Creative abilities and their development in preschoolers

FROM WHAT AGE DO WE CREATE?

The best period for the fruitful and active development of the creative abilities of a little person can be called preschool age. After all, right now the child is most inquisitive, open and ready to understand the surrounding reality, and his thinking is not constrained by stereotypes. Childhood is a period of the kingdom of fantasy, fiction, fairy tales and games.

The creative process is a complex concept. It includes several aspects:

the ability to think outside the box about familiar things or phenomena;
fantasy and imagination;
the ability to discover or invent something new;
ability to apply the acquired discoveries.

In the preschool period, several successive stages can be roughly identified. And each of them has its own age characteristics.

Until the age of 2, it is important to notice and develop the child’s natural inclinations. Some are more inclined to dance, some are more inclined to draw or sculpt, some are more inclined to sing. At this time, the foundation for future creative victories is laid.
At 3–4 years old, children’s creative activity peaks. Imagination takes on verbal forms and gradually reaches the level of an independent process. At this time, it is especially important to turn to games that develop imagination and creativity.
From 5 to 6 years old, creative tasks should become more complex, include elements of preparation for school, and develop the child’s talents and imagination. The child can already plan upcoming actions.
By the age of 7–8 years, creative activity becomes more and more serious: children at a more adult level engage in music, dancing, vocals, develop theatrical or artistic activities - something for which they have natural inclinations. The images created by the child become meaningful and specific.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention to creativity at each of these stages. It should be understood that creativity is unthinkable without imagination: the fruits of creativity are initially always a product of the child’s imagination and are embodied in one area or another. Therefore, the development of imagination directly affects the development of the creative potential of a preschooler.

Features of the development of creative abilities of preschool children

Author: Kondratyeva Natalya Sergeevna

Features of the development of creative abilities in preschoolers

It is known that children's creativity is a unique phenomenon. Many teachers and psychologists, both domestic and foreign, emphasize the great importance of artistic creativity in all aspects, especially in the aesthetic development of the child’s personality.

Creative abilities are the individual characteristics of a person’s qualities that determine the success of a person’s performance of various types of creative activities. Since the element of creativity can be present in any type of human activity, it is fair to talk not only about artistic creativity, but also about technical creativity, mathematical creativity, etc.

Artistic design for preschoolers contains great potential for the comprehensive development of the child. However, these opportunities can be realized only when children feel joy and satisfaction from what they have created, if the creative process puts them in a good mood.[2, p.8]

Children's design is usually understood as the creation of various buildings from building materials, the production of crafts and toys from paper and cardboard, wood and other materials. In the process of introducing children to various types of fine arts, cognitive abilities develop, knowledge about the environment is clarified: social phenomena, nature, etc. The child learns to peer into the image of a painting or sculpture, to find and distinguish between methods of representation. Construction, while meeting the interests and needs of preschool children (they build buildings and play with them, make toys and use them in their games), at the same time has broad opportunities for the mental, moral, and aesthetic education of children. In the process of targeted learning, preschoolers, along with technical skills, develop the ability to analyze objects in the surrounding reality, form generalized ideas about the objects being created, develop independence of thinking, creativity, artistic taste, develop valuable personality qualities (accuracy, determination, perseverance in achieving goals, etc. .). All this allows us to consider construction as an effective means of preparing children for school. Psychological and pedagogical research reveals the peculiarities of the mental and aesthetic development of children in preschool age. In the works of A.V. Zaporozhets, V.V. Davydova, N.N. Podyakov established that preschoolers are able, in the process of object-sensory activity, to identify the essential properties of objects and phenomena, to establish connections between individual objects and phenomena and to reflect them in figurative form. This process is especially noticeable in various types of practical activities: generalized methods of analysis, comparison and comparison are formed; The ability to independently find ways to solve problems and the ability to plan one’s work develops.

Psychological and pedagogical research, as well as the practice of our kindergartens, prove that the beginning of the development of children's creative abilities falls on preschool age, when the nature of their activities changes compared to early childhood. This new type of activity by L.S. Vygotsky characterizes it as a transition to creative activity, “if we keep in mind the fact that in all types of activity of a preschooler, completely unique relationships of thought to action arise, namely the possibility of realizing a plan, the ability to go from thought to situation, and not from situation to thought. Whether you take drawings or work, everywhere and in everything you will be dealing with completely new relationships that arise between the child’s thinking and actions.” Unlike adults, children are not able to think through the upcoming work in all details; they outline only a general plan that is implemented in the process of activity. The teacher’s task is to develop the child’s creative abilities, purposeful imagination, and encourage him to go from thought to action in any matter.[7, p.23]

Analysis of the problem of developing creative abilities will largely be determined by the content that we will put into this concept. Very often, in everyday consciousness, creative abilities are identified with abilities for various types of artistic activity, with the ability to draw beautifully, write poetry, write music, etc. What is creativity really?

It is obvious that the concept we are considering is closely related to the concept of “creativity”, “creative activity”. By creative activity we understand such human activity, as a result of which something new is created - be it an object in the external world or the construction of thinking that leads to new knowledge about the world, or a feeling that reflects a new attitude to reality.

If we carefully consider a person’s behavior and his activities in any field, we can distinguish two main types of actions. Some human actions can be called reproductive or reproductive. This type of activity is closely related to our memory and its essence lies in the fact that a person reproduces or repeats previously created and developed methods of behavior and action.

In addition to reproductive activity, there is creative activity in human behavior, the result of which is not the reproduction of impressions or actions that were in his experience, but the creation of new images or actions. This type of activity is based on creativity.

Thus, in the most general form, the definition of creative abilities is as follows.

Let's consider the problem of developing universal creative abilities, which are necessary for the successful implementation of any type of creative activity, regardless of whether it is scientific, artistic, technical, etc.

Speaking about the formation of abilities, it is necessary to dwell on the question of when and at what age children’s creative abilities should be developed. Psychologists call different periods from one and a half to five years. There is also a hypothesis that it is necessary to develop creative abilities from a very early age. This hypothesis is confirmed in physiology.

The fact is that a child’s brain grows and “ripens” especially quickly in the first years of life. This is ripening, i.e. the growth in the number of brain cells and the anatomical connections between them depends both on the diversity and intensity of the work of existing structures, and on the extent to which the formation of new ones is stimulated by the environment. This period of “ripening” is the time of the highest sensitivity and plasticity to external conditions, the time of the highest and broadest opportunities for development. This is the most favorable period for the beginning of the development of the entire diversity of human abilities. But the child begins to develop only those abilities for the development of which there are incentives and conditions at the “moment” of this maturation. The more favorable the conditions, the closer they are to optimal, the more successful development begins. If maturation and the beginning of functioning (development) coincide in time, proceed synchronously, and conditions are favorable, then development proceeds easily - with the highest possible acceleration. Development can reach its greatest heights, and the child can become capable, talented and brilliant.

However, the possibilities for developing abilities, having reached their maximum at the “moment” of maturation, do not remain unchanged. If these opportunities are not used, that is, the corresponding abilities do not develop, do not function, if the child does not engage in the necessary types of activities, then these opportunities begin to be lost, degrade, and the faster the weaker the functioning. This fading of development opportunities is an irreversible process.

From a psychological point of view, preschool childhood is a favorable period for the development of creative abilities because at this age children are extremely inquisitive, they have a great desire to learn about the world around them. And parents, by encouraging curiosity, imparting knowledge to children, and involving them in various activities, contribute to the expansion of children's experience. And the accumulation of experience and knowledge is a necessary prerequisite for future creative activity. In addition, the thinking of preschoolers is more free than the thinking of older children. It is not yet crushed by dogmas and stereotypes, it is more independent. And this quality must be developed in every possible way. Preschool childhood is also a sensitive period for the development of creative imagination. From all of the above, we can conclude that preschool age provides excellent opportunities for developing creativity. And the creative potential of an adult will largely depend on the extent to which these opportunities were used. It has long been known that creativity requires a comfortable psychological environment and the availability of free time, therefore the sixth condition for the successful development of creative abilities is a warm, friendly atmosphere in the family and children's team. Adults must create a safe psychological basis for the child’s return from creative search and their own discoveries. It is important to constantly stimulate a child to be creative, show sympathy for his failures, and be patient even with strange ideas that are unusual in real life. It is necessary to exclude remarks and condemnation from everyday life. [17, p.201]

But creating favorable conditions is not enough to raise a child with high creative potential, although some Western psychologists still believe that creativity is inherent in the child and that one should just not interfere with his free expression. But practice shows that such non-interference is not enough: not all children can open the way to creativity and maintain creative activity for a long time. It turns out (and pedagogical practice proves this), if you select the appropriate teaching methods, even preschoolers, without losing the originality of creativity, create works of a higher level than their untrained, self-expressing peers. It is no coincidence that children's clubs and studios, music schools and art schools are so popular now. Of course, there is still a lot of debate about what and how to teach children, but the fact that it is necessary to teach is beyond doubt.

Nurturing children's creative abilities will be effective only if it represents a purposeful process, during which a number of private pedagogical tasks are solved, aimed at achieving the final goal. And in this course work, based on the study of literature on this topic, we tried to determine the main directions and pedagogical tasks for the development of such important components of creative abilities as creative thinking and imagination in preschool age.

Thus, speaking about the problem of children’s creative abilities, I would like to emphasize that their effective development is possible only with joint efforts on the part of both preschool teachers and the family. Unfortunately, teachers complain about the lack of proper support from parents, especially when it comes to creativity pedagogy. Therefore, it is advisable to hold special conversations and lectures for parents, which would talk about why it is so important to develop creative abilities from childhood, what conditions need to be created in the family for their successful development, what techniques and games can be used to develop creative abilities in the family , and parents would also be advised to read special literature on this issue.

One of the most important factors in the creative development of children is the creation of conditions conducive to the formation of their creative abilities.

Creativity in the broad sense of the word is an activity aimed at obtaining something new and unique. Therefore, the main indicator of creativity is the novelty of the created product - a work of art, a painting, a mechanical device. The result of creativity can also be a scientific idea, which is expressed for the first time and receives the status of a scientific discovery.

From this point of view, it is inappropriate to talk about children's creativity. The result of their activities, as a rule, is not distinguished by objective novelty that is significant for the development of science, culture or production.

However, the products of children's activities are new to themselves and play a huge role for the development of the child.

Therefore, in psychology and pedagogy they talk about children's creativity, but highlight its specific features.

The first important feature of children's creativity is that the novelty of their discoveries and products is subjective. The second feature is related to the fact that the process of creating a product, as a rule, gives the child even more pleasure than the pleasure from receiving the result, and, as a rule, turns out to be more important to him than the result. In this way, the creativity of children also differs significantly from the creativity of adults, for whom the process may be associated with a painful search.

The child begins new activities with ease. His meaningful actions with the material are preceded by orientation activities, spontaneous experimentation, which sometimes seems meaningless, but captivates the child and often leads to positive results. And this is the third feature of children's creativity, certainly related to the first two and especially to the second.

The above features of children's creativity demonstrate a certain degree of imperfection in the child's mental processes, which is natural at this age. Nevertheless, teaching practice must be based on these features. And only with this approach can we achieve success in the formation and development of creativity in children during preschool childhood.

It is also important to understand that the development of creativity in children is associated with purposeful learning, in which a special role is given to imagination. It is the developed creative imagination that gives rise to new images that form the basis of creativity.

Analysis of types of solving imagination problems carried out by O.M. Dyachenko, allowed her to identify two methods of action when constructing imaginary images:

) “objectification” - when a child sees a certain object in some unfinished figure and, in accordance with this, completes the drawing;

) “inclusion” - when a child turns the figure specified in the drawing into a secondary element of the image, and this ensures originality and productivity of solutions, i.e. creation.

However, as our research has shown (L.A. Paramonova, O.A. Christ), the method of “objectification”, under certain conditions, also makes it possible to construct images that are distinguished by a high level of creativity.

However, even intensive, but isolated development of imagination is not enough for creative activity. From here we can draw an important conclusion for pedagogy: every system of teaching preschoolers aimed at developing creative abilities should also set other tasks:

development of children's thinking (logical and figurative),

development of arbitrariness (the ability to set a goal and achieve it),

development of independence and free behavior (choice of activity, means of its implementation, topic, definition of one’s own task and methods of solving it, etc.).

Indicators of the development of children's creativity.

Domestic psychologists have identified indicators by which children’s creativity is “recognized.” This:

product novelty (subjective),

originality,

variability of solutions,

intellectual activity,

emotional manifestations in the process of activity and the emergence of “intellectual emotions” as a result of overcoming intellectual difficulties.

Let's take a closer look at one of the above general indicators - intellectual activity, identified by the domestic psychologist D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya as an integral property of a creative personality. The actions of a creative person are not a form of response to a task set by someone, but are generative in nature, that is, associated with setting new goals. Intellectual activity, as if overcoming the dictates of external necessity or utilitarian goals, stimulates selfless creativity. As shown by D.B. Bogoyavlenskaya, and then confirmed in our work carried out jointly with G.V. Uradovskikh, O.A. Christ, O.A. Safonova, children already in preschool age clearly manifest intellectual activity, which is of great importance in the development of the creative process. However, this most important quality must be in demand in various types of children's activities. Otherwise it fades out.

One of the most adequate types of such activity is “children’s experimentation,” identified as a phenomenon by N.N. Poddyakov. N.N. Poddyakov defines two types of children's experimentation: “disinterested,” aimed at identifying the properties of objects and their connections and relationships, regardless of the solution of any practical problems, and utilitarian, aimed at finding a solution to the problem. The first type of experimentation is especially significant, since independent familiarization of children with various properties of an object as equivalent, without distinguishing between “main” and “non-main”, allows the child to include these objects in various systems. This makes children's experimentation flexible and greatly enriches the creative design process.

However, observations of children's activities show that independent and “disinterested” acquaintance with the properties of objects in a significant part of children can remain at a rather primitive (operational) level. For example, a child throws up and catches an object many times and, while enjoying it, does not perform any other manipulations with it, leading to the discovery of new properties of this object. Or the child discovered that an object consists of two folding parts, and begins to enthusiastically repeatedly connect and separate them (open and close), then put small objects inside and rattle them. Further, the child’s interest in studying this object gradually fades away.

The conclusion follows: children's experimentation must be developed. Firstly, it is necessary to constantly expand the arsenal of objects that are clearly multifunctional. Secondly, give children the opportunity to use the properties of objects they independently discovered in various types of activities (games, drawing, design, etc.), encouraging them to further study them.

Children's experimentation as a subject of attention for teachers.

In design, for example, such objects for selfless experimentation are, first of all, materials (constructors, paper, natural material, modules, etc.) with different properties: color, size, weight, structure, texture, functionality, etc., which are taken into account to a large extent ensures productivity.

The static nature of most objects surrounding the child, their rigid functional fixation, serves as a significant inhibitor in the development of independent children's experimentation and creativity. That is why the issue of creating a “developing subject environment” in educational institutions is now being persistently and urgently raised (S.L. Novoselova).

Another important component of children's independent discoveries are methods of activity, which, as a result of their repeated use in different situations, are generalized. Generalization of methods occurs through their transfer by children to other contexts of activity. To do this, adults, as a rule, set the child the task of either using known methods in another situation, or looking for new ones.

However, as our experimental study, conducted jointly with G.V., showed. Uradovskikh, tasks in the development of creativity play both positive and negative roles. On the one hand, they direct the search activity of children, and on the other hand, they sharply narrow it. Children are not looking for options, original and rational methods; the main thing for them is to achieve success and solve a problem.

That is why, before setting specific tasks for children, it is necessary to organize extensive experimentation with the material. Such experimentation radically changes the nature of solving subsequent problems: children develop intellectual activity associated with an enthusiastic search for solutions and the desire to obtain a more appropriate and original product. This is evidenced by the children’s remarks such as “Can you do it this way”, “No, it’s better in a different way”, etc.

The very solution of problems, which turns into a creative search, stimulates children to experiment with the material, which becomes deeper and more focused. Thanks to this, children discover new properties of objects, find their relationships, and set certain goals for themselves.

Thus, “children’s selfless experimentation” becomes a full-fledged means of building a child’s cognitive activity, an important component of any creative process.

However, preschool children can “invent” techniques or “discover” new ways of acting only on the basis of their existing experience, acquired, in particular, in the process of imitation of adults.

Therefore, the use of samples is necessary for the formation in children of such knowledge, skills and abilities, which will then be used by them in independent activities, will become more generalized and will become the starting point for the development of creativity.
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WHAT IS IT FOR?

So what does this creative potential give to a child?

The ability to see what is hidden from others.
The ability to synthesize many original ideas in a short time.
Associate concepts that are not related at first glance.
Apply to solve one problem the skills acquired in solving a completely different one.
Create certain conditions under which an object exhibits hidden properties or capabilities.
Find an alternative solution to the problem at hand instead of looking for an answer by going through ready-made options.

All this opens up broad horizons for self-realization. The less creativity is developed in a person, the more prone he is to constant dissatisfaction with others and himself, to self-criticism. Such a person builds subconscious barriers to achieving a goal and is afraid of bold decisions and big-picture thinking.

We should not forget that the entire culture of any people and humanity as a whole would be impossible without creativity. Literature, sculpture, architecture, painting, folklore - all this is the result of the creative activity of many people.

Even in science you cannot do without creativity. After all, first you need to imagine a task or object, its properties, benefits, etc. And then imagine how this can be achieved. And you don’t always need to think within the framework of standards.

WHAT WILL THE CHILD DISCOVER?

In order to understand and then develop a child's particular tendency, it is important to offer him as many options for self-expression as possible. The simplest and most common thing here, where all parents start, is drawing and modeling. The processes are undoubtedly creative, but they are far from the only ones on this list. A good example would be all kinds of construction sets (what if a future engineer grows up?) and mosaics. Or ready-made kits for children's creativity (weaving, plaster casting, burning, engraving, knitting, etc.).

What other development methods will help a child decide what he likes best, what he wants to express himself in?

Applique (and not only made from paper: wrappers, postcards, cotton wool, pasta, cereals, felt-tip pen caps and other available materials are suitable). In this case, the application can be assembled either from individual parts or in the form of a mosaic.
Handicrafts (bead weaving, creating children's jewelry, embroidery, macrame).
Unusual methods of drawing - with fingers, paints on milk or cereals, in the form of a mirror print. You can draw from a stencil and then complete the drawing to a certain image, on soapy glass; instead of paints, take toothpaste, stamp with molds, paint with glue and salt - there are an endless number of options.
Acting activity. This could be a puppet theater at home or theatrical performances in a drama club. The main thing is that the child will be able to show acting talent.
Construction from scrap materials. A preschooler will learn to create useful or simply beautiful things from unnecessary objects.

This is not a complete list of activities. You can purchase, download, or come up with many more options.

Ask your child to decide for himself what he wants to do. Let him try himself in different areas. He won’t like some things, but in some ways he will find himself. Encourage his desires and do not scold him for failures or loss of interest in a particular activity.

Working with plasticine or modeling dough and its impact on the development of a child

Almost all kids love to sculpt various figures. They not only get pleasure from it, but also great benefits. Parents like this activity because the child can spend quite a lot of time fiddling with plasticine; during this time he does not run here and there, does not watch cartoons, or does mischief. But the benefits for a child from modeling are much greater than it seems at first glance.

The benefits of modeling for mental development

modeling develops fine motor skills of the hands, which has a beneficial effect on speech development
modeling helps to cope with coordination, improves memory and makes you think logically
the child becomes more patient and assiduous
Children develop abstract thinking, they create images, and use their creative abilities
modeling promotes the simultaneous work of both hemispheres of the brain, due to which their connection with each other is strengthened
the child learns to compare the original with the result of his work, analyze the differences and similarities
Children develop imaginative thinking and imagination
the child learns to carry out his plans, go to the final goal, and concentrate

Modeling class

The health benefits of sculpting

modeling has a good effect on the child’s nervous system
like any other quiet activity, modeling helps improve sleep, reduce irritability, and eliminates overexcitability
while modeling, the child expresses his feelings, which can not only be positive, it helps him cope with his negative emotions
with the help of modeling you can learn to overcome fears by breaking “bad” figures or changing them, turning them into something positive
By analyzing the figures made by the child, adults can understand the child’s psychological state and recognize problems in time
Working with plasticine, the child calms down, forgets bad emotions, relaxes
modeling for children acts as an intermediary between the fictional world and the real one, it helps children understand our world
By creating crafts, the child asserts himself, believes in himself, and looks for innovative solutions in difficult situations.

The benefits of modeling for personality development

working with plasticine helps to show a child his uniqueness, identify creative abilities and develop them
When doing modeling, a child gains knowledge about various shapes and colors, he learns to distinguish the properties of objects and texture by touch
the child learns to experiment, develops curiosity
By creating crafts, children use their knowledge and skills to get the desired result.
Working on a craft, the child trains his visual perception of the world, pays attention to details, becomes more attentive, studies various objects, their qualities and properties
Such activities, like any creativity, influence the aesthetic education of the child

Plasticine figures

Materials for modeling

Plasticine . It is suitable for children over 3 years old because... it is more difficult for weak hands to knead. You will find examples of crafts that you can sculpt with children in the article Step-by-step sculpting for children. Crafts from plasticine: we sculpt food, animals, toys
Wax plasticine . Suitable for small children as well. due to its wax base, it is softer and more flexible
Clay for modeling. Clay is good for its low cost. Interesting kits are sold for working with clay, for example, for sculpting pots.
Modeling paste . It is produced only in white and terracotta colors, so after hardening it needs to be painted. By the way, it hardens on its own and does not require baking.
dough or salt dough . You can buy it ready-made, or you can make it yourself. Ideal for modeling lessons with young children, because... very soft and harmless. You will find many interesting ideas for modeling with step-by-step photos and instructions in the article DIY salt dough crafts. Crafts for the holidays
Modeling mass . Pleasant to the touch, but very expensive. It is best used for small work with many parts. Hardens on its own in 6-8 hours

A set with clay for modeling.
You will learn a more detailed description of each material, as well as tips on how to teach a child to sculpt from plasticine, from the article Let’s sculpt with children from plasticine. Plasticineography

Plasticineography

Plasticineography is drawing on paper using plasticine.

By sticking plasticine or smearing it, three-dimensional pictures are obtained.

The benefits of plasticineography for a child combine the benefits of drawing and modeling, because the child uses both techniques in his work. By creating such a drawing, the child learns to control his hands, tries different pressures with his fingers, makes unusual movements with them, which help develop fine motor skills of the hands.

Work using plasticineography technique

For children of different ages, you can offer tasks of varying complexity, from the simplest pieces of plasticine that imitate rain under a cloud, to unique paintings with many small details and details.

CORRECT ORGANIZATION OF CLASSES

When and how to organize such classes correctly? Where to begin? From physical development at a very early age. This will be the first step to develop the child’s creative abilities. As the baby grows, he should constantly create conditions that stimulate the development of his creative imagination.

Create an environment that is slightly ahead of the child’s age development, stimulating him to learn new things. For example, at the age of one, you can give a baby bright cubes with letters or numbers and unobtrusively introduce them to them during games.
Gradually complicate and increase tasks. The bar must be constantly and systematically raised. Children do not always turn to the experience of adults when learning about the world; they often try to figure it out on their own. Therefore, do not rush to help the baby in solving his problems. If the toy falls, let him try to find and get it himself. And only if he doesn’t succeed, offer help.
Give your child freedom to choose activities. Children are most willing to do what interests them. This is much more beneficial than something imposed by parents, even in the form of a game. At the same time, freedom should not be perceived as permissiveness. There must be reasonable, justified restrictions.
Your help should be reasonable and offered as a last resort only if the child cannot find a solution on his own. There is no need to constantly insure him for everything. Let him try his hand.
Create comfortable psychological conditions for the child’s development. This applies to any activity, including creative ones. There is no need to judge the baby or sympathize excessively with his failures. But the support and advice of adults, their praise and approval is a great incentive.
Provide your child with everything necessary for creativity. If he draws, buy high-quality paints or pencils and an album. If he wants to play in a puppet theater, do it together. Don't interfere with children's imagination. Remember: this helps to form a little personality.

Creative abilities of preschool children

Creative abilities, like intellectual ones, belong to the group of cognitive abilities. Only the main load falls on various cognitive processes. In intellectual cognition, thinking plays a leading role, and in creative cognition, imagination plays a leading role. Therefore, the creative abilities of preschoolers begin to develop later - in the second half of preschool childhood.

A child can try on pyramid rings to fit them to size as early as two years of age. This indicates his intellectual development. But a preschooler will be able to see a new image in the same pyramid, calling it “girl”, “slide”, etc., when he receives numerous ideas about the world, comprehends analogies and activates his imagination.

The creative abilities of preschool children are an original approach to understanding the environment, a tendency to find non-standard ways and means of solving problems, and a desire to obtain original results.

Children can realize their creative potential in any type of activity. By drawing or constructing a structure, performing actions with toys, or being carried away by role-playing games, preschoolers are guided by their plan. Since the plan is formed on the basis of how the child perceives the surrounding reality, it can reflect a typical picture, but it can also be very unusual.

Directions for the development of children's creative abilities

Creativity rarely develops on its own. Their development needs stimulation. For this reason, it is important to know in what directions the creative abilities of preschoolers can be developed. There are two effective lines:

Complicating actions in using means to implement plans
Expanding the set of tools to solve a specific problem

As an example, consider how children use a bucket. In addition to its direct purpose, it can serve as a form for Easter cakes, the upper part of a constructed tower, a headdress, a chair, a support for a bridge, etc. But children come to this variability with the development of creativity.

The same goes for finding new means to realize your ideas. You cannot draw an outline - a preschooler will lay it out with sticks; no sticks - will line up cubes around the perimeter; there are no cubes - he will stretch out a jump rope or a strap... If there are no more or less suitable means, the older preschooler will act in imaginary circumstances.

Every time the search for suitable means and possibilities for their use is a kind of brainstorming for the creative thinking of a preschooler. Experience confirms that the most original ideas come AFTER trying more familiar options. It is important for adults to remember this fact and encourage the child’s activity in generating new ideas.

HOW TO HELP A CHILD DEVELOP ABILITIES?

In addition to a favorable and stimulating environment, parents play a significant role in creative development. They can greatly help their baby with the right actions.

Replenish your baby's life experience. Constantly read books with fairy tales or poems to him, look at the pictures in them, provoking him to think (“Why do you think? Do you like this character? Why? What would you do in his place?”). If possible, enrich the cultural world of your preschooler by visiting exhibitions, museums, the theater with him, and take him on useful excursions. Discuss everything he saw and understood at this time.
Encourage him to draw or sculpt something planned, concrete (not just sausages or balls). If the child has difficulty with something, help with advice, tell me what the sequence of actions might be in a particular case.
Teach your child to express what he sees in different ways: retelling, drawing, writing stories “based on impressions.” In the process of such creative processing of received information, the child trains his imagination.
One of the brightest forms of developing creative abilities is the ability to compose. Welcome this skill in your child in all its manifestations. Let him compose “rhymes” or silly poems, fairy tales, fables, compose and stage small theatrical performances.
The optimal form of development of all the skills and abilities of a preschooler, including creativity, is play. Encourage your child to play, especially with peers, offer him new stories, and take part in children's games yourself.
Explore the world around you with your child. This can happen during walks, trips, or any outdoor activities. Discuss with him what is happening on the street or at home, answer all his “whys”, tell and explain everything that he does not yet know. At the same time, also stimulate thinking (what do you think will happen when the flowers fall off the tree?).
You can purchase ready-made educational games (mosaics, construction sets) or special aids for creative activities with your child. There is only one condition: for classes in a playful way.

The benefits of applications in child development

Applique is the gluing of something onto any surface. Most often, children glue colorful paper onto cardboard.

This type of creativity can be done with kids. From the age of one year, with the help of adults, a child can glue various elements onto paper or cardboard. The older the child, the less he needs the help of an adult.

The benefits of this type of creativity, as well as others, are enormous. By doing such painstaking work, the child learns patience, develops perseverance, trains attention, and shows accuracy when cutting out parts. Cutting, applying glue, and gluing itself very well develop fine motor skills of the child’s hands.

Application on paper

The benefits of the application in the development of mental abilities

the child gets acquainted with the concepts of shape, color, texture
compares parts and finds the same ones
teaches differences in the size of parts, small-large
shows imagination and creativity in the creation of his works
sees the main thing among the secondary
finds parts of a whole and learns to assemble them

In addition, the child receives satisfaction from the result of his work, learns to do something himself and give his crafts or decorate the house with them.

Materials for application

special kits are sold with ready-made parts and base
you can draw the details yourself and cut them out
You can also find diagrams on the Internet, print them and cut them out
you will also need a base, it can be white or colored cardboard, whatman paper, just paper, paper with some drawings or an interesting texture
glue, scissors

Materials for application

Sequence of actions for practicing paper appliqué

Come up with a picture or story of what you want to get as a result. At the same time, take into account the desires of the child and his gender.
Cut out the parts you need
Stick them on the base
Complete the work and don’t forget to praise your child.

Turn the activity into a game, tell your child a fairy tale, for example, about a kolobok, and let your child glue the characters onto the Whatman paper one by one. By creating a fairy tale with your own hands, the child will assert himself and continue appliqué classes with pleasure.

Application with cereals

Cereals are a safe natural material for activities with children. Applications with cereals are good because they do not require special tools, you only need a base, glue and cereal.

Cereals can be painted in different colors, so the child will learn them
Cereals are good for irritating the nerve endings in the fingers and promote the development of fine motor skills.
A child learns new material through tactile sensations

Application with cereals
There are two techniques for working with cereals:

Sprinkling. To do this, you need to spread glue or stick double-sided tape on the base in the right place and ask the child to sprinkle it with cereal - it will stick
Indentation. Stick plasticine on the base in the right place and press the cereal into it

For different details, use different grains or their colors, for example, make clouds from rice, and make the sun from millet.

WHAT CAN YOU PLAY?

You don’t have to shower your little one with a bunch of expensive toys. You can stimulate him to creativity with the help of the simplest things at hand.

You can crumble an eggshell, paint it and invite the child to make a drawing out of it, explaining that first you need to draw its outline.
You can take advantage of natural phenomena. For example, in rain or snow, place a sheet of paper covered with paint out the window. The resulting blots can be examined, discussed what they look like, and drawn into something recognizable.
You can make different toys from paper bags filled with newspapers or pillows by twisting them or tying them with rope in the right places. At the same time, you can add eyes, a mouth, and a nose to the paper characters.
If a child makes a lot of holes on a sheet of cardboard, he will be very interested in connecting them into some kind of design or pattern using lacing.
Berries, buttons, beads can become material for a children's necklace. Or you can assemble it from ordinary paper clips.
Let the baby try to decorate the dish (salad, sandwich). To do this, he needs to offer different fruits or vegetables (slices or slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots; olives, peppers, herbs, slices of apples, lemon, pineapple, peach, strawberries, cranberries, cherries). Perhaps the child will be interested in “plucking” a sandwich in the shape of an animal or a bug from a slice of bread. At the same time, you definitely need to show your baby that the remaining crumbs were dried and then ground for breading - nothing was lost just like that!
This game is useful. The child drips paint into the center of the sheet and bends the sheet in half, pressing. After that, let him look at the resulting blot: what does it look like? Let him name different options, turning the sheet over to different sides.
If you offer your child a set of cardboard figures (stripes, squares, circles), he will enthusiastically begin to imagine what each of them looks like separately or in combination with each other.
What if you dance impersonating someone? An affectionate cat, a faithful puppy, summer rain, joy, pain, fun, grief - these and other images can be created together with the baby, and then asked him to give each of them dance movements.

So, a person with developed creative abilities shows greater mental flexibility in difficult situations, is able to quickly pull himself together and sometimes find an extraordinary way out of them. And this makes life much easier. So developing creative inclinations is useful not only from the point of view of expressing one’s own inner world.