Psychology issues of preschool age are important and significant in the development and upbringing of children. The fact is that the foundations of a correct perception of the world are laid in childhood. They further help to form an individual picture of the world of personality, contribute to the formation of self-awareness. Psychology of preschool age includes many interconnected components that determine the degree of success of a child’s development. Of course, all children cannot be the same.
The development of each of them proceeds differently. However, there are common components that are studied by preschool pedagogy. The psychology of preschool children is based on the basic principles of upbringing and development: to develop a personality that is able to take responsibility. This is a critical task and should not be overlooked. Responsibility for one’s own actions and actions does not arise by itself; certain efforts must be made to this.
This article will discuss the characteristics of the psychology of preschool children. The information will be useful to teachers who work with this group of children, as well as parents.
Age boundaries
Truly an amazing science is child psychology. Preschool age is an interesting stage in the life of each person. The age boundaries of this period are quite large: from three to seven years. The features of psychology of preschool age are largely determined by the group to which the child belongs. Accordingly, the approach to education will be somewhat different.
Psychology of primary preschool age includes such concepts as gender, the need to be noticed by adults. This group includes children from three to five years. Psychology of senior preschool age takes into account such important components as the formation of self-esteem, the development of creative abilities, self-awareness. The age range of this period is five to seven years.
Leading activity
Each development period is characterized by their own occupation, which at this moment is the most demanded and most important for the individual. The psychology of young preschool children is such that they like to play with various subjects. So far, they are more comfortable interacting only with toys: to build “houses” from cubes, to sculpt from plasticine, to assemble a mosaic or pyramid. Communication with other children is episodic and often ends in controversy.
At five or six years old, the child begins to need much interaction with peers. If at this point he still for some reason did not start attending a children's educational institution, then his development may even begin to lag. The fact is that for successful socialization the baby needs to be in a team of peers. Comparison of oneself with others provides a powerful incentive for the development of all cognitive processes: attention, memory, thinking, imagination, speech.
The leading activity in five to six years is the role-playing game. The child seeks to interact with peers. If you observe the children in the senior and preparatory groups, you will notice that they are divided into small islands. Such small subgroups are usually united by interests. When choosing a particular micro-collective, personal sympathies play an important role. And if the psychology of primary preschool age is based on the need to be approved by an adult, then for older children the ability to express their individuality is of great importance. The disclosure of needs occurs in the process of interaction with peers.
The psychology of older preschool children is such that they strive primarily for collective activity in order to be accepted by the group. They need to build individual ties, make new friends, maintain relationships with peers.
Neoplasms
In each age period, a person faces a certain task that must be solved. In preschool childhood, there are several such neoplasms:
- The ability to see the results of their work. The child learns to draw conclusions from his actions and actions. That is, gradually comes the realization that as a result of certain steps a very specific reaction will follow. A child at the age of four is able to learn that if you indulge in classes in kindergarten and interfere with the rest, you can cause dissatisfaction with the teacher.
- The development of speech is a powerful neoplasm throughout preschool childhood. First, the child learns to pronounce words correctly, then - to build sentences. By the age of five or six years, speech becomes well-formed, competent, teeming with complex sentences.
- Communication with peers. In the preschool period of life, the child learns to interact with others. He begins to build his own opinion about a situation or person, personal sympathies appear.
Crisis period
The development of the child, as a rule, does not occur in progressive movements, but in an abrupt manner. According to the observations of parents and educators, yesterday the baby behaved in one way, and today began to act differently. In fact, it had long been ripe for change, but there was no certainty that a new need could be manifested. The stage of crisis in psychology is called the turning point, which changes the way of thinking, the ability to perceive the surrounding reality as a whole.
Parents should be extremely careful not to miss significant changes in the life of their son or daughter. How to behave with a child in this difficult period for him is being studied by developmental psychology. Preschool age is a special world of childhood, when the baby needs to feel loved, protected from all troubles. At the age of five or six, both a boy and a girl live in their own world, which is very different from the world of an adult.
The crisis period always shows what parents should strive for in their relations with children, and helps to understand the interests of the child himself. At three years old, the baby has a need to emotionally separate from mom and dad: he begins to feel like a personality. There is a feeling of negativism, the desire to contradict adults in everything, to demonstrate independence in every possible way. “I myself” is a characteristic feature of three years associated with the need to defend my individuality.
The second crisis of preschool childhood is associated with the development of self-awareness and preparation for school. Usually he comes in six to seven years. The child begins to realize that society puts forward certain requirements for him, and from now on he has to meet the expectations placed on him. He is even more striving for independence, but for him it is now extremely important to be accepted in a social group. One of the most interesting stages of childhood is preschool age. The psychology of development sets as its task the study of significant periods in the formation of personality.
Gender identity
Already at the age of three, a child knows whether he is a boy or a girl. In addition, the baby is no doubt able to determine the gender of his classmates. First, the baby identifies himself with the parent of his gender, trying to imitate him. Boys pay attention to their fathers, they want to be as strong and courageous. Girls relate to their mother, imitate her. At the age of five or six, the daughter may well begin to help in the kitchen, to participate in all the daily affairs of the family.
As a rule, children in the younger group easily interact with representatives of both their gender and the opposite. But, reaching about five years, the child begins to communicate more with representatives of his gender. The girl has a need to have a girlfriend, play dolls with her, share secrets, and while she looks at the boys without much interest. At this stage of development, they are creatures for her from another planet.
Most preschoolers accept their gender unconditionally and are very pleased with it. For example, boys may speak with some disdain about girls, considering them weak, but they are proud of their own strength. The psychology of young preschool children is such that they are more focused on their inner world and prefer to build friendships based on gender.
The main need of the child
Each little man first of all wants to feel loved. It is important for the child to understand that he is completely accepted in the family as he really is, and not for any merit. Indeed, otherwise, he will begin to consider himself bad, unworthy of love and a better relationship. When parents impose a particular model of behavior on their children, then, of course, they do not think about how much they injure the inner world of the baby, make them feel deceived, confused, unnecessary. The main need of the child is love. And the task of the parents is to help him feel fully accepted.
Psychology of preschool age studies the inner world and the emotional needs of the child. If they are not taken into account, a small person has a state of frustration, which in no way can positively affect the general development of the personality.
Formation of self-esteem
Why is it so important from early childhood to develop an adequate self-perception in a baby? Self-esteem largely determines how he will continue to relate to himself. She will show whether the child will allow others to neglect their own personality or still make them respect their choice. The formation of self-esteem occurs in the period from three to five years. It was at this time that a small person begins to receive an assessment of his actions from an adult. If the actions are characterized as positive and the child is generally praised by the teachers, then he will feel comfortable in society. Otherwise, his constant companion will be a constant feeling of guilt. Parents should not scold their child too much. Try to avoid unjust criticism, be more delicate.
The psychology of preschool age is such that the child takes everything much more seriously than it actually is. He cannot yet form an independent image of himself without the participation of an adult. For this, he lacks life experience, elementary self-confidence. When we praise a child, it is postponed in his subconscious that he, as a person, is worth something and is valuable in itself. In the case of frequent criticism (especially unjust), our child only closes and ceases to trust the world around him. In other words, self-esteem consists of how adults relate to the child. Make it clear to the baby that you always remain on his side. A son or daughter should know that there are no unsolvable situations. By your own example, show that you can draw on your pluses from everything.
The development of cognitive processes
Psychology of preschool age is an amazing and useful science. She is able to prompt her parents in the right way out of this situation, give grounds for support and additional joy. Sometimes it is quite difficult for adults to cope with a disturbing problem themselves. And then pedagogy comes to the rescue. Psychology of preschool age is focused precisely on the development of children, including any psychological difficulties.
Cognitive processes are required to participate in the formation of personality. The development of attention, memory, thinking, imagination, speech is impossible without systematic activities with the child. How much time should be devoted to this? In fact, for a preschooler, only fifteen to twenty minutes a day is enough. The development of cognitive processes occurs better in the form of a game. Then the child will be able to relax and learn much more.
Creativity development
Everyone is talented in something. And a small child who is only four years old is no exception. Parents should be the first to notice the abilities of their child in order to develop talents from an early age, rather than hide them. Unfortunately, one can often observe the following picture: real natural inclinations are ruining in the bud, opportunities are being closed. And all this parents do unconsciously, putting before the child a whole bunch of restrictions. In this case, is it any wonder that children grow up without initiative, passive and lazy?
A small child learns everything by playing. He does not yet know how to take everything in life seriously. The development of creative abilities should begin with a conscious intention to bring more vivid colors and impressions to the child's life. It is better to enroll a four-year-old baby in several thematic interest groups. In the course of classes, one should definitely observe him and draw the appropriate conclusions: what turns out better, what is worse, what the soul lies for, what natural inclinations exist.
In order for the abilities to really develop, you need to free your consciousness from all sorts of fears. Parents sometimes fear the possible failure of even more children themselves, which is why the desire to move forward disappears. Do not be afraid to experiment, spend money to gain new experience. Acquiring useful skills is a priority. Let your baby really feel meaningful and valuable.
Good tips for parents and educators
Adults often ask such an important question: how to develop a full-fledged member of a society with high moral values in a child? What to pay special attention to? Where to get additional support? What should be considered when raising a baby?
- Teach him to respect himself. In modern society there are so many people who can undermine our self-esteem! Do not take away from your own child the opportunity to value yourself. Never humiliate - not in private, much less in public. The kid should not feel vulnerability, be ashamed of society. Otherwise, you will help him only form a low self-esteem.
- Develop personality in it. A personality cannot be happy if it fulfills other people's goals in life, does not solve its tasks. Let the child have his own guideline, do not impede the development of an individual opinion on some issue. Time will pass, and you will see the results of such an upbringing: the baby will become more self-confident.
- Harmonious personality development. A truly happy person is interested in everything, not just work. He has many hobbies in his arsenal, his inner world is characterized by unprecedented wealth. Such an individual is always open for new impressions, and with pleasure receives the knowledge he needs. He will never humiliate another, will not hurt others. A harmonious person strives to live in peace with his own emotions and respects the feelings of other people. It is to such an ideal that one should strive when raising a child.
Thus, the development of self-awareness, overcoming crises, the study of behavioral patterns is engaged in developmental psychology. Preschool age is an important stage in the comprehensive development of personality. It was during this period that a small person takes the basic lessons of society, learns to effectively interact with others. Parents and teachers should strongly support the child in all his endeavors, contribute to the formation of a sustainable interest in various useful activities, develop creative thinking, the ability to see the situation from several sides at once.