Development of creative imagination of children of senior preschool age

What is imagination? It is not difficult to guess that, first of all, this is the ability to construct in the mind new combinations of objects and phenomena accumulated by human experience. It gives a person the opportunity to carry out any type of activity and, in fact, is its basis.

Creative imagination provides the child with the opportunity to maximally demonstrate his existing intellectual abilities, as well as acquire new skills. But despite the fact that it is during preschool childhood that creative imagination develops and manifests itself most intensively, the issue of the development of creative imagination at this age is the most controversial and unstudied.

Creative imagination is an element of a full-fledged personality

Also, creative imagination is inextricably linked with such concepts as “intelligence” and “creativity”.

What primarily distinguishes creative thinking?

It is connected mainly not with consciousness, but with the subconscious (that is, the child is not aware of the true goals and motives that guide him)
It is aimed at carrying out specific types of activities and interaction with the environment
Expressed not in words, but in symbols and images
May remain incomprehensible to others

Imagination, as a function of the psyche, is in close connection with speech. That is why psychologists note that often it is the delay in speech development that very often leads to impairments of the imagination. The connection between imagination and speech is manifested mainly in the fact that speech gives the child the opportunity to verbally express his impressions, emotions and experiences. And also operate in your mind with concepts, the stock of which will expand from year to year. In addition, children's imagination has a number of distinctive qualities.

What is imagination - definition

How to develop imagination and fantasy in adults

“Imagination is everything. This is a preview of life's upcoming attractions." Albert Einstein.

Imagination is an ability that is inherent in every person. Therefore, he does not need to learn, he just needs to be stirred up.

To develop imagination, it is enough to perform actions that stimulate it. Below is a list of recommendations that I found to be the simplest and most effective.

Turn off the TV and find a hobby

Watching TV is a common way to relieve stress after a hard day at work. I myself also like to watch a couple of episodes of the series on my day off or before going to bed. But this is a way of passive rest, in which the brain is inactive.

Instead of constantly observing other people's lives, find a hobby that allows you to create your own story.

Pay attention to funny little things

Try to find strange and funny things where there are none. An absurd combination of inscriptions on nearby billboards, a bizarre shape of clouds, a funny gait of a pigeon. It all requires a little imagination and can make your life a little more fun (a nice bonus).

For example, my sister’s cat Aliska froze in the pose of a cowboy shooting back from the Indians. And yes, I know that cowboys are just cowherds.

Try doing nothing

Our mind is constantly in a noisy environment due to external impulses. This could be the same TV, music, constant communication on social networks and the notification pipeline. Try sitting in silence and listening to your own thoughts. Sometimes you can be amazed at what ideas and conclusions come to mind when there is nothing to distract you.

Listen to music without words

Listening to music has been proven to improve productivity while working. But if these are songs with lyrics, we subconsciously listen to their ideas, leaving our own behind. I notice for myself that even songs in a language I don’t know can confuse my thoughts. On the other hand, music without lyrics stimulates your imagination and gives the green light to new ideas.

While working on articles, I listen to music in the style of Trance, Deep or Ambient. I love Drum'n'Bass, but you can only dig trenches for it. Scientists recommend listening to jazz, blues and classical music, but to each their own.

Read different books

Even if you regularly read fiction, this can also become a kind of comfort zone. The brain requires different content. If you usually read science fiction, read a detective story, it will give you a new experience and expand your imagination.

Watch movies with twisted plots

Now as for the films. I said that it is better to limit TV viewing. But there are films that challenge the conventional method of storytelling. Films with a non-linear plot, in which it is very difficult to predict the events or ending, are suitable. For example, the film “Shutter Island” with DiCaprio. This way you won't let your imagination rest.

Write to your heart's content

First, make it a habit to write down interesting thoughts . This way, you can return to them after reviewing your notes and develop new ideas.

Secondly, writing on a free topic is recommended as a therapeutic relaxation and can greatly stimulate your imagination. Try to simply describe your typical day, even if it was the most boring one. Write how events might have unfolded if you had made different choices in different situations. If you know how to rhyme, write a short poem about something ordinary, showing familiar things from a different, beautiful or funny side. For example:

I'm sitting at the table and he's older than me. Someone used to sit behind you, but not me. Maybe someone had lunch and played cards, and now an article is being created on you.

The poem turned out so-so, but now I’m already imagining a noisy group sitting at my old table and playing poker. Maybe someone even won this table. It doesn’t matter, the main thing is to spur the imagination.

Learn to do something yourself

You don't have to change jobs to start doing something creative. You can simply sign up for courses that teach you how to create. Anything you haven’t done before will do: cross-stitching, wood burning, creating postcard designs, cooking. As a last resort, there are many instructional videos on the Internet. I came across interesting channels on YouTube, where authors show how to do certain things. For example, how to make a ring from a coin.

Do-it-yourself work requires creative imagination. Because you need to first imagine what you will do, and then imagine the end result.

Talk to your friends

You can get together with friends to watch a new movie or a football game, but such pastime will not teach you anything new. Try talking about abstract topics, it will activate your imagination and get your brain working. If you are interested in politics, you can fantasize about how the situation in the country will change with certain changes in laws. Or discuss scientific discoveries and imagine where they might lead humanity. Live communication is what many people miss today.

I have a friend with whom we could talk for hours on various topics, fantasizing and imagining. Now I have moved, and I really miss our communication. Therefore, I advise you to value people with whom you can talk at length, even if your views do not coincide in many ways.

10. Come up with a tenth point about how to develop imagination and fantasy

There were 9 points, but the number 10 inspires a more serious impression. Therefore, you have a unique opportunity to use your imagination and present a final point on how to develop imagination and fantasy.

You see, being creative helped me complete my 10-item list faster, which once again proves the power of imagination.

Distinctive features of a child's imagination

The child’s imagination is bright, original and rich

Unfortunately, it is worth noting that most often, over time, these qualities noticeably dull and become less pronounced with age. A clear confirmation of this are creativity tests: while most children still try to give original answers to questions, for adults the percentage of answers that differ from the standard does not exceed two percent. The originality of children's thinking is manifested in almost everything: they compose incredible stories, attribute amazing properties and functions to the simplest things. The reasons for such phenomena are mainly the experience that the child accumulates (in the form of fairy tales, poems, cartoons, etc.), a high cognitive need against the backdrop of limited ideas about the world around him (not knowing the explanation for this or that phenomenon, the child tries to invent one ). And also the fact that the child does not yet experience the pressure of social norms and is not interested in approval or censure from others.

Types of imagination - classification

A child is not always able to clearly separate reality and fiction.

And those experiences that imaginary or fictitious events, heroes, etc. cause in them. they are much stronger than adults. And explaining to him that “this is just a cartoon (film, fairy tale, etc.) can be very difficult. In many ways, it is this feature of children's imagination that explains the formation of manifestations of fears and even neurotic reactions in children. Therefore, parents need to be careful when using fairy tale characters as educational interventions (for example, talking about how naughty children are taken away by wizards and witches), and also be picky about TV shows and films. Seeing Baba Yaga or Koshchei on the screen, a child can be as scared as an adult at the sight of an armed criminal.

This feature is very closely related to the child’s increased emotionality, thanks to which things that exist only in his head acquire personal significance.

Thus, imagination is one of the key mental processes that has a huge impact on both moral and intellectual development. Is it possible to somehow stimulate the development of this cognitive process and gain the ability to direct it?

Today, psychologists identify three main stages in the development of a child’s imagination.

Developing imagination is releasing abilities

Types of imagination

Experts distinguish several types of imagination.

Creative

Human consciousness allows you to compose incredible images, without relying on knowledge and experience. Such imagination, with its further development, can even become the basis for a person’s future profession related to writing.

Recreating

This type of imagination is based on existing knowledge; images that the child became acquainted with in classes, in communication with relatives and friends appear from memory and are developed.

Wild fantasy

Uncontrolled imagination, where reality and fantasy replace each other. The child constantly thinks about something and declares that all this actually happened.

Stages of development of a child's imagination

According to research data by B.M. Nemensky and G. Karinsky, three main stages in the development of creative thinking in a child should be distinguished.

The first stage is training. At this time, the child masters the basics of using non-standard thinking skills in practice. Children learn to use ordinary materials for other purposes, find new properties of familiar objects, or use non-traditional materials for creativity, etc.

At the second stage, already acquired skills are consolidated. The child sets creative tasks for himself and learns to solve them in ways available to him. He already has at his disposal significantly more techniques and means of expression than before. The subject of classes can be absolutely anything. Of course, it is necessary to put the child’s needs and interests at the forefront. But you can also correlate them with the current time of year, weather conditions, significant events in the life of each child (going to school, birthday, favorite holiday, etc.).

Tasks of developing creative imagination

The child already knows a sufficient number of means of artistic expression, techniques and some techniques. If we take painting as an example, it turns out that by the second stage he is already able to evenly fill the sheet with the image, sees the difference between the foreground and background, composes a composition of several figures, and highlights individual elements using pressure, paint density, and color. The drawing can convey movement. The child already knows how to draw not only with a pencil, but with paints, crayons, charcoal, etc.

At the third stage, the child already moves directly to independent creative activity. He is able to independently choose a specific goal as a creative plan and strive for its implementation. He is also free to choose the means to achieve results.

But, despite the fact that the development of creative abilities can and should be stimulated, it is worth noting that most of them are inherent in a person from the very beginning.

Ideas and materials for developing imagination

And in order for them to begin to manifest, you need not to create them from scratch, but to help them awaken. The conditions necessary for this include:

Ensuring the child has access to a variety of creative materials.
Expanding the child’s understanding of the materials available to him for creativity.
Awakening in the child the emotions experienced in relation to the creative process and its result.
Organization of systematic observation of the creative process.
Methods for developing creative thinking in a child of senior preschool age

The methods by which the creative imagination of children of senior preschool age will be developed are very diverse. They affect most areas of life and can be easily and unobtrusively used in absolutely any conditions. Parents, in turn, will be able to easily evaluate the results obtained.

Observing the world is one of the methods for developing imagination

Observation of the surrounding world and its phenomena

Observation of natural phenomena, their active discussion and explanation of the reasons
Stories about animals and plants, observing their lives
Discussing events happening around you together with your child (at home, on the street, outside the city)
Answers to all kinds of children's “why?”, “why?”, “why?”

Children's educational games

Try to have your child take part in board games that involve more than one person
A child’s toys should be not only entertaining, but also useful for him.
Toys must be appropriate for the child’s age
The most useful toys for a child include construction sets, as well as puzzles for assembly.

art

Considering that fine art is one of the most powerful tools for developing a child’s creative abilities, it is necessary that he has access to a wide variety of means of artistic expression - pencils and paints, felt-tip pens and crayons.

Drawing classes help develop creativity

Drawing materials should also be varied. Allow your child to draw on different surfaces - smooth, rough, etc.
It's okay if a child gets his clothes or hands dirty while drawing. Moreover, finger painting is recognized by psychologists not only as a means of creative development, but also as an excellent anti-stress therapy. But at the same time, be sure to teach your child to keep the workplace clean and tidy.
Combine drawing with the study of shape and color; Learn a variety of painting techniques that will allow you to get the result your child needs.

Modeling

Modeling is one of the best means of developing and improving fine motor skills, and also allows you to fully reveal the child’s creative abilities and imagination.

Modeling is a way to develop imagination

It is best to start sculpting with the simplest details - geometric shapes (balls, cubes, rings, sausages, etc.).
After the child has mastered the simplest forms, invite him to try to sculpt something more complex.
It will be easier and more pleasant for a child to work with plasticine if it is bright and pleasant to the touch. It is also advisable to stretch it before starting class.

Reading books

It is necessary to introduce your child to reading books from a very early age. This will not only have a positive impact on his intellectual and creative development, but will form a reading habit in him, as well as good literary taste in the future.

Reading books and imagination are closely related

Reading should take at least half an hour a day - both in the morning and before bed, when it will be easier for the child to perceive information
When choosing reading materials, it is necessary to take into account both the child’s age and his interests.
As the child grows up, enrich his literary ideas with fairy tales, children's poetry, simple stories, etc.
After reading a book, try to organize a discussion of each book with your child. This will solve the problem of not only creative, but also moral development
Towards the end of preschool, enroll your child in the library and visit it together regularly
Playing scenes from your favorite books with your children will bring considerable benefits. Moreover, it will be good if you give your child the opportunity not only to play this or that role, but to participate in preparing the script, designing costumes, etc.
The development of speech creativity in preschoolers is also impossible without a good vocabulary, which is also provided by reading.
Oral folk art will also play an important role in raising children. Be sure to read fairy tales from around the world to your children and explain what exactly they teach.
If by the time your child reaches preschool age he has already mastered reading skills, you can trust him to read books on his own. If not, don’t rush him. Excessively intensive activities to develop school skills will not only create unnecessary stress, but may negatively affect the child’s motivation to learn in the future.

Child's musical development

Music, especially classical music, has a beneficial effect not only on the intellectual development, but also on the child’s mood. It calms the child, eliminating excessive anxiety and excitability. Therefore, from a very early age he needs to be introduced to the classics (natural sounds of living nature also have a similar effect).

Music can be combined with visual arts

Considering that classical music is quite difficult to understand, you can start with classical works in a special arrangement for the little ones.

Development of fine motor skills

The development of fine motor skills is mandatory for a child of senior preschool age because it is these skills that give him the opportunity to carry out most types of creative activities.
The most significant role in the development of fine motor skills is played by finger games, modeling, and coloring.

Walking the steps of imagination

Note to parents! Preschool age is the most favorable period for the development of imagination in preschoolers. Try not to miss this important moment in your child's life.

In order to properly develop children’s imagination and promote positive fantasy, it is important to know that their formation occurs in stages. Each age period has individual characteristics of imagination and its development requires special approaches. Here is how the development of imagination in preschool age “steps” through age levels:

Very young children (from about two to four years old) during fantasy actions are characterized by a retreat from reality, since they are still poorly acquainted with the laws of the world around them, have not learned to think critically about an imaginary action, and do not compare it well with the real one. The images of the imagination are unstable, little conscious, which is clearly manifested in the game: just now the chair was a car, and now it has become an airplane. Younger preschool children do not yet know how to plan their activities, so imagination is short-lived, often even chaotic. For example, a child, starting to draw a house, immediately moves on to another idea: it is no longer a house, but a car or a fence.
Imagination in middle preschool age is distinguished by the fact that the child takes on a certain role and may not leave it for a long time. Although at some moments he may be distracted from his plans. For now, you need to rely on visuals in order to conceive a new image based on it: a medical set will give you the idea to play “doctor”, cubes will give you the idea to build a fairy-tale house. In children, based on the rapid accumulation of experience, creative manifestations increase not only in play, but also in modeling, drawing, and speech.
The development of imagination in children of senior preschool age will differ from previous age periods in the most important way - it becomes purposeful. The child begins to set a goal and follows it when creating new images, looking for ways to implement it. For example, when discussing the plot of the game “Shop” with their peers, older preschoolers agree on everything. Everything is important: where they will play (on a walk); what is needed for the game (toys and substitute objects), who will play the roles, what needs to be selected to replace real objects (pebbles, blades of grass, sand, leaves). Or children begin to play “Hospital” by determining the place where the doctor will see, who will come for treatment, if some equipment is missing, a replacement object is immediately invented, not even similar to a hospital instrument (a stick, a cube, a pencil). It is characteristic that the game can last up to several days; children come up with new actions and images along the way.
By the beginning of the school stage, children's life experience increases, their knowledge about the world around them increases and, accordingly, their imagination becomes more enriched. Children can come up with game scenarios themselves, creative productions based on works, perform creative work in modeling, drawing, appliqué, write poems and songs, which contributes to the further formation of creative thinking and imagination

What to pay attention to! Children's fantasies need to be encouraged, enriched with tips, examples from literature, films, looking at pictures, directing them in the right direction, since they are the basis for the development of creative thinking in children.

Types of imagination

In order to properly organize the work on developing a child’s imagination, parents also need to have an idea of the types of imagination. In psychology, two main types have been identified, which depend on the method of forming new images.

Recreating is the main type of imagination inherent in almost all children. With it, a new image is created on the basis of existing knowledge, for example, a child carefully listened to a fairy tale, looked at pictures, heard an interesting story, read a book on his own - an invented image in the form of an additional character, a new ending, adding details - ready!
The second type - creative - is characterized by children's fantasies, when a preschooler can no longer rely on visuals, but come up with images mentally. This type is the most important, as it is the basis for creative thinking. In contrast to recreating, creative imagination must be purposefully developed using special techniques.

Mandatory conditions for the creative development of a child

Regularity and systematicity are the main conditions for the creative development of a child, failure to comply with which can negate most of the efforts.

Theater plays an important role in developing imagination

The development of creative imagination in children of senior preschool age successfully occurs where parents take care of creating a favorable environment for this (that is, where the child is provided with the necessary tools, etc.)
In order to strengthen a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence, it is important to praise him for any achievements, even those that may not seem significant at first glance.
A child’s creative imagination is best revealed where the child is given freedom of imagination and is given the opportunity not to be afraid of his creative ideas and ideas.

Imagination disorders and their causes

Children may suffer from a lack of imagination or, on the contrary, their imagination becomes uncontrollable.

Imagination deficits are usually experienced by children with speech impairments, because speech and thinking and imagination are interconnected. With speech pathology, the child thinks primitively, he is not able to create a new image, he cannot invent, compose, and also carry out tasks of an adult where he needs to use his imagination. These children usually have difficulty remembering terms, assimilating the acquired knowledge, and do not understand symbols.

Children who have low self-esteem may also have a deficit of imagination. They are afraid of doing something wrong, they are absolutely deprived of independence, which suppresses imagination.

In this case, teachers need to creatively overcome the child’s inhibition step by step, offering to develop abilities through play, the basis of which will be a situation familiar to the child. A good way out of this situation would be the theater. You also need to focus on cognitive activities to broaden the child’s horizons. Emphasis on emotions will play a big role. What impressed you will leave a mark on your soul, and you will want to learn more about it.

Violent fantasy, which can manifest itself in aggression, lies, fears, and the replacement of the real world with a fantasy world, can also interfere with the normal productive development of the imagination.

The reasons for this inadequate imagination may be the child’s internal fears, problems he has with family and peers, inability to get along with the outside world, as well as other psychological problems.

In this case, it is advisable to contact psychologists who will help create an individual program to eliminate the pathology.

Exercises to develop imagination in preschool children

The development of creativity in preschoolers, as a rule, occurs spontaneously, which is not surprising: traits such as the desire to create, to develop a creative beginning in oneself, are most often inherent in children by nature itself and are discovered in them in the first months of life. However, specially organized creative activity can significantly increase its effectiveness.

"Complete the figure"

Place cards with pictures of different geometric shapes in front of your child. Explain to your child that each of these cards is magical - and each figure can turn into a real drawing. To do this, he will need to turn the square, for example, into a house, car or tram. Circle – in the sun, clock, etc. If the child does not understand the instructions the first time, you can draw the first picture yourself, and then invite him to do the same. When he completes the task proposed to him, ask him to tell him what exactly was drawn.

Pay attention to what exactly the child drew: did he choose a simpler or more complex image? How detailed is it? Did the child ask for crayons and actively use color?

"Magic Transformations"

Can be used as a slightly more complicated version of the first exercise. Place a spot or blot on a piece of paper so that the child can draw it to a picture, adding certain details to it. The quality criteria for completing the task are the same.

"Scribble"

Invite your child to close his eyes and draw absolutely any doodle on a piece of paper. They can be depicted in any color and in any order - the less the child controls the process, the better. After this stage of the work is completed, try to find in the resulting image similarities with certain objects or living beings.

Children really like the Blob exercise.

"Say the artist"

This game allows the child to develop not only creative, but also associative thinking (in particular, color-rhythmic language). The presenter or an adult names any objects, phenomena, etc., inviting the child to say what color they are (“Tell me, artist, what color... (rain, sun, grass, etc.). If it is difficult for the child to cope with this task, it can be slightly reformulated by asking him to say what is red, yellow, blue, green, etc.).

The development of speech creativity in preschool children can be successfully carried out with the help of play therapy, puppet therapy, etc.

Using ready-made or homemade toys, you can act out short fairy tales or children's plays.

The concept of a “creative personality” today is in many ways synonymous with a “successful personality.” By observing the conditions for the development of creative abilities of preschoolers, considerable results can be achieved, providing him with the opportunity to realize himself in many areas.

As a rule, parents have little time left to develop their child’s creative abilities.
In this case, the child can be offered to attend classes in a circle, development studio, etc. On KidsVisitor you can easily find a suitable place for such activities near your home. leave a comment

Imagination in personality development

The role of imagination in personality development has long been revealed by scientists from various fields of science. Psychologists, for example, prove that it helps a person to show creativity, manage not only real but also fictional events, see their perspective, and find original solutions to many problems. And the properties of imagination (typification, analogy, emphasis, agglutination) show that each person has his own resources of fantasy and creative imagination. They provide an opportunity to adequately construct one’s behavior, inner world, and outline life goals. And the richer the imagination, the more fruitful human activity will be.

Fantasy and imagination have played a big role in the progress of mankind; without them, many useful things that have become firmly established in our lives would not have been invented, wonderful fantastic works would not have been created, because the entire cultural world is the fruit of the creative imagination. That is why psychologists draw the attention of parents to the fact that any cultural activity is necessarily based on the imaginary. If parents want to raise a creatively developed personality, they should think about how to develop their child’s imagination?

Simple exercises to train your imagination

Development of thinking in an adult and a child - recommendations

Psychologists offer many simple but effective exercises for developing thinking and flights of imagination that are suitable for people of all ages. Their main advantages are simplicity and accessibility. Everyone is able to find in the flow of information the exercise that will appeal to a particular person. For example:

Counting in your head is accessible and interesting to everyone who has school knowledge. There is no need to use any notes, just count mentally. The exercise is especially useful for those who are good at mathematics. You can fantasize about geometric shapes, mentally building all sorts of combinations from them.
Paradoxically, you can watch children's cartoons with your child and use them as a workout for your mind and imagination. It's helpful to watch them without sound and then come up with funny dialogue. The funnier the better for the imagination.
The simplest way relates to the world of books. Reading detective stories or fantasy is becoming fashionable; it will benefit both imagination and fantasy.
“Nonsense piggy bank”, where you can put interesting things: thoughts, pictures, ditties, jokes - everything that is considered nonsense. If necessary, you can always get an idea for a creative solution from there.
Collective games are becoming fashionable, then it’s time to get some old-time fun out of the box. For example, "Pantomime", in which players must guess what action is being depicted. Creative imagination develops based on memory, since you need to remember what picture the participants are depicting.

Simple exercises will help your imagination fly

What is imagination for?

Imagination is a mental process necessary to create new images based on existing ideas. Is it really necessary for everyone? Maybe we should leave it to artists, designers, inventors and other people called upon to create new images?

According to psychologists, none of the intelligent beings can do without imagination, since it sets thoughts in motion, helps to go beyond the present and comprehend the future, awakens feelings, and contributes to the making of plans. It originated in the process of labor on the basis of thinking and memory, which means it works in inextricable connection with them. Without imagination, the entire human psyche will become impoverished.

Interesting. A synonym for imagination is fantasy, this action is known to everyone. Fantasy accompanies a person’s childhood, making it memorable and not boring. All types of children's activities are associated with imagination.