Play as a child's mental development. The value of the game for the mental development of the child. The role of role-playing games in the life of preschool children

The game does not just play an important role in the development of children, it is the leading activity in which the development of the child takes place. The game is a form of active mental reflection by the child of the surrounding reality. The game is physical and mental development child.

It is in the game that the development of mental processes takes place, and important mental neoplasms appear, such as imagination, orientation in the motives of other people's activities, the ability to interact with peers.

Gaming activities are different and are classified according to their tasks.

Games can be classified according to various indicators: the number of players, the presence of objects, the degree of mobility, etc.

According to the main goal of the game are divided into several types:

  • Didactic- games aimed at the development of cognitive processes, the assimilation of knowledge, the development of speech.
  • Movable- games for the development of movements.
  • - reproduction activity life situations with distribution of roles.

In games, attention is formed in children, memory is activated, thinking develops, experience is accumulated, movements are improved, and interpersonal interaction is created. In the game, for the first time, there is a need for self-esteem, which is an assessment of one's abilities in comparison with the abilities of other participants.

Role-playing games introduce the world of adults, clarify knowledge about daily activities, allow faster and deeper assimilation of social experience. The value of the game is so great that it can only be compared with learning. The difference is that at preschool age the game is the leading activity, and without it even the learning process becomes impossible.

The motive of the game is not in the result, but in the process itself. The child plays because he is interested in this process itself. The essence of the game is that children reflect in the game various aspects of everyday life, clarify their knowledge and master various subjective positions.

But the game implies not only fictitious relationships (daughters, mothers, seller and buyer, etc.), but also real relationships with each other. It is in the game that the first sympathies, a sense of collectivism, the need for communication with peers appear. The game develops mental processes.

  • Development of thinking

The game has a constant impact on the mental development of the child. Acting with substitute objects, the child endows it with a new name and acts with it in accordance with the name, and not for its intended purpose. Substitute object is a support for mental activity. Actions with substitutes serve as the basis for the knowledge of real objects.

Role play changes the position of the child, transferring him from the status of a child to an adult level. The adoption of the role by the child allows the child to approach adult relationships at the level of play.

The transition from objective actions to role-playing games is due to the fact that the child moves from visual-active thinking to figurative and logical, that is, actions move from practical to mental.

The process of thinking is associated with memory, since thinking is based on the experience of the child, the reproduction of which is impossible without memory images. The child gets the opportunity to transform the world, he begins to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

  • Memory Development

The game primarily affects the development of memory. This is no coincidence, as in any game the child needs to memorize and reproduce information: the rules and conditions of the game, game actions, distribution of roles. In this case, the problem of forgetfulness simply does not arise. If the child does not remember the rules or conditions, then this will be negatively perceived by peers, which will lead to "exile" from the game. For the first time, a child has a need for intentional (conscious) memorization. This is caused by the desire to win or take a certain status in relationships with peers. Memory development occurs throughout school age and continues further.

  • Development of attention

The game requires concentration from the child, improving attention: voluntary and involuntary. The child has a need for concentration in determining game rules and conditions. In addition, some didactic and outdoor games require attention from the child throughout the game. Loss of attention will certainly lead to the loss or discontent of his peers, which affects his social status.

The development of the volume and duration of attention occurs gradually and is closely related to the mental development of the child. At the same time, it is important to develop voluntary attention as a volitional component. Involuntary attention is used at the level of children's interest.

  • Development of the imagination

Role-playing games are interpreted in taking on the role of conformity to it. The behavior of the child, his actions and speech must correspond to the role. The more developed the imagination, the more interesting and complex the images created by the child become. At the same time, peers often give each other an independent assessment, distributing roles so that everyone would be interested in playing. This means one thing: the manifestation of imagination is welcome, and, therefore, its development takes place.

AT gaming activity the most intensively formed mental qualities and personality characteristics of the child. In the game, other types of activity are added, which then acquire independent significance.

The impact of play on the overall development of the child.Game activity influences the formation of the arbitrariness of mental processes. So, in the game, children begin to develop voluntary attention and random memory. In the conditions of the game, children concentrate better and remember more than in the laboratory.


youthful experiences. The conscious goal (to focus attention, to remember and remember) is allocated to the child earlier and most easily in the game. The very conditions of the game require the child to concentrate on the objects included in the game situation, on the content of the actions being played and the plot. If the child does not want to be attentive to what the upcoming game situation requires of him, if he does not remember the conditions of the game, then he is simply expelled by his peers. The need for communication, for emotional encouragement forces the child to purposeful concentration and memorization.

game situation and actions in it have a constant impact on the development mental activity preschool child). In play, the child learns to act with the object's substitute; he gives the substitute a new game name and acts with it in accordance with the name. The substitute object becomes a support for thinking. On the basis of actions with substitute objects, the child learns to think about a real object. Gradually, play actions with objects are reduced, the child learns to think about objects and act with them mentally. In this way, the game to a large extent contributes to the fact that the child gradually moves to thinking in terms of representations.

At the same time, the experience of playing and especially real relationships of the child in the plot-role-playing game forms the basis of a special property of thinking that allows you to take the point of view of other people, anticipate their future behavior and build your own behavior on the basis of this.

Role Play is Defining to develop the imagination. In play activity, the child learns to replace objects with other objects, to take on various roles. This ability underlies the development of the imagination. In the games of older children preschool age Substitute items are no longer obligatory, just as many game actions are not obligatory. Children learn to identify objects and actions with them, to create new situations in their imagination. The pen can then flow internally. Six-year-old Katyusha is looking at a photograph showing a girl resting her cheek on her finger and looking thoughtfully at the doll. The doll is planted near a toy sewing machine. Katyusha says: “The girl thinks as if her doll is sewing.” With her explanation, little Katya discovered her own way of playing.


The influence of the game on the development of the child's personality lies in the fact that through it he gets acquainted with the behavior and relationships of adults who become a model for his own behavior, and in it he acquires the basic communication skills, the qualities necessary to establish contact with peers. him to obey the rules,

Productive activities of the child - drawing, design - at different stages of preschool childhood are closely merged with the game. So, while drawing, the child often plays out this or that plot. The animals drawn by him fight among themselves, catch up with each other, people go to visit and return home, the wind blows away hanging apples, etc. The construction of the cubes is woven into the course of the game. The child is a driver, he carries blocks to construction, then he is a loader unloading these blocks, and finally a construction worker building a house. AT joint game these functions are distributed among several children. Interest in drawing, design initially arises precisely as a game interest aimed at process creating a pattern, design in accordance with game plan. And only in the middle and older preschool age is interest transferred to the result of the activity (for example, drawing), and it is freed from the influence of the game.

Within the play activity, learning activity begins to take shape, which later becomes the leading activity. The teaching is introduced by an adult, it does not arise directly from the game. But a preschooler begins to learn by playing - he treats learning as a kind of role-playing game with certain rules. However, by following these rules, the child imperceptibly masters elementary learning activities. A fundamentally different attitude of adults to learning than to play gradually, little by little, restructures the attitude towards it on the part of the child. He develops a desire and an initial ability to learn.

The influence of the game on the development of speech function. Highly big influence game renders for the development of speech. The game situation requires from each child included in it a certain level of development of verbal communication. If a child is not able to clearly express his wishes regarding the course of the game, if he is not able to understand the verbal instructions of his playmates, he will be a burden to his peers. The need to explain to peers stimulates the development of coherent speech.

for the development of the sign function of the child's speech. The sign function permeates all aspects and manifestations of the human psyche. Assimilation of the sign function of speech leads to a radical restructuring of all mental functions of the child. In the game, the development of the sign function is carried out through the replacement of some "objects with others. Substitute objects act as signs of missing objects. A sign can be any element of reality (an object of human culture that has a fixed functional purpose; a toy acting as a conditional copy of a real object; a polyfunctional object from natural materials or created by human culture, etc.), acting as a substitute for another

element of reality. Naming the missing object and its substitute with the same word focuses the child's attention on certain properties of the object, which are comprehended in a new way through substitutions. This opens up yet another path to knowledge. In addition, the substitute object (the sign of the missing) mediates the connection between the missing object and the word and transforms the verbal content in a new way.

In play, the child comprehends specific signs of a twofold type: individual conventional signs, having little in common in their sensual nature with the designated object; iconic signs, sensual properties of which are visually close to the replaced object.

Individual conventional signs and iconic signs in the game take on the function of the missing object, which they replace. A different degree of proximity of the object-sign that replaces the missing object and the object being replaced contributes to the development of the sign function of speech: the mediating relationship "object - its sign - its name" enriches the semantic side of the word as a sign.

Substitution actions, in addition, contribute to the development of the child's free handling of objects and their use not only in the quality that was learned in the first years of life, but also in a different way (a clean handkerchief, for example, can replace a bandage or a summer cap) .

Reflection. The game as a leading activity is of particular importance for the development of reflective thinking.

Reflection is the ability of a person to analyze his own actions, deeds, motives and correlate them with universal human values, as well as with the actions, deeds, motives of other people. Reflection contributes to adequate human behavior in the world of people.

The game leads to the development of reflection, since in the game there is a real opportunity to control how the action that is part of the communication process is performed. Thus, playing "hospital", the child cries and suffers as a patient and is pleased with himself as a well-performing his role. The dual position of the player - performer and controller - develops the ability to correlate their behavior with the behavior of a certain model. In a role-playing game, the prerequisites for reflection arise as a purely human ability to comprehend one's own actions, needs and experiences with the actions, needs and experiences of other people.

Perhaps there is nothing more natural and positive than children playing. A game for a child is considered not only entertainment, but also a real vital need.

Only in gameplay kids acquire important skills - both domestic and social. Let's find out what else is the role of play in a child's life.

The developmental effect of games is impossible without the participation of parents. The younger the baby, the more actively adults should be included in the gameplay.

It is mom and dad who are the main partners of little kids, initiating games or supporting the initiative of little ones. But in the older preschool age, the parent is assigned the position of an outside observer and “consultant”.

The impact of games on child development: main aspects

It is possible to develop a baby comprehensively only in games. Children's psyche, motor skills - without toys, the baby will not be able to become a full-fledged personality. Let's take a closer look at the importance of play activities in the lives of toddlers.

  1. cognitive development. In the game, children begin to learn the surrounding reality, learn the purpose and properties of objects. In parallel with the assimilation of new knowledge, mental processes are actively developing: all types of memory, thinking, imagination, attention. Previously acquired skills (the ability to analyze, remember and reflect) will be useful to the child when studying at school.
  2. Improving physical skills. While playing, the baby masters various movements, learns to coordinate and coordinate them. With the help of outdoor games, children get to know their body, develop dexterity, strengthen the muscle corset, which is extremely important for a growing baby.
  3. The development of the imagination. In the gameplay, children endow objects with completely new, sometimes unusual properties. Moreover, the “players” themselves understand that everything is not serious, but in reality they see a horse in a stick, banknotes in birch leaves, and pie dough in clay. Making non-standard decisions develops figurative thinking and imagination in kids.
  4. The development of speech. Role-playing games are a great opportunity to improve speech and communication skills. The child pronounces his actions, plays out dialogues, assigns roles, and agrees on game rules.
  5. Development of moral and moral qualities. During the game, the child draws certain conclusions about actions and behavior, learns to be courageous, honest, and benevolent. However, the formation of moral aspects requires an adult who will help draw the right conclusions from the current situation.
  6. Emotional development. Toddlers will be able to learn to sympathize with their peers, support and pity them, rejoice and empathize. While playing, children work through their emotional troubles - fears, anxiety and aggressiveness. That is why play therapy is one of the leading methods of correcting children's behavior.

What is more important - playing or learning?

The kid has to play. This statement, we are sure, no one will dispute.

However, for some reason, many mothers and fathers forget about this, preferring modern methods of early education and development.

But experts are sure that all mental processes develop, first of all, in the game, and only then through purposeful training.

Even 20-30 years ago, when the school taught to write and read, kids devoted all their free time to games.

Now for admission to the prestigious educational institution children have to pass difficult tests. Therefore, parents try to purchase educational toys and enroll their children in training courses.

Even in kindergartens, the main emphasis is on preparing children for school, and games remain in the background.

Psychologists are concerned not only that learning is replacing play, but also that children are left alone with toys.

Very soon, the child loses interest in dolls and cars, because the game is an important process, not the number of play accessories.

At an early age, it is necessary to teach the baby to play, otherwise he simply will not understand what the ball and the children's railway are for.

Types of games and age of the child

The type and nature of play activities largely depend on the age of the kids. It is important to remember the age characteristics of the child, only in this case the games will have a developmental character. So:

  • for a baby up to 1.5 years old, object games are needed. Toys in this age period are absolutely any objects that fall into the hands. The main game operations are running, walking and throwing;
  • for children from 1.5 to 3 years old, sensory-motor play is important. The child touches objects, interacts with them, manipulates and moves. By the age of three, the baby already knows how to play hide and seek and tag, learns to ride a bicycle, loves ball games;
  • for a child from 3 to 5 years old, reincarnations are needed. The kid transfers certain properties of objects to each other. For example, a chair becomes a ship, and a blanket becomes a tent. Even children at this age love to “parody”, that is, to imitate and mimic the people around them.
  • absolutely all types of games are suitable for preschoolers over 5 years old - role-playing, moving, dramatic, by the rules. However, all of them are united by one feature - they are structured and ordered, include elements of a well-developed imagination, fantasy and creativity. Older preschoolers can already take care of themselves.

So, games do not arise on their own, children need to be taught game actions and rules. Thus, the main task of parents is to arouse in the child a genuine interest in toys and games.

Despite the fact that adults are equal play partners, they should not turn the management of games into strict instructions and orders.

The child must have the freedom to choose what to play and what to do.

Respect his right, do not impose games that are developing and useful, in your opinion. And even more so, do not reproach the baby for the fact that he plays "wrong, not like other children."

Don't forget that purposeful learning and computer games can never replace spontaneous children's play.

Of course, real entertainment with huts made of pillows and blankets is not always convenient for parents, leads to confusion and noise.

And yet, one should not limit the little fidget in his fantasies and imagination, because childhood is a time for games and fun.

The most important value of games for children's development lies in the fact that having played enough, the child successfully moves to the next step - he is ready to become a schoolboy.

Other related information

A game for a child is not only a favorite and main activity for every kid, but also a permanent activity in which children spend most of their time. It is during the game that each child begins to form the foundations of his permanent psychological state and emotional attitude in a social setting. And most importantly, games develop and prepare the child for a new school period for them.

The role of the game as a formative component in the behavior of the child is confirmed by many scientists, psychologists and educators of our time. They also note that the role of play is important in the life of every child, as it is it that motivates and prepares for future relationships. The game shows the child how to act in a given situation, what consequences can occur, and teaches them to act as correctly as possible under certain circumstances.

It is during the game that the child's usual instinctive desires begin to become reality and transform into certain actions, which show whether the child is ready to move on to a new phase in learning and development.

Of course, not only the game affects the formation of mental and personal immunity, many activities and developmental exercises educate the child's character and mental capacity. But, despite all this, it is impossible not to note what exactly causes upsurges in the child's emotional sphere.

Therefore, when a child plays, you need to monitor all his actions in order to see and encourage some actions, or, on the contrary, to look at what missteps have occurred in education and tighten up the shortcomings. We should not forget that every year the child grows older, his interests change, but the foundation remains, since it was laid from childhood.

Any game, whether computer, board or role-playing (between children), is the very first school for a child as an independent person. It is in the game that he manifests the ability to independently and voluntarily obey the various rules and requirements that are described in the description.

The most educational games that help prepare a child for a new adult school life are games with collecting different parts, i.e. didactic. It will be useful for each child to play puzzles, assemble a constructor or puzzles, and various outdoor competitions keep up with what games. Many psychologists advise children to play games with double rules so that mental development does not lag behind and stays in good shape.

The value of the game also lies in the fact that it helps the child to realize himself in society. The game constantly develops and shows the social life of the baby, with the help of the game, children communicate with each other and express their emotions.

The game develops the movement and vision of children. Thanks to such games as a designer or picking up pictures, children start the process of memorizing actions and the image drawn in the picture.

The child's intellect also develops in the game, since at the elementary stage of the development of the psyche, the transition from simple actions to complex processes begins.

During the game, the child develops physically, mentally and personally. Let's take a closer look at how games affect the development of a child.

The development of the cognitive sphere. During the game, the child actively learns the world around him, gets acquainted with the properties of objects, their purpose. This aspect of the influence of the game on development is manifested at a very early age, when the child does not play yet, but only manipulates objects: puts cubes one on top of the other, puts balls in a basket, tries toys “on the tooth”. Along with the assimilation of new knowledge about the world around, in the process of the game, the development of cognitive processes takes place: attention, memory, thinking. The skills formed at an early age to concentrate, analyze, memorize information will be very useful for a child to study at school;

Physical development. During the game, the child masters different movements, improves his motor skills. All children love outdoor games: they run, jump, tumble, kick the ball with pleasure. In such games, the child learns to master his body, acquires dexterity and good muscle tone, which is very important for a growing organism;

Development of figurative thinking and imagination. During the game, the child endows objects with new properties, models his own imaginary space. The child himself at this moment understands that everything is happening for fun, but when playing, he really sees in the leaves - money, in the pebbles - potatoes for soup, and in the damp sand - dough for fragrant pies. The development of imagination and imaginative thinking is the most important aspect of the influence of the game, because the child has to make non-standard decisions in order to realize the plot of his game. True, recently this property of the game has been exterminated by manufacturers of children's toys, creating a wide variety of game sets for all occasions. The most realistic children's kitchens, laundries, sets for playing in the store deprive children's play of an element of fantasy;

Development of speech and communication skills. In the process of plot role play the child constantly has to pronounce his actions, act out dialogues between the characters of the game. Games in the company of other children contribute not only to the development of speech, but also to the development of communication skills: children need to assign roles, agree on the rules of the game, and maintain contact directly during the game. The child learns not only to negotiate, but also to follow the accepted rules;

Development of the motivational sphere. Role-playing games are based on the fact that the child imitates an adult. During the game, the child, as it were, tries on the role of an adult, tries to perform his functions at the game level. Such a game forms the child's motivation to become a truly adult, that is, to get a profession, earn money, start a family. Of course, in order for the “correct” motivation to form during the game, the child must have a positive example of adults before his eyes;

Development of moral qualities. Although the plots of children's games are fictitious, the conclusions that a child makes from game situations are real. The game is a kind of training ground where the child learns to be honest, courageous, decisive, and benevolent. Of course, for the formation of moral qualities, not only children's play is needed, but also an adult nearby, who will help to see the game situation more deeply and draw the right conclusions;

Development and correction of the emotional sphere. During the game, the child learns to sympathize, support, regret, express sympathy. Sometimes it happens that a child’s emotional problems “break through” through games: fear, anxiety, aggression. AT game form you can give vent to these emotions and live with the child difficult situations for him.

Unfortunately, in recent years, real spontaneous children's play has been supplanted by learning in the form of a game or computer games. You need to understand, but neither one nor the other activity is, in essence, the game that gives so much for the development of the child. Of course, real and "high-quality" children's games are not always convenient for adults, because these are huts made of pillows and blankets, constructor cities throughout the apartment and a mess. However, it is not worth limiting the child in his fantasies and games, because they say correctly that everything has its time, and childhood is the time of play. A child who has been allowed to play enough will be better prepared for the transition to a new step in his development.

In order for the game to really captivate children and personally affect each of them, an adult must become its direct participant. By his actions, emotional communication with children, an adult involves them in joint activities, makes it important and meaningful for them. It becomes, as it were, the center of attraction in the game. This is very important in the early stages of acquaintance with new game especially for younger preschoolers.

At the same time, the adult organizes and directs the play—he helps the children overcome difficulties, approves of their good deeds and achievements, encourages adherence to the rules, and points out the mistakes of some children. The combination of two different roles for adults - a participant and an organizer - is an important distinguishing feature of a developing game.

Due to the fact that the developmental game is an active and meaningful activity for the child, in which he willingly and voluntarily joins, the new experience acquired in it becomes his personal property, since it can be freely applied in other conditions (therefore, the need to consolidate new knowledge disappears).

Transferring learned experience to new situations own games is an important indicator of the development of a child's creative initiative. In addition, many games teach children to act "in the mind", to think, which liberates the imagination of children, develops their creative abilities and abilities.

An educational game is a fairly effective means of developing such qualities as organization, self-control, etc. Its rules, which are mandatory for all, regulate the behavior of children and limit their impulsiveness.

If the rules of behavior declared by the educator outside the game are usually poorly assimilated by children and often violated by them, then the rules of the game, which become a condition for exciting joint activities, quite naturally enter the lives of children.

Of great importance is the joint nature of the game, in which the educator and the group of peers encourage the child to follow the rules, that is, to consciously control their actions.

Evaluating the actions of peers together with an adult, noting their mistakes, the child better learns the rules of the game, and then realizes his own miscalculations. Gradually, prerequisites for the formation of conscious behavior and self-control arise, which is the practical development of moral norms. The rules of the game become, as it were, the norm of behavior in a group, they bring new social experience. By doing them, children win the approval of an adult, the recognition and respect of their peers.

Thus, at preschool age, educational games contain versatile conditions for the formation of the most valuable personality traits. However, for their development to really take place, it is necessary to follow a certain sequence in the selection of games.

According to the concept of children's play D.B. Elkonin's role-playing game is an expression of the growing connection of the child with society - a special connection characteristic of preschool age.

The role-playing game expresses such a desire of the child to participate in the life of adults, which cannot be realized directly, due to the complexity of the tools of labor and their inaccessibility to the child. Elkonin's research showed that in more primitive societies, where children can take part in the labor activity of adults very early, there are no objective conditions for the emergence of a role-playing game.

The child's desire for independence and participation in the life of adults is satisfied there directly and immediately - starting from the age of 3-4, children master the means of labor or work together with adults, and do not play.

These facts made it possible for D.B. Elkonin has an important conclusion: role play arises in the course of the historical development of society as a result of a change in the place of the child in the system of social relations. It is therefore social in origin and nature. Its emergence is connected not with the action of some internal, innate instinctive forces, but with the quite definite conditions of the child's life in society. .

The central moment of the role-playing game is the role that the child takes on. At the same time, he does not just call himself the name of the corresponding adult (“I am an astronaut”, “I am a mother”, “I am a doctor”), but, most importantly, he acts as an adult, whose role he took on and it seems to identify himself with him.

Through the performance of a play role, the child is connected with the world of adults. It is the playing role in a concentrated form that embodies the connection of the child with society. Therefore, Elkonin proposed to consider the role as the main, indecomposable unit of a developed form of play. It presents the affective-motivational and operational-technical aspects of the child's activity in an indissoluble unity.

The most characteristic moment of the role is that it cannot be carried out outside the practical game action. Game action is a way to implement a role. It is impossible to imagine a child who, having assumed the role of an adult, would remain inactive and would act only in the mental plane - in representation and imagination. The role of a rider, doctor or driver cannot be performed only in the mind, without real, practical game actions.

There is a close relationship and contradictory unity between the role and the corresponding game actions. The more generalized and abbreviated the play actions, the deeper the system of relations of the recreated activity of adults is reflected in the game. And vice versa - the more specific and expanded the game actions, the more relations between people go into the background and the more the subject content of the recreated activity comes to the fore.

The sequence of actions of the role that the child assumes has for him, as it were, the force of a law to which he must subordinate his actions. Any attempt to break this sequence or introduce an element of conventionality (for example, make mice catch cats or have the driver sell tickets and the cashier drive the bus) causes a violent protest from the children, and sometimes even leads to the destruction of the game. By taking on a role in the game, the child thereby accepts a system of rigid necessity to perform certain actions in a certain sequence. So freedom in the game is relative - it exists only within the limits of the role taken on.

But the thing is that the child takes on these restrictions voluntarily, of his own free will. Moreover, it is this obedience to the adopted law that gives the child maximum pleasure. According to L.S. Vygotsky, a game is “a rule that has become an affect” or “a concept that has become a passion”.

Usually the child, obeying the rule, refuses what he wants. In the game, however, obeying the rule and refusing to act on an immediate impulse brings maximum pleasure. The game constantly creates situations that require action not on immediate impulse, but along the line of greatest resistance. The specific pleasure of the game is associated precisely with overcoming immediate urges, with obedience to the rule contained in the role. That is why Vygotsky believed that play gives the child "a new form of desire." In the game, he begins to correlate his desires with the "idea", with the image of the ideal adult. A child can cry like a patient in a game (it is difficult to show how you cry) and rejoice like a player.

Many researchers considered the game to be a free activity precisely because it does not have a clearly defined goal and result. But the considerations of Vygotsky and Elkonin expressed above reject this assumption. In a creative, role-playing game of a preschooler, there is both a goal and a result. The purpose of the game is to fulfill the role assumed. The result of the game is how this role is carried out. The conflicts that arise during the game, as well as the pleasure of the game itself, are determined by how the result corresponds to the goal. If there is no such correspondence, the rules of the game are often violated, instead of pleasure, children experience frustration and boredom.

Children of preschool and primary school age spend most of their time playing various games. It may seem to parents and other adults that the game does not carry any semantic load, but only entertains children. In fact, this part of the life of babies is necessary for proper development and has a significant impact on the little person.

Participation of adults in children's games

When raising children, it is very important to leave time for activities that will help the child develop creative skills, speech, and improve his mental and physical performance. The younger the child, the more entertainment requires the participation of mom and dad. They not only monitor the gameplay, but also guide the baby in the right direction.

Parents become the baby's first play partners. As the child grows older, they take less and less part in his amusements, but can remain outside observers, help and suggest as needed. It is adults who open to the baby Magic world thanks to which he not only plays, but also develops.

Spheres of influence of games on the development of children

During the game, the psychological, physical and personal development of a person takes place. That is why the importance of play in a child's life cannot be underestimated.

The main areas affected by gameplay are:

  • The sphere of knowledge of the surrounding world

The game helps the baby to better navigate the world around him, learn about the purpose of objects and their properties. Still not knowing how to walk, the baby gets acquainted with objects - throws a ball, shakes a rattle, pulls a rope, and so on. Each new knowledge about the surrounding world improves memory, thinking and attention.

  • Physical development

Movement activities help kids learn different movements, thanks to which they improve their motor skills. As a result of active training, the child learns to control the body, becomes more flexible and stronger.

  • Improving Communication and Speech

Playing alone, the baby has to play several roles at the same time and pronounce his actions. And if the development of speech in this case is undeniable, then the improvement of communication skills is possible only in a team game.

During a competition with several participants, everyone learns to follow certain rules and to have a dialogue with other children.

  • Development of the imagination

It is sometimes difficult for adults to get involved in the game of the child, because during entertainment it endows objects with unusual properties, expands the imaginary space and looks at the world with childish spontaneity.

In order for the imagination to develop better, it is worth giving the opportunity to the son or daughter to fantasize on their own.

And despite the fact that the child knows that the game is not really being played, he enthusiastically sculpts cakes from wet sand, and then feeds them to the doll.

  • The manifestation of emotions and the development of moral qualities

Thanks to the game plots, the kid learns to be benevolent and sympathetic, to show courage and determination, and becomes more honest. In a playful way, parents and the child can give vent to the emotions that disturb the baby (fear, anxiety) and solve complex problems together.

Types of games for development

Teachers advise several types of activities for the development of speech, communication, and the physical condition of the child:

  • role-playing;
  • solving riddles and puzzles;
  • competition;
  • constructors;
  • dramatization.

All of the above types of games affect the formation of a person's personal qualities. Thanks to game activity parents see which abilities predominate in a preschooler and can decide which talent should be developed.

The development of positive qualities will help the child in later life and reveal his potential. Also, do not forget that through the game, adults remain in the world of the child and can communicate with him on an equal footing.

At preschool age, play becomes the leading activity, but not because modern child, as a rule, spends most of the time in entertaining games - the game causes qualitative changes in the child's psyche.

In play activity, the mental qualities and personal characteristics of the child are most intensively formed. In the game, other types of activities are added, which then acquire independent significance, that is, the game affects various aspects of the development of a preschooler (Appendix B).

Game activity influences the formation of the arbitrariness of mental processes. So, in the game, children begin to develop voluntary attention and voluntary memory. In the conditions of the game, children concentrate better and remember more than in the conditions of classes. A conscious goal (to focus attention, remember and recall) is allocated to the child earlier and most easily in the game. The very conditions of the game require the child to concentrate on the objects included in the game situation, on the content of the actions being played and the plot. If the child does not want to be attentive to what the upcoming game situation requires of him, if he does not remember the conditions of the game, then he is simply expelled by his peers. The need for communication, for emotional encouragement forces the child to purposeful concentration and memorization.

The game situation and actions in it have a constant impact on the development of the mental activity of a preschool child. In the game, the child learns to act with the substitute for the object - he gives the substitute a new game name and acts with it in accordance with the name. The substitute object becomes a support for thinking. On the basis of actions with substitute objects, the child learns to think about a real object. Gradually, play actions with objects are reduced, the child learns to think about objects and act with them mentally. Thus, the game to a large extent contributes to the fact that the child gradually moves to thinking in terms of representations.

At the same time, the experience of playing and especially real relationships of the child in the plot-role-playing game forms the basis of a special property of thinking that allows you to take the point of view of other people, anticipate their future behavior and, depending on this, build your own behavior.

Role play is essential to the development of the imagination. In play activity, the child learns to replace objects with other objects, to take on various roles. This ability underlies the development of the imagination. In the games of children of older preschool age, substitute objects are no longer required, just as many game actions are not required. Children learn to identify objects and actions with them, to create new situations in their imagination. Kosyakova, O. O. Psychology of early and preschool childhood: tutorial/ O.O. Kosyakova.- Moscow: Phoenix, 2007.-p.346

The influence of the game on the development of the child's personality lies in the fact that through it he gets acquainted with the behavior and relationships of adults who become a model for his own behavior, and in it he acquires the basic communication skills, the qualities necessary to establish contact with peers. Capturing the child and forcing him to obey the rules contained in the role he has taken on, the game contributes to the development of feelings and volitional regulation of behavior.

Productive activities of the child - drawing, design - at different stages of preschool childhood are closely merged with the game. So, while drawing, the child often plays out this or that plot. The animals drawn by him fight among themselves, catch up with each other, people go to visit and return home, the wind blows away hanging apples, etc. The construction of the cubes is woven into the course of the game. The child is a driver, he carries blocks to construction, then he is a loader unloading these blocks, and finally a construction worker building a house. In a joint game, these functions are distributed among several children. Interest in drawing, design initially arises precisely as a game interest aimed at the process of creating a drawing, design in accordance with the game plan. And only in the middle and older preschool age is interest transferred to the result of the activity (for example, drawing), and it is freed from the influence of the game.

Within the play activity, learning activity begins to take shape, which later becomes the leading activity. The teaching is introduced by an adult, it does not arise directly from the game. But a preschooler begins to learn by playing - he treats learning as a kind of role-playing game with certain rules. However, by following these rules, the child imperceptibly masters elementary learning activities. Fundamentally different from play, the attitude of adults to learning gradually, gradually restructures the attitude towards it on the part of the child. He develops a desire and an initial ability to learn.

The game has a great influence on the development of speech. The game situation requires from each child included in it a certain level of development of verbal communication. If a child is not able to clearly express his wishes regarding the course of the game, if he is not able to understand his playmates, he will be a burden to them. The need to explain to peers stimulates the development of coherent speech. Belkina, V.N. Psychology of early and preschool childhood: Textbook / V.N. Belkina.- Moscow: Academic project, 2005.-p.188

The game as a leading activity is of particular importance for the development of the sign function of the child's speech. The sign function permeates all aspects and manifestations of the human psyche. Assimilation of the sign function of speech leads to a radical restructuring of all mental functions of the child. In the game, the development of the sign function is carried out through the replacement of some objects by others. Substitute items act as signs of missing items. A sign can be any element of reality (an object of human culture that has a fixed functional purpose; a toy that acts as a conditional copy of a real object; a polyfunctional object made of natural materials or created by human culture, etc.) acting as a substitute for another element of reality. Naming the missing object and its substitute with the same word focuses the child's attention on certain properties of the object, which are comprehended in a new way through substitutions. This opens up yet another path to knowledge. In addition, the substitute object (the sign of the missing) mediates the connection between the missing object and the word and transforms the verbal content in a new way.

In play, the child comprehends specific signs of a twofold type: individual conventional signs, which have little in common in their sensory nature with the designated object, and iconic signs, the sensory properties of which are visually close to the object being replaced.

Individual conventional signs and iconic signs in the game take on the function of the missing object, which they replace. A different degree of proximity of the object-sign that replaces the missing object and the object being replaced contributes to the development of the sign function of speech: the mediating relationship "object - its sign - its name" enriches the semantic side of the word as a sign.

The actions of substitution, in addition, contribute to the development of the child's free handling of objects and their use not only in the capacity that was learned in the first years of childhood, but also in a different way (a clean handkerchief, for example, can replace a bandage or a summer cap) .

The game as a leading activity is of particular importance for the development of reflective thinking. Reflection is the ability of a person to analyze his own actions, deeds, motives and correlate them with universal human values, as well as with the actions, deeds, motives of other people. Reflection contributes to adequate human behavior in the world of people.

The game leads to the development of reflection, since in the game there is a real opportunity to control how the action that is part of the communication process is performed. Thus, when playing in the hospital, the child cries and suffers like a patient, and is pleased with himself as a well-performing role. The dual position of the player - performer and controller - develops the ability to correlate their behavior with the behavior of a certain model. In a role-playing game, the prerequisites for reflection arise as a purely human ability to comprehend one's own actions, anticipating the reaction of other people. Mukhina, V. S. Child psychology: a study guide / V. S. Mukhina. - Moscow: Eksmo-Press, 2000.- P.172


Preschool children spend most of their time playing games. Sometimes it seems to adults that when playing, children spend time on useless activities, because the game is perceived as an idle pastime and pampering. In fact, the game is the leading activity for preschoolers. This means that it is the game that is necessary for the development of children of this age.

The developmental impact of play on a child is impossible without the participation of an adult. How younger child, the more involvement in the process of the game is required from parents. When a baby is just starting to play, mom and dad are his favorite playmates. Parents can initiate games themselves or support the child's initiative. At an older age, parents can act as third-party observers, assistants and consultants. In any case, an adult acts as a guide to the world of the game.


  • The development of the cognitive sphere. During the game, the child actively learns the world around him, gets acquainted with the properties of objects, their purpose. This aspect of the influence of the game on development is manifested at a very early age, when the child does not play yet, but only manipulates objects: puts cubes one on top of the other, puts balls in a basket, tries toys “on the tooth”. Along with the assimilation of new knowledge about the world around, in the process of the game, the development of cognitive processes takes place: attention, memory, thinking. The skills formed at an early age to concentrate, analyze, memorize information will be very useful for a child to study at school;
  • Physical development. During the game, the child masters different movements, improves his motor skills. All children love outdoor games: they run, jump, tumble, kick the ball with pleasure. In such games, the child learns to master his body, acquires dexterity and good muscle tone, which is very important for a growing organism;
  • Development of figurative thinking and imagination. During the game, the child endows objects with new properties, models his own imaginary space. The child himself at this moment understands that everything is happening for fun, but when playing, he really sees in the leaves - money, in the pebbles - potatoes for soup, and in the damp sand - dough for fragrant pies. The development of imagination and imaginative thinking is the most important aspect of the influence of the game, because the child has to make non-standard decisions in order to realize the plot of his game. True, recently this property of the game has been exterminated by manufacturers of children's toys, which create a wide variety of play sets for all occasions. The most realistic children's kitchens, laundries, sets for playing in the store deprive children's play of an element of fantasy;
  • Development of speech and communication skills. In the process of a role-playing game, the child constantly has to pronounce his actions, act out dialogues between the characters of the game. Games in the company of other children contribute not only to the development of speech, but also to the development of communication skills: children need to assign roles, agree on the rules of the game, and maintain contact directly during the game. The child learns not only to negotiate, but also to follow the accepted rules;
  • Development of the motivational sphere. Role-playing games are based on the fact that the child imitates an adult. During the game, the child, as it were, tries on the role of an adult, tries to perform his functions at the game level. Such a game forms the child's motivation to become a truly adult, that is, to get a profession, earn money, start a family. Of course, in order for the “correct” motivation to form during the game, the child must have a positive example of adults before his eyes;
  • Development of moral qualities. Although the plots of children's games are fictitious, the conclusions that a child draws from game situations are real. The game is a kind of training ground where the child learns to be honest, courageous, decisive, and benevolent. Of course, for the formation of moral qualities, not only children's play is needed, but also an adult nearby, who will help to see the game situation more deeply and draw the right conclusions;
  • Development and correction of the emotional sphere. During the game, the child learns to sympathize, support, regret, express sympathy. Sometimes it happens that a child’s emotional problems “break through” through games: fear, anxiety, aggression. In a playful way, you can give vent to these emotions and live with your child difficult situations for him.

We also read: How we spoil the game for children: 6 common mistakes

Unfortunately, in recent years, real spontaneous children's play has been supplanted by learning in a playful way or computer games. You need to understand, but neither one nor the other activity is, in essence, the game that gives so much for the development of the child. Of course, real and "high-quality" children's games are not always convenient for adults, because these are huts made of pillows and blankets, constructor cities throughout the apartment and a mess. However, you should not limit the child in his imagination and games, because they say correctly that everything has its time, and childhood is the time of play. A child who has been allowed to play enough will be better prepared for the transition to a new step in his development.

We read on the topic:

  • The influence of music on the development of the child;
  • Modern gadgets (influence of gadgets on a child);
  • The influence of fairy tales on child development.

The game does not just play an important role in the development of children, it is the leading activity in which the development of the child takes place. The game is a form of active mental reflection by the child of the surrounding reality. The game is the physical and mental development of the child.

It is in the game that the development of mental processes takes place, and important mental neoplasms appear, such as imagination, orientation in the motives of other people's activities, the ability to interact with peers.

Gaming activities are different and are classified according to their tasks.

Types of games

Games can be classified according to various indicators: the number of players, the presence of objects, the degree of mobility, etc.

According to the main goal of the game are divided into several types:


  • Didactic- games aimed at the development of cognitive processes, the assimilation of knowledge, the development of speech.
  • Movable- games for the development of movements.
  • Role-playing games- activities to reproduce life situations with the distribution of roles.

In games, attention is formed in children, memory is activated, thinking develops, experience is accumulated, movements are improved, and interpersonal interaction is created. In the game, for the first time, there is a need for self-esteem, which is an assessment of one's abilities in comparison with the abilities of other participants.

Role-playing games introduce the world of adults, clarify knowledge about daily activities, allow faster and deeper assimilation of social experience. The value of the game is so great that it can only be compared with learning. The difference is that at preschool age the game is the leading activity, and without it even the learning process becomes impossible.

Game and mental development of the child

The motive of the game is not in the result, but in the process itself. The child plays because he is interested in this process itself. The essence of the game is that children reflect in the game various aspects of everyday life, clarify their knowledge and master various subjective positions.


But the game implies not only fictitious relationships (daughters, mothers, seller and buyer, etc.), but also real relationships with each other. It is in the game that the first sympathies, a sense of collectivism, the need for communication with peers appear. The game develops mental processes.

  • Development of thinking

The game has a constant impact on the mental development of the child. Acting with substitute objects, the child endows it with a new name and acts with it in accordance with the name, and not for its intended purpose. Substitute object is a support for mental activity. Actions with substitutes serve as the basis for the knowledge of real objects.

Role play changes the position of the child, transferring him from the status of a child to an adult level. The adoption of the role by the child allows the child to approach adult relationships at the level of play.

The transition from objective actions to role-playing games is due to the fact that the child moves from visual-active thinking to figurative and logical, that is, actions move from practical to mental.

The process of thinking is associated with memory, since thinking is based on the experience of the child, the reproduction of which is impossible without memory images. The child gets the opportunity to transform the world, he begins to establish cause-and-effect relationships.


  • Memory Development

The game primarily affects the development of memory. This is no coincidence, as in any game the child needs to memorize and reproduce information: the rules and conditions of the game, game actions, distribution of roles. In this case, the problem of forgetfulness simply does not arise. If the child does not remember the rules or conditions, then this will be negatively perceived by peers, which will lead to "exile" from the game. For the first time, a child has a need for intentional (conscious) memorization. This is caused by the desire to win or take a certain status in relationships with peers. The development of memory occurs throughout the preschool age and continues in the future.

  • Development of attention

The game requires concentration from the child, improving attention: voluntary and involuntary. The child has a need to concentrate in determining the game rules and conditions. In addition, some didactic and outdoor games require attention from the child throughout the game. Loss of attention will certainly lead to the loss or discontent of his peers, which affects his social status.

The development of the volume and duration of attention occurs gradually and is closely related to the mental development of the child. At the same time, it is important to develop voluntary attention as a volitional component. Involuntary attention is used at the level of children's interest.

  • Development of the imagination

Role-playing games are interpreted in taking on the role of conformity to it. The behavior of the child, his actions and speech must correspond to the role. The more developed the imagination, the more interesting and complex the images created by the child become. At the same time, peers often give each other an independent assessment, distributing roles so that everyone would be interested in playing. This means one thing: the manifestation of imagination is welcome, and, therefore, its development takes place.

Considering the influence of the game on the mental development of the child, it should be noted that the game is a central developmental factor. It is in it that the personal formation of the child takes place, the development of all his mental processes, the assimilation of social relations. Game activity has an impact on the arbitrariness of activity, which is directly related to volitional functions.

Parents should know that the child needs to play, this is the leading type of his activity, and, therefore, it is necessary to create conditions for the play activities of children and the development of the game itself. The main thing is to choose games for children in such a way that they carry developmental value.

Ekaterina Shatalova
The impact of play on child development. Advice for parents

The early age of a child is a very important period in the development of a person, when the foundation of his personality is laid. Preschool childhood is a short but important period of personality formation. During these years, the child acquires initial knowledge about the life around him, he forms certain attitudes towards people, to work, skills and habits of correct behavior are developed, and character develops.


A huge role in the development and upbringing of the child belongs to the game - the most important type of children's activity. It is an effective means of shaping the personality of a preschooler, his moral and volitional qualities. The spiritual and physical strengths of the child develop: his attention, imagination, dexterity, discipline, etc. The main problems associated with moral education preschoolers (education of patriotism, collective relationships, personal qualities of the child - friendliness, humanity, diligence, determination, activity, organizational skills, the formation of attitudes towards work, study). This explains the enormous educational potential of play, which psychologists consider the leading activity of the preschooler.

The well-known teacher V. A. Sukhomlinsky emphasized that “play is a huge bright window through which a life-giving stream of ideas and concepts about the world around flows into the child’s spiritual world. The game is a spark that ignites the flame of inquisitiveness and curiosity.

In the game, the formation of perception, thinking, memory, speech takes place - those mental processes that help to achieve the harmonious development of the individual. While playing, children learn about the world around them, learn colors, shapes, properties of material and space, and adapt to the diversity of human relationships. There are games that are directly aimed at physical education (moving, aesthetic (musical), mental (didactic and plot).

During the game, the child develops physically, mentally and personally. Let's take a closer look at how games affect a child's development.

Outdoor games and their importance for children ka.

Outdoor games enter the life of a child very early. A growing body constantly requires active movements. All children, without exception, love to play with the ball, jump rope, any objects that they can adapt to the game. All outdoor games develop both the physical health of the child and his intellectual abilities. The modern child is constantly on the verge of stress. This is especially true for children living in the metropolis. Employment of parents, their social fatigue, lack of assistants in raising children, or their excessive number, all this burdens children, disfiguring their psyche and physical health. The modern child is not healthy. He has scoliosis, gastritis, nervous diseases and chronic fatigue from the claims of adults. Such a condition leads to neuropsychic and general somatic weakness, which in turn causes excessive fatigue and a decrease in the child's performance. This is where mobile games come in handy. They carry, in addition to interest for the child, also a health burden and emotional relaxation. Outdoor games teach the child initiative and independence, overcoming difficulties. These games create great opportunities for children to show initiative and creativity, because in addition to the richness and variety of movements provided for by the rules, children have the freedom to use them in various game situations.

Role-playing games and their significance for the child

Role-playing games are great training hall to prepare the child for life in society. In each game, regardless of whether the child plays alone or together with other participants in the game, he performs certain roles. While playing, the child assumes a certain role and performs the actions of the hero of the game, carrying out the actions inherent in this character. The value of role-playing games lies in the fact that children repeat in games the types of behavior spied on by adults and the possibilities of solving life conflicts.

The distribution of roles is very important for a child. When distributing team roles, it should be done so that the role helps children solve problems of an individual nature (inability to organize their activities, lack of authority among peers, indiscipline, and much more). Playing all sorts of roles will help children cope with difficulties. Children use counting rhymes, the order in using an attractive role. Speaking of roles, it is necessary to note their gender. The child, as a rule, takes on roles corresponding to his gender. If he plays alone, then these roles express the type of adult behavior seen by the child. If this is a boy, then he drives a car, builds a house, comes home from work, etc. If a girl plays, then she chooses the role of mother, doctor, teacher. If we are talking about group games, then a three-year-old child does not particularly share the gender of the playing role, and the boy is happy to play the role of mother or teacher. An adult, through the game, must instill in the child vital values, correct behavior and generally teach life.

Didactic games and their meaning for children ka.

Didactic games are designed for children who are involved in the learning process. They are used by teachers as a means of education and upbringing. The extent to which a child discovers new life situations through play largely depends on the behavior of adults. When playing, an adult introduces into the world of play the necessary norms of social life necessary to enhance the social experience of the child. It is in the game, together with adults, that the child acquires the useful skills necessary for life in society.

The essence of the didactic game lies in the fact that children solve mental problems offered to them in an entertaining way, find solutions themselves, while overcoming certain difficulties. The child perceives the mental task as a practical, playful one, this increases his mental activity. In the didactic game, the cognitive activity of the child is formed, the features of this activity are manifested.

The importance of didactic play for the mental education of children is very great. In games with toys, various objects, with pictures, the child accumulates sensory experience. The sensory development of a child in a didactic game is inextricably linked with the development of his logical thinking and the ability to express his thoughts in words. To solve a game problem, it is required to compare the features of objects, establish similarities and differences, generalize, and draw conclusions.

Thus, the ability to make judgments, inference, the ability to apply one's knowledge in practice develops. This is possible only if the child has specific knowledge about the objects and phenomena that make up the content of the game. All this makes the didactic game an important means of preparing children for school.

We can say that the game is a way to improve acquired skills and gain new experience. A very important aspect of the game is the development of the cognitive sphere of the preschooler. It is the game that gives the opportunity to teach the child many lessons. During the game, the child remembers an incredible amount and with great pleasure.

And one more tip: try to give the child more freedom and encourage him to think more often. Do not rush to say for him what he can say for himself. If he makes a mistake, help him with a leading question or a funny situation. Help him build his own world, where he will be the supreme judge and complete master.

The leading type of activity and the basis for the formation of the personality of a child under 3 years old is an object game. It has a special impact on the versatile development of the child. Toys, matched by color, size, quantity, are an excellent means of developing the personality of young children.

Help your child expand vocabulary and learn new speech structures, for which read and look at picture books with him, encouraging him to repeat what he has read or told. Be a good listener. Let the child finish what he wanted to say. Try not to interrupt him, correcting the pronunciation and word order, because he himself by ear, in the end, will perceive the correct speech. Be sure to look at the child when he is talking. Thus, in any action with a child, the most important thing is a friendly relationship with him. An adult is required not only to give the child any knowledge, skills and abilities, but also to provide him with a sense of psychological security and trust.

And one more tip: try to give the child more freedom and encourage him to think more often. Do not rush to say for him what he can say for himself. If he makes a mistake, help him with a leading question or a funny situation. Help him build his own world, where he will be the supreme judge and complete master.

The leading type of activity and the basis for the formation of the personality of a child under 3 years old is an object game. It has a special impact on the versatile development of the child. Toys, matched by color, size, quantity, are an excellent means of developing the personality of young children.

Help your child expand vocabulary and learn new speech structures, for which read and look at picture books with him, encouraging him to repeat what he has read or told. Be a good listener. Let the child finish what he wanted to say. Try not to interrupt him, correcting the pronunciation and word order, because he himself by ear, in the end, will perceive the correct speech. Be sure to look at the child when he is talking. Thus, in any action with a child, the most important thing is a friendly relationship with him. An adult is required not only to give the child any knowledge, skills and abilities, but also to provide him with a sense of psychological security and trust.

To understand the importance of play for the mental development of a child, it is necessary to understand the concept itself.

At preschool age, it is the game that is considered the main activity of the baby. During the game process, the child develops the main personal characteristics and a number of psychological qualities. In addition, it is in the game that certain types of activity originate, which eventually acquire an independent character.

A psychological portrait of a preschooler can be drawn quite easily by just watching him play for a few minutes. This opinion is shared by both experienced teachers and child psychologists, who equate play activity in childhood in importance with work or service in the life of an adult. How is the baby playing? Focused and passionate? Or maybe with impatience and lack of concentration? Most likely, he will also show himself at work when he grows up.

What is the effect of gaming?

First of all, it is worth noting its influence on the formation of mental processes. While playing, kids learn to concentrate, remember information, actions. Directing the activities of a preschooler is easiest and most convenient in the game.

In the process, the baby will learn to focus on individual objects involved in the process, keep the plot in mind, and anticipate actions. It is imperative for a child to be careful, following the rules. Otherwise, peers may refuse to participate in the future.

The game actively develops the mental activity of a preschool child. The kid along the way learns to replace some objects with others, comes up with names for new objects, involving them in the process. Over time, actions with objects fade away, as the child transfers them to the level of oral thinking. As a result, it can be noted that the game in this case accelerates the child's transition to thinking in relation to representations.

On the other hand, role-playing games allow the child to diversify their thinking, taking into account the opinions of other people, they teach the child to predict their behavior and correct their own behavior based on it.

Children's games can be characterized as follows.

  1. They reflect the life that the child observes around him.
  2. Game activity has a social character and changes under the influence of changing living conditions of the child.
  3. This is an active form of the child's creative reflection of reality.
  4. This is the use of knowledge, a set of exercises, a way to enrich your experience and a stimulant for the development of the child's moral abilities.
  5. It is about the collective activity of children.
  6. Such activities stimulate the development of children in different areas, improve and change, growing into something more.

At preschool age, children try to introduce elements of a role-playing game into life, during which they show a desire to get closer to the life of adults, demonstrate the relationships and activities of adults from their own point of view.

The role of role-playing games in the life of preschool children

Even Friedrich Schiller once wrote that a person is such only when he plays, and vice versa - only a playing person can be called him in the full sense of the word. Jean-Jacques Rousseau also at one time emphasized that by watching a small child play, you can learn a lot about him, if not everything. But the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was sure that through play activities, children are trying to find a way to quickly become adults.

The game is a great opportunity for a child to express emotions that in real life he might not have dared to express. In addition, during the gameplay, the baby learns to adopt special life experiences by modeling situations, planning and experimenting.

Playing, a child at preschool age learns to express feelings without fear of being scolded or ridiculed. He is not afraid of consequences, and this allows him to be more open. By showing feelings and emotions, the baby learns to look at them from the outside, thus realizing that he is in complete control of what is happening and knows how to regulate the situation, resolve conflicts.

The game has a serious impact on the mental development of the child, and it is difficult to doubt it. It is during the game that the child gets acquainted with the properties of objects, learns to recognize their hidden qualities. His impressions accumulate like a snowball, and in the course of the game they acquire a certain meaning and are systematized.

During the game, the preschooler transfers actions to different objects, learns to generalize, developing verbal and logical thinking. In the game process, the baby usually compares himself only with those adults who play an important role in his life, whom he respects and loves. He can copy their individual actions in younger age and reproduce their relationship with each other at senior preschool age. That is why the game can be considered the most real school for the development of social relations with the modeling of adult behavior.

The learning process and the role of gaming activity in it

With the help of the game, the child receives new opportunities for personal development, reproducing the behavior and relationships of adults. In the process, the child learns to establish relationships with peers, realize the degree of responsibility for the implementation of the rules of the game. Thus, in the course of the game, the child learns volitional regulation of behavior.

For preschoolers, both younger and older, such interesting and developing activities as drawing and design are associated with play activities, to which kids with early age there is a special attraction.

In the course of gaming activity, educational activity is also formed, which will eventually become the main one. Naturally, the doctrine cannot independently arise from the game. Adults are responsible for its input. It is very important that the preschooler learns to learn during the game. In this case, he will treat him both easily and with an understanding of the need to comply with the basic rules.

The influence of games on the development of speech

Game activity has no less important role in the development of speech than in teaching. To become "their own" in the game, the child needs to be able to express emotions and desires in words, that is, to have certain speech skills. This need will contribute to the development of coherent speech using a large number of words. By playing, preschoolers learn to communicate.

In middle and older preschool age, children already know how to agree on who will play what role in the process. The termination of the game can cause the destruction of communication.

In the course of play activity, the basic mental functions of the baby are restructured, and sign functions develop as a result of replacing objects with each other.

Game activity and communication skills

Like other activities, the game will require the baby to display a number of volitional qualities in order to establish strong contact with the participants. For play to be enjoyable, a child must have social skills. This means that the preschooler must understand that one cannot do without communication and the desire to establish a connection with peers participating in the game.

An additional plus is the manifestation of initiative and the desire to convince others that the game should be played according to certain rules, taking into account the opinion of the majority. All these qualities, which in one word can be called "sociability", will be formed in the process of gaming activity.

During the game, children often have controversial situations and even quarrels. It is believed that conflicts appear because each of the participants has their own ideas about what scenario the game should follow. By the nature of conflicts, one can judge the development of the game as a joint activity of preschoolers.

Voluntary behavior during gaming activities

Game activity contributes to the formation of arbitrary behavior in a preschooler. It is during the game that the baby learns to obey the rules, which over time will be observed in other areas of activity. In this case, arbitrariness should be understood as the presence of a pattern of behavior that a preschooler will follow.

By the senior preschool age for the child, the rules and norms will be of particular importance. They will influence his behavior. By the time they enter first grade, children will already be able to cope with their own behavior, controlling the whole process, and not individual actions.

In addition, it should be noted that it is in the course of play activities that the needs sphere of a preschooler will develop. He will begin to have motives and new goals arising from them. During the game, the child will easily give up fleeting desires in the name of big goals. He will understand that other participants in the game are watching him and he does not have the right to violate the established rules by changing the functions of the role. Thus, the baby develops patience and discipline.

During the role play interesting plot and numerous roles, children learn to fantasize, they develop imagination. In addition, in the course of this kind of play activity, babies learn to overcome cognitive egocentrism by training arbitrary memory.

Thus, in children, play is an independent activity, as a result of which they learn to cognize various spheres of social reality.

Toys are an integral part of the process

Play without using toys? At preschool age, this is almost impossible. The toy is assigned several roles at once. On the one hand, it contributes to the mental development of the baby. On the other hand, it is both a subject for entertainment and a means for preparing a child for life in modern society. Toys can be made from different materials and with different functions.

For example, popular didactic toys will stimulate harmonious development the baby, improving his mood, and motor skills will become indispensable for the development of motor skills and motor abilities.

From childhood, a child is surrounded by dozens of toys that act as substitutes for a number of items from adult life. These can be models of cars, aircraft and weapons, various dolls. Mastering them, the kid learns to realize the functional significance of objects, which contributes to his mental development.

ANSWER: The meaning of the game according to L. S. Vygotsky is to develop and exercise all the abilities and inclinations of the child. The game teaches, shapes, changes, educates. Play creates the child's zone of proximal development (L. S. Vygotsky, 1983). An analysis of a child's play activity can serve as an important diagnostic tool for determining the level of a child's development. As K. D. Ushinsky wrote, “in his games, a child discovers without pretense his entire spiritual life”

Even more important than diagnostic, the game is for the full upbringing and development of the child. As far back as the 19th century, the Russian teacher A. I. Sikorsky pointed out this: “The main aid or tool for mental development in early childhood is tireless mental activity, which is usually called games and fun.”

The game plot, the presentation of educational or any other tasks in a playful way, first of all, serve to attract the child to activities, create positive motivation in him (recall the example of D. B. Elkonin (1978) about his daughters who categorically refuse to eat semolina porridge and with pleasure gobbling her in the game of Kindergarten), removing fears, including fears of training sessions, new environment and people, facilitate the child's acceptance of educational (correctional and developmental activities) and provide optimal conditions for its implementation. "The child, wishing, performs, thinking, acts." Learning in an imaginary situation makes the child feel like a "source" of learning. The immersion of a baby with still unformed play activity into an imaginary situation, in the environment of older playing children, affects his zone of proximal development, and contributes to the transition of the child to the next age stage. In adolescence, an imaginary situation becomes a means of comprehending one's own relationships and emotions, but also a way of idealizing the image of "I".

The game stimulates exploratory behavior aimed at finding and acquiring new information. The development of cognitive abilities, observation, intelligence and curiosity is stimulated. By creating imaginary situations, the child has the ability to move through space and time - therefore, spatio-temporal functions develop. There is evidence of a relationship between the characteristics of play in preschool age and the formation of reading skills in elementary school. It is shown that children who do not succeed in reading, less than successful schoolchildren, played before school with their peers outside the home, spent less time board games, folded pictures and engaged in artistic creativity.



In a game situation, a more complex organization of movements is formed, new movements are reproduced and improved. Play (especially collective play) successfully contributes to overcoming motor disinhibition in neurotic children (Spivakovskaya, 1981).

Speech activity also enters a new stage of development in play. The child acts with the meanings of objects, relying at the initial stages of the development of the game on their material substitutes - toys, and then only on the word-name as a sign of the object, and actions become generalized actions accompanied by speech. The game situation creates a renaming of the subject, and then the player. The so-called "role speech" (D. B. Elkonin) appears, determined by the role of the speaker and the role of the one to whom it is addressed. This is best evidenced by the experience of the experimental formation of role-playing games in mentally retarded children: as role-playing behavior was formed, children's speech became richer and more diverse in its functions: planning speech and speech arose as a means of an emotional attitude to objects (Sokolova, 1973). role play in puppet show helps children with stuttering overcome speech defects.

Active play activity with meanings divorced from objects develops the imagination and increases the creative potential of the child, as the child in his own way transforms environment, which often leads to new, unconventional results.

The game takes the child's thinking to a new, higher level. In the game, the ability for abstract thinking, generalization and categorization is formed due to the fact that the child's play actions are abstracted from a specific objective situation and acquire a collapsed, generalized character. From detailed actions to mental actions, their verbalization and conclusions - this is the way to form abstract thinking in the game.



The role-playing game develops voluntary attention and voluntary memory through the desire to understand and best reproduce the internal content of the role and all the rules for its implementation. These cognitive abilities are of paramount importance for success in school.

In the game, the child's self-awareness is formed - the ability to identify through identification with the image or role in the figurative or role-playing game, with other participants in the game in the game with the rules or with other characters or with the audience in the director's game. Identification ensures the formation of interpersonal decentration and arbitrariness. From identifying himself with the other, the child in play moves on to separating himself from the other. Through the game position (role), a personal position is formed, the ability to see oneself from the position of another, the desire to take a different position, motivation for achievement.

The formation of the ability to decenter in the game is a necessary condition for the socialization of the child, and its basis is the cognitive abilities of the child developing in the game. The game - best opportunity harmonious combination of education and development of the child.

Having ceased to be the leading activity, one or another type of play turns into a form of organizing the life and activity of the child. In this capacity, the game has a different meaning, a different place in the lives of children, makes a different contribution to their mental development. In this and only in this capacity, the game can become a learning tool, a tool used to organize and support the educational process, a tool used in psycho-correctional pedagogy, etc.” (Kravtsov, 2001, p. 299).

At any stage of development, in any form, the game contributes to the intellectual, emotional and moral development of the child.

A game is a special form of mastering real social reality by reproducing it. It is a type of symbolic-modeling activity. The game as a model contains the "cultural code" of child development (V.P. Zinchenko). The game is an emotionally rich activity, it captures the whole child. The motive behind the game lies in the gameplay itself; The game motivation formula is not to win, but to play. The leading type of activity in preschool age is a role-playing game. The role-playing game is deeply and comprehensively studied in the works of L.S. Vygotsky, D.B. Elkonina, A.V. Zaporozhets, A.P. Usova, F.I. Fradkina and others. Consider the main aspects of children's play: content and plot. The development of the plot and content aspects of children's play shows an ever deeper penetration of the child into the life of the surrounding adults. The plot is the area reflected in the game, the side of reality. The variety of plots increases as the child gets acquainted with new aspects of adult life: playing “family”, “doctor”, “to the store”, “chasing”, etc.

D.B. Elkonin emphasized that the significance of the game "is determined by the fact that it affects the most significant aspects of the mental development of the child's personality as a whole, the development of his consciousness." The main lines of influence of the game on the development of the psyche:

1. Development of the motivational-required sphere: orientation in the sphere of human relations, meanings and tasks of activity; the formation of social motives that are new in content, in particular, the desire for socially significant and valued activities; the formation of generalized conscious intentions; emergence of subordination, hierarchy of motives.

2. Development of arbitrariness of behavior and mental processes. The main paradox of the game is the emergence of the function of control within a coercion-free, emotionally rich activity. In a role-playing game, the child is guided by a pattern of action (standard), with which he compares his behavior, i.e. controls it. In the course of the game, favorable conditions are created for the emergence of prerequisites for voluntary attention, voluntary memory, and voluntary motor skills.

3. Development of the ideal plan of consciousness: a spontaneous transition from thinking in actions (through the stage of thinking about a substitute object) to thinking in terms of ideas, to proper mental action.

4. Overcoming the cognitive egocentrism of the child. Cognitive decentration is formed by the “double position of the player” (suffers as a patient and rejoices as a well-performing role), coordination of different points of view (relationships “according to

roles" and real partner interactions, correlating the logic of real and game action). The foundations of reflexive thinking are laid - the ability to analyze one's own actions, deeds, motives and correlate them with universal human values.

5. Development of feelings, emotional self-regulation of behavior.

6. Inside the game, other activities initially arise (drawing, designing, learning activities).

7. Development of speech: the game contributes to the development of the sign function of speech, stimulates coherent statements.

Considering the great importance of children's play, the fact that play is in crisis in modern society cannot but cause concern. It is easy to name a number of reasons for this phenomenon. Modern parents are indifferent, and often disapproving, of children's play as a frivolous, unprofitable activity. In an effort to accelerate child development, to intensify it, there is a displacement free games children with educational activities. The conditions for the existence of the game in the children's community are also problematic. The single-child family, the restriction of walks to communication with parents creates obstacles to the development of the game as a joint activity of children. And the rigid age stratification of children in kindergartens and schools, in the yards (groups of three-year-old, four-year-old children, etc.) leads to a violation of the traditions of transmission gaming experience. The problem of the attitude of the adult community towards the child's play is connected with the very important problem of not understanding the special role, with the problem of the devaluation of preschool childhood. The erroneous idea of ​​"preschool" age as empty, "preliminary", "not real", which must be waited out until the child "ripens" before school, has been replaced by another, but also incorrect. New fashion trend associated with the desire to speed up, skip preschool childhood through school-type education. Such a "jumping" threatens with one-sided development, such losses in the mental and personal development of the child, which are not compensated by learning.

It is necessary to fully live the age, use its unique potential; not acceleration, but amplification of child development - wide deployment and enrichment of the content of specific children's forms of play, practical, visual activity, experience of communication with adults and peers, maximum development"specifically preschool" and at the same time promising psychophysiological qualities. So, in the basic program for the development of the preschool child "Origins" special attention is paid to the cultivation of children's play in general. The authors give a classification of games, which is based on the idea of ​​whose initiative they arise. There are three classes of games: amateur games; games initiated by an adult, introduced for educational and upbringing purposes; folk games that can arise on the initiative of both adults and older children. Amateur play, which performs the leading function in preschool childhood, should in no case be forcibly ousted from the space of children's life. /// Textbook "Age Psychology" Author-compiler: Kagermazova L.Ts.

Vyatka State University for the Humanities

Control work on child psychology on the topic :

The value of the game for the mental development of the child

Work completed

2nd year student

Correspondence form of education

PP groups - 21

Specialties: Pedagogy and psychology

Bushueva Olga Sergeevna

Kirov, 2008


Introduction

1. Meaning and types of games

2. The role of play in the mental development of the child

3. Conclusion

Bibliography


Introduction

Preschool childhood is a long period of a child's life. The conditions of life at this time are rapidly expanding: the framework of the family is moving apart to the limits of the street, city, country. The child discovers the world of human relations, various activities and social functions of people. He has a strong desire to get involved in this adult life, actively participate in it, which, of course, is not yet available to him. In addition, he strives no less strongly for independence. From this contradiction, a role-playing game is born - an independent activity of children, simulating the life of adults.

The whole life of a preschooler is connected with the game. Mastering the things around him, relationships between people, understanding the meanings that social life carries, the work and duties of adults - he gets to know all this while playing, imagining himself in the role of mom, dad, and so on.

The study of the development of children shows that in the game more effectively than in other types of activity, all mental processes develop.

L. S. Vygotsky, considering the role of play in the mental development of the child, noted that in connection with the transition to school, the game not only does not disappear, but, on the contrary, it permeates all the activity of the student.

The game is the most mastered activity for kids. In it, they draw models for solving new life problems that arise in cognition, in work.

At preschool age, the game becomes the leading activity, but not because the modern child, as a rule, spends most of his time in entertaining games - the game causes qualitative changes in the child's psyche.

In play activity, the preschooler not only replaces objects, but also takes on a particular role and begins to act in accordance with this role. Most often, he depicts adults: mom, dad, driver, pilot. In the game, the child for the first time discovers the relationships that exist between people in the course of their work, their rights and obligations.

Purpose: to reveal the importance of the game for the mental development of the child.

Tasks: 1. Analyze the literature on this topic;

2. Summarize the results obtained.

1. Meaning and types of games

Game activity is a natural need of the child, which is based on the intuitive imitation of adults. The game is necessary to prepare the younger generation for work, it can become one of the active methods of training and education.

The game is special kind human activities. It arises in response to the social need to prepare the younger generation for life.

In order for games to become a true organizer of people's lives, their activities, their interests and needs, it is necessary that there be a richness and variety of games in the practice of education. Children's life can be interesting and meaningful if children have the opportunity to play different games, constantly replenish their game baggage.

Each individual type of game has numerous options. Children are very creative. They complicate and simplify well-known games, come up with new rules and details. They are not passive towards games. This is always creative inventive activity for them.

Children's games for the entire period of the Soviet formation were not collected, not generalized, which means they were not classified. The well-known psychologist A.N. Leontiev was right when he stated: “... in order to approach the analysis of a child’s specific play activity, one must take the path not of a formal list of the games that he plays, but to penetrate into their real psychology, into the meaning of play for the child. Only then will the development of play emerge for us in its true inner content.

The most common game theories in the 19th and 20th centuries are:

K. Gross believed that the game is the unconscious preparation of the young organism for life.

K. Schiller, G. Spencer explained the game as a simple waste of excess energy accumulated by the child. It is not spent on labor and therefore is expressed in game actions.

K. Buhler emphasized the usual enthusiasm with which children play, argued that the whole point of the game lies in the pleasure that it gives to the child.

Z. Freud believed that the child is motivated to play by a sense of his own inferiority.

Although the given explanations of the game seem to be different, however, all these authors argue that the basis of the game is the instinctive, biological needs of the child: his drives and desires.

Russian and Soviet scientists have a fundamentally different approach to explaining the game:

A. I. Sikorsky, P. F. Kapterev, P. F. Lesgat, K. D. Ushinsky speak in favor of the originality of the game as a truly human activity.

N. K. Krupskaya, A. S. Makarenko, and then many teachers and psychologists deepened the analysis of the game and strictly scientifically explained this peculiar children's activity.

Children's games are characterized by the following features:

1. The game is a form of active reflection by the child of the people around him.

2. distinctive feature games is also the very way that the child uses in this activity

3. the game, like any other human activity, has a social character, so it changes with the change in the historical conditions of people's lives

4. the game is a form of creative reflection of reality by the child.

5. the game is the operation of knowledge, a means of refinement and enrichment, a way of exercises, and hence the development of the cognitive and moral abilities and forces of the child.

6. in expanded form, the game is a collective activity

7. By diversifying children, the game itself also changes and develops.

Exist different types games: mobile, didactic, games - dramatization, constructive.

In early childhood, elements of a role-playing game arise and begin to form. In a role-playing game, children satisfy their desire for a life together with adults and, in a special, playful way, reproduce the relationships and work activities of adults.

A. N. Leontiev, D. B. Elkonin, A. V. Zaporozhets called the role-playing game the leading activity of a preschool child. Role play arises and exists in connection with other types of children's practice: primarily with observations of the surrounding life, listening to stories and conversations with adults.

D. B. Elkonin, based on the analysis of ethnographic studies, came to the conclusion that the role-playing game arose in the course of the historical development of society, as a result of a change in the place of the child in the system of social relations, that is, it is social in origin. The appearance of the game is not associated with the action of some innate, instinctive forces, but with certain conditions of the child's life in society. Childhood lengthened, and along with the emergence of role-playing, a new stage in the mental development of the child arose - preschool age. D. B. Elkonin emphasized that the lengthening of childhood does not occur by building a new period over the existing one, but by a kind of wedge-in.

The game is social not only in origin, but also in its content. All researchers describing the role-playing game pointed out that it is greatly influenced by the reality surrounding the child, that the plots of children's games are determined by the social, domestic, family conditions of the child's life.

The plot-role-playing game consists in the reproduction by children of the actions of adults and the relationship between them. That is, in the game, the child models adults, their relationships.

The role-playing game arises at the border of early and preschool ages and reaches its peak in the middle of preschool childhood.

D. B. Elkonin singled out such components in the structure of the plot-role-playing game as the plot - that sphere of reality that is reflected in the game;

Those moments in the activities and relationships of adults that the child reproduces constitute the content of the game;

The development of game action, the role and rules of the game takes place throughout preschool childhood along the following lines: from games with an expanded system of actions and roles and rules hidden behind them - to games with a collapsed system of actions, with clearly defined roles, but hidden rules - and, finally , to games with open rules and hidden roles behind them. D. B. Elkonin showed that the central component of the plot-role-playing game is the role - the way of people's behavior in various situations that corresponds to the norms and rules accepted in society.

In addition to this type of game, a preschooler masters games with rules that contribute to the intellectual development of the child, the improvement of basic movements and motor qualities.

Thus, the game changes and reaches a high level of development by the end of preschool age. There are two main phases or stages in the development of the game. The first stage (3-5 years) is characterized by the reproduction of the logic real action of people; the content of the game are objective actions. At the second stage (5 - 7 years), real relations between people are modeled, and the content of the game becomes social relations, the social meaning of the activity of an adult.

2. The role of the game in the mental development of the child

The game is the leading activity in preschool age, it has a significant impact on the development of the child.

In play activity, the mental qualities and personal characteristics of the child are most intensively formed. In the game, other types of activity are added, which then acquire independent significance.



 
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