures the psychological health of the preschooler, his mental and emotional development. Through the game, he learns to interact with others, learns the world, and thanks to obedience to the rules, arbitrariness of behavior develops.

The psychological features of preschool age include a number of neoplasms characteristic of this stage of development:

• the formation of visual-figurative thinking, anticipation of the future result of the activity;
• development of arbitrariness of mental processes (memory, attention), the ability to suspend reactions to assess the situation and predict;
• expanding the range of motives;
• the formation and development of self-esteem and self-awareness;
• active function of speech;
• in moral development, the conscious acceptance of the norms of behavior in society is carried out;
• psychological readiness for school (intellectual and personal).

In most cases, upon reaching the age of 7, the child has these neoplasms in one capacity or another.

Difficulties in mental development

The psychology of preschool age is such that rapid growth and development cause a number of contradictions that affect the behavior and emotional manifestations of a preschooler. The abundance of external impressions and new opportunities, increased physical activity, the growing need for communication with peers are the main driving forces behind the development of a preschool child.

The mental development of a child in preschool age can be difficult due to a number of problems:

• emotional and personality problems Bad mood, aggression, anxiety, fears, etc.);
• slow development of cognitive processes (impaired attention, difficulty remembering, insufficient understanding, limited vocabulary);
• behavioral problems (deceit, impudence, arrogance);
• neurological problems of various specifics (sleep disorder, fatigue, enuresis);
• communication problems (detachment from other children, touchiness, excessive isolation).

Preschool psychology claims that despite the complication of experiences, the psyche of preschoolers is quite flexible and adaptive, able to cope with a number of errors in education and negative factors. Diagnosis of the mental development of children will help to understand such difficulties.

Diagnostic examination of preschool children by a psychologist

In order to study the developmental features of preschoolers, a variety of methods are used. Mostly these are tests that allow you to determine the personality characteristics of the child, the level of his mental development, as well as psychological readiness for school. The psychology of preschool children is engaged in the development of approaches to examination, methods, rules for conducting, interpreting the results.

By the age of 5-6, the child already perceives information well by ear, can retell what he heard, explain the answer to the question. Logical thinking, operations of analysis and synthesis, generalization, classification are developing. Since the arbitrariness of behavior at this age is still being formed, the psychodiagnostics of children should include tasks that affect both the voluntary and involuntary levels of cognitive processes.

Methods for preschoolers are mainly aimed at determining the formation of prerequisites for educational activities, the level of personal and cognitive development preschooler, features of his motivational-need sphere.

Methods of psychodiagnostics of preschool children are not limited to special tasks and tests. Observation of children in the process of playing with peers or alone has the best psychodiagnostic results. As a rule, this process reflects the features of relationships with parents, the degree of conflict and aggressiveness of the child, the ability to obey the rules and norms. Projective, drawing tests are great for young children. A piece of paper displays all the experiences and problems, emotional state and degree of self-confidence.

An important condition for obtaining reliable results is the establishment of psychological contact between a preschooler and a psychologist. Only in this case, the diagnosis of development will be justified. If the child is forced or intimidated, the results of the examination can be greatly distorted. If necessary, it will be recommended to attend correctional and developmental classes with a psychologist, speech therapist, defectologist or other specialist.

Socio-psychological features of the relationship and interaction between a preschooler and an adult, primarily a parent, have a direct impact on the formation of a child's self-esteem. IN early age it is based mainly on the attitude of the parents towards him, with whom the baby identifies himself and whom he imitates. If adults do not support the activity and spontaneity of the child, he may develop inadequate self-esteem, as a rule, underestimated.

Shy preschoolers cause parents a lot of anxiety. After all, it is difficult to send such a child to a kindergarten or to developmental classes, to leave it under the supervision of another adult. He is closed, does not play with peers on the court, is embarrassed to express himself, often cries and worries. Preschoolers with high self-esteem are better oriented in children's games and relationships, feel confident in a team, active and proactive. But if self-esteem is inflated, it can lead to arrogance and arrogance.

Psychologist's advice to parents on the formation of an adequate self-esteem of a preschooler includes the following recommendations:

• involve the child in everyday affairs, entrust him with simple duties, performing which, he will feel his importance and usefulness;
• for shy children, it is important to create a situation of success, to praise and support all undertakings;
• all educational influences (both praise and punishment) must be adequate to the age and actions of the preschooler;
• encourage activity and initiative;
• compare the child only with himself (what he was yesterday and what he has become at the moment);
• form an adequate attitude to failures, analyze mistakes together and draw conclusions;
• accept the baby as he is, with all its advantages and disadvantages.

Parents should not forget that along with age-related psychological characteristics, the individual personal development of a preschooler with his inherent unique qualities takes place. Heredity, temperament, parenting style, family atmosphere are factors that have a direct impact on the formation and development of the personality of a preschooler. Respect, acceptance and support from the family will help the little person grow up confident, active and purposeful.