Independent activities of children: age, child development, organization, goals and objectives

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

With the advent of a child in the family, the life of his parents changes dramatically. At each stage of his growing up, they help him develop, teach a new little man life from and to. Entering the first educational institution in his life - a preschool organization, a kindergarten - the child begins to explore the world outside his family, outside the home, separately from his parents. Here teachers take responsibility for their education. But how does everything happen? In what way is the work of educators carried out? And what is the role of organizing a developing environment for independent activities of preschool children?

The essence of the educational process

In the educational work of preschool teachers, planning is considered one of the most important areas in managing the processes of implementing educational programs. And here the priorityis not only the mutual activity of the child and the adult, but also the independent pastime of the child. What does the concept of independent activity of children in groups of middle and older age include in the preschool educational institution?

This phenomenon is absolutely free in relation to the child, but not in relation to the adult who creates conditions for the so-called safe freedom of children. What does this mean? This means that the teacher determines such an educational subject-developing environment for children that will ensure their harmless interaction with peers or reflect individual contacts directly in the “child-caregiver” key. In addition, this is also the activity of the pupils themselves, organized by the teacher and aimed at ensuring that children are able to solve problems related to the interests of other people. This may include helping others, helping others with their problems, contributing to the well-being of others, and so on.

Workflow organization

What does the organization of independent activities for children include? Basically, it is determined by the game, motor, productive, cognitive and research work of the baby in the team. As practice shows, the basis of the independent development of the child is self-interest, the so-called internal motive. Motivation here can reflect an interest, need, or desire to help someone, as well as a desire to be praised or a desire to satisfy one's own needs. Whatever it was,the internal motive stimulates the child's emotional outburst, uplift of spirit, activation of physical forces and thinking. And therefore, we can conclude that in cases where children freely realize their own interests and needs, showing their will, their activity has a powerful motivation. Such work is considered emotionally rich and psychologically comfortable: the more fully children realize their needs in their own actions, the stronger the need arises for the desire to interact with others.

It is worth noting that at the time of their own active pastime, preschool children are extremely negative about any possible interference of adults in their personal space. This fact must be accepted and remembered. Based on the sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the organizational process and the content of the work itself in preschool institutions, about three to four hours daily, at least, are allotted for independent activities of children in older groups. During this time, the guys have time to play, get acquainted with the basics of personal hygiene, and prepare for future educational activities. However, this does not mean that children should be left to their own devices. The organization of the independent activity of the child provides for the need to create a developing object-spatial environment, as well as supervision and care for each of the members of the group.

Purpose of independent work in preschool educational institution

Active free activity of babies in existing development centers forchildren contributes to the implementation of their independent search and inclusion in the process of a specific study, and not just the receipt of ready-made knowledge from the teacher. To put it simply, the point of leaving the child to himself for a while is to encourage him to get to work, to provoke him to action. Taking into account the fact that the game is considered the leading activity of the child in preschool age, the educator needs to create such a game environment that could provide him with a vivid activity of a cognitive nature, and this activity should be justified by his interests and directions of development. The essence of such an experiment is that such a game should develop creative abilities, awaken imagination, activate actions, teach communication and the ability to express one's feelings. The correct creation of an environment favorable for development helps to provide the child with the opportunity to act together with peers or individually, which will not impose the obligation of joint activities with the educator. Here it must be taken into account that the teacher can be connected to the activities of a group of children only in the event of their internecine conflict. That is, if the situation requires intervention, if necessary, the teacher can help this or that kid to join the peer group.

Here it is necessary to take into account one more very important point: at preschool age, the independent activity of children should always be organized by the educator in such a way that the teacher acts as if a participant in this game, and does not show his supremacy andprioritize your participation. That is, the naturalness of the emotional behavior of the educator, who will accept any ideas, suggestions and desires of the children, guarantees ease, freedom and ease in carrying out work. The pleasure the child receives from this game directly depends on this. Moreover, this form of pastime will contribute to the desire of children to master new ways of playing. And here it is important not to miss the moment when, at this age period of their lives, it will be very important for children to feel their independence, the ability to choose their partners, join groups and, to some extent, not depend on an adult.

Children's independent work productivity

Against the background of gaming, productive activity is no less effective alternative to it. It is also called pictorial, constructive. As well as playing, productive activities can enrich the child's capabilities, including his personal development.

What can an educator do for their part? It is in his power to set a topic for a game or a productive activity that would be relevant and interesting for children right now, at this time. Here it is necessary to set those goals and objectives of educational work that will implement the principle of a complex thematic construction of the educational process. It is in the independent work of children that this is quite important. After all, such activity should not be thoughtless, it should be directed to some kind of target orientation so that it brings results. It is important for a child to learn this.

The productivity of independent work of children directly depends on how the child achieves his goal, how diligent his attempts are. At the same time, the leader acts for him only as a guideline, which to some extent directs him in the right direction, but the kid acts exclusively by himself, using his skills, efforts and showing the level of his mental abilities.

Goals of work

Like any other branch of pedagogical work, independent activities organized by teachers in any preschool institution are determined by the achievement of specific goals. What are these goals?

• Independent activity of children is primarily aimed at self-education. Under the right conditions of place, time and friendly environment, the collegium of educators achieves the effect of self-development of the child due to successfully combined circumstances (meaning the correct organization of the work process by teachers).
• The second important point is the focus of teachers on awakening in each child an interest in the educational process. That is, it is important not only to involve the kids, but also to encourage them to act, to unobtrusively make them want to learn and develop. Thus, while performing independent group tasks, children do not even suspect that they are being pushed into the process of self-education, because they enjoy it.

Tasks

In addition to a specific focus on the desired result, independentthe activity of children in groups of the middle, older and younger age categories is due to the achievement of certain methodological and pedagogical tasks. What are they?

• Processes of self-regulation are developing. Being engaged in the performance of the task alone or in a group of his peers, the child thus learns to calculate the level of his energy expended on the performance of certain actions. He learns to feel the need to change activities and the need for rest, this comes almost automatically with regular independent work.
• Volitional qualities are formed. This is one of the main tasks of independent activity, because it is so important for children to achieve psychological independence from the influence of external factors (street noise, the voices of other children). And also in the process of such a lesson plan, the child develops resistance to the influence of someone else's opinion and the desire to bring the work started to the end.
• The abilities and skills of independent regulation of some processes are being formed. For example, over time, a child determines for himself the plan of the game, research, observation, and his employment. And here the most important task is to stimulate in the child this desire to fulfill his plans without the help of teachers. That is why the work is called independent.

Classification

Among other things, the organization of an environment for independent activities of children, developing certain skills and abilities, is delimited byseveral vectors of subject-educational orientation. In other words, such activities are classified into several main blocks.

• Motor activity. As an integral part of the educational process, educators organize such independent work for children, which contributes to the development of their musculoskeletal system. Tasks of this kind are realized through such productions as playing Cossack robbers, mousetraps, hide and seek, and the like.
• Quiet games. In this case, the ideas of independent organization by children of their own playing field are touched upon. Often there is an imitative theme here: kids take toys and imitate situations in a store, in a pharmacy, in a hospital, in a park for a walk. As the age increases, the children of the older group begin to divide into teams of boys and girls: the first play with cars and soldiers, the second - with dolls and dishes.
• Artistic activity. This type of independent play activity of children is realized through the organization of performances, theatrical scenes, and a small puppet theater by children. They are interested in trying on all sorts of carnival and stage costumes, they like to retell plots from cartoons and fairy tales, they learn to sing familiar melodies, and, most importantly, some are already beginning to improvise and compose their own scripts, their own chants.
• Productive activity. It is reflected in the modeling by children of all kinds of applications and crafts. This is the level of skill acquisition thatcontributes not only to the visualization of what the child is thinking. In addition to the desire to show his ideas to others, he also tries to make it aesthetically representative, beautiful. He likes the process of work, especially in drawing. The presence of paints, pencils and canvas in the form of paper gives the child the opportunity to show their initial skills and further develop them, showing their peers their vision of an object or phenomenon. Not only drawing tools are used. Here, work with plasticine, beads, sequins, all kinds of buttons, pebbles, shells, ribbons, postcards, sparkles and the like is also affected.
• Research activities. In addition to the fact that teachers organize the assimilation and accumulation of the information received by children in a finished form, the task of any educator is also to encourage children to independent searches and the desire to explore this world. That is, not only does the kid learn about the phenomenon or object from the lips of his teacher, it is important that he himself wants to understand from his own experience how this or that process occurs. Therefore, children are interested in experiments, experiments. Such elements of the educational process occur without the specific intervention of the educator, but with his obligatory presence to monitor compliance with safety regulations.
• Self-service items. This direction of development of the child ensures the assimilation of specific elements of daily hygiene and own neatness. Children learn to wash their hands, shower, dress andundressing, tying shoelaces, brushing teeth, combing hair. They are instilled with obligatory attention to themselves and their appearance. So the child prepares for adaptation in the adult world. And I must say that the omission of this stage subsequently negatively affects the feeling of neatness and accuracy in oneself and one's things.

Card file of children's independent activities

In a group, the work of teachers is actually complex and quite multifaceted. The quality of children's activities organized by them directly affects the future fate of each of the kids. Based on the fact that the educator needs to be engaged in comprehensive children's development, he needs to combine several subject areas at once in each task. Therefore, the process of organizing labor activity in the group itself seems rather difficult, regardless of whether it is older, younger or middle. To ensure a creative and interesting cognitive process, the teacher must take into account not only the scientific aspect of his lessons and assignments, but also intrigue the children with an interesting formulation of this assignment, arouse their interest in doing this or that work.

It is precisely because of the difficulty of putting everything together and presenting the material with high quality that preschool institutions form file cabinets. Each card file contains a subject orientation, methods of specific implementation and the target purpose of the lesson. Self-employment is no exception. It is also organized on the basis of a list of goals and objectives defined in a pre-developed by the educatorfile cabinet.

What elements are inherent in any file cabinet?

• Distribution by days, as well as morning and afternoon hours.
• Set work topic for every day.
• The intended purpose of the classes.
• Setting specific goals.
• List of equipment and inventory required for the work.
• Direct description of the form of implementation of a particular lesson.

Thus, the card of the day for the younger group might look something like this:

1. Morning. Conducting a conversation "On behavior at the table." Task: to form a list of cultural and hygienic skills in the mind of the child. Equipment: plates, cups, spoons, table, chairs. Impressions: how to hold a spoon correctly, how to use a napkin correctly, how to sit at a table correctly.
2. Noon. Conducting a didactic game "Animal World". Task: teaching children associative thinking on the subject of pictures with animals, teaching them to recognize animals, to pronounce their names correctly. Equipment: special drawing cards. Content: giving each child the opportunity to look at the picture and say the name of the animal they see.
3. Day. Conducting a lesson "Corner of Nature". Goal: teach children how to water flowers. Equipment: flower pots, watering cans, shovels for loosening the earth. Shows: how to properly water, how to loosen the ground, where to place flowers correctly.

Such cards should be prepared by the teacher in advance for eachday.

Cognitive Activity Centers

In addition to the fact that preschool institutions provide for the formation of a file of activities, the organization of the workflow also provides for the availability of open access to several centers of cognitive activity at once for independent work for children. What are these cognitive corners where kids can relax with a simple game, observe and experiment with various objects, communicate with peers during the performance of any game?

• The cognitive research area is the so-called science corner with a miniature laboratory, an experimental workshop, a thematic corner and other similar children's useful entertainment.
• Play area - a playground with toys and educational items.
• Sports zone - here the kids can develop their physical abilities with the help of special sports equipment.
• Ecological zone - a place for independent activities related to growing plants, fresh flowers, mini-gardens, etc.
• Artistic and aesthetic zone - here the guys can draw, create all kinds of applications, prepare for amateur activities, sculpt from plasticine and perform other similar tasks.
• Relaxing zone - often looks like a tent where the guys can sit, talk quietly, take a break from vigorous activity.

Summing up

SoThus, independent activities, for the organization of which the teachers of a preschool institution are responsible, are based on the fact that children perform various developmental tasks without the direct participation of elders. They learn the rules of hygiene, they assemble construction kits and do group exercises, they participate in theatrical performances and learn how and in what situations they can make independent decisions. Thanks to this block of activity, children quickly learn the world around them, become more responsible, more disciplined, more independent.