Educational games for children - building social networks

The game cannot be denied. You can deny almost any abstraction: right, beauty, truth, goodness, spirit, God. You can deny the seriousness. The game is not allowed.

Johan Huizinga "Man Playing"

We don't play because we are children. But this is precisely why we were given childhood, so that we can play.

Karl Groos

Understanding the atom is child's play compared to the riddles of children's play.

(authorship attributed to Albert Einstein)

Fima recently turned two years old. On her first birthday, the daughter did not receive anything from her parents, since her husband (a practical man) thought that “grandmothers and grandfathers will give gifts anyway.” In general, this was reasonable. However, this time I did not give in. For some reason it seemed to me that I definitely needed a big store, a lot of toys, choose and leave happy. So we went to the largest and most central children's store, took the elevator from the parking lot and began to wander confusedly among the clothing stores. When we got to the toys, we were even more confused: my daughter doesn’t play with dolls, doesn’t watch cartoons and is not yet interested in the characters from them, the developmental crap is all for older children. In desperation, I rushed to get clothes, but my husband howled and led us to the bookstore, where exactly ten minutes later (the parking lot was running out) we left with a bag of literature. “It’s better than plastic crap,” the husband snapped. “I wonder if I can call your laptop crap then?” – I thought, but remained silent. At home, puzzles, pyramids, sorters and wooden construction sets are interspersed with toys in the style of grandma-with-love and dolls in strollers (“she’s a girl!”), and my cosmetic bag and kitchen utensils continue to attract the greatest interest. I can never really think of what is the best gift to give my daughter. And I can’t find a single store or website with toys that would meet some of my internal (to be honest, not fully formulated) criteria and concepts of “correct development.” So what should children play? And should they play in principle?

About the goat and her plans for the future

Many of us have never thought about the nature and history of the game and have always believed that a game is just a game. Yes. But no.

Scientists, philosophers and psychologists have been studying this phenomenon since the century before last, conducting experiments, studying the behavior of animals and doing everything they can to prove to us all that playing is not easy at all. In the game we learn to interact with each other, and most importantly, to try on other roles. Not only people play, but also all large mammals - kittens, puppies, baby chimpanzees, but only a person can imagine himself as anything or anyone.

This is why childhood lasts so much longer in humans than in any other animal: there is so much to learn and so much to learn. This is where play plays an important role.

Mentions of the game are found in the most ancient documents that humanity has - in the Bible, the Vedas, the works of Plato and Aristotle. The etymology varies, but the context is approximately the same: among the Greeks it is precisely children's entertainment, among the Romans the word is associated with joy and fun, and among the Jews it is associated with jokes and laughter; in Sanskrit the very word “game” meant joy, and among the ancient Germans the concept of game was associated with smooth movement (of a pendulum, for example), which brings pleasure.

In the Ancient world, with its slogan “Bread and Circuses,” games had religious and political significance and were the most important phenomenon of social life. Not surprising, considering that entertainment was quite scarce at that time. In the morning I went to the execution, during the day I played dice, chess or checkers, and in the evening I made a bet on Gladiator fights. Well, then you wait, of course, for the Olympic Games (in general, not much has changed).

So, the first thing you need to know about the game is that it is everywhere. Certain actions that can be called games are performed by fish, octopuses and even ants, not to mention mammals and birds. Snow goats, for example, have fun jumping along cliffs at great heights. Despite the seeming pointlessness of this activity, which, moreover, often leads to death, it was never replaced by something safer (can you imagine a mother goat clutching her heart?) in the course of evolution. The game turned out to be more important for this very evolution. Scientists have found that it is playful individuals that are more adapted to life: the more often animals play, the more developed their frontal cortex is. It is also responsible for cognitive functions: attention, memory, visual-spatial perception. In other words, those who play more are better developed, for example, the ability to plan for the future and distinguish between the important and the unimportant. I can hardly imagine a goat planning to move to other mountains, but I believe in scientists.

The second thing you need to know about the game is that it is one of the most ancient types of human activity. It is the game that plays a key role in transmitting cultural achievements to younger generations. So play is older than culture itself, as the famous historian and cultural philosopher Johan Huizinga argued in his fundamental work “Man Playing” (Homo Ludens, 1938). He considers play to be the primary impulse of human history, which cannot be explained by any biological analysis. However, the pioneers of research into the theory of children's play examined the patterns of its development by analogy with the play of animals, since they were confident in the instinctive-biological nature of play, its innate character. It was in the 19th century that game theory began to take shape - a fascinating, but complex thing. You can remember literally a few names of game specialists in order to show off on the playground. How much can you discuss nannies and vacations, really?

Cards “Family Psycrets”

This is a psychological game for the whole family, which helps to see the specifics of the problems of a particular family and build corrective work, develop new models of behavior.

“Psikrets” are psychological secrets, that is, those behavioral features, those habits, interests and ideas that people often do not think about and do not tell others, but which affect their relationships with the world and others. The game “Family Psikrets” is an occasion to share your “Psikrets” with each other, to be more attentive to your own and other people’s feelings, character traits, needs and desires. This is especially important for parent-child relationships. During the game, participants begin to realize their feelings and treat them with care, which is rarely possible in everyday life. Due to age, it is difficult for a child to see the causes and consequences of actions, therefore, while playing, he learns to comprehend his behavior, the behavior of other people and compare them with generally accepted norms.

The game consists of 104 cards with phrases describing various areas of the child’s and family’s life (relationships, habits, interests, health), and 8 blank cards on which the child or other family members can add what they consider important and what they not found in the proposed options. It is important for a child to hear “what he really is like.”

The value of the game lies in the fact that no one defeats anyone in it. The goal of the game is to get to know yourself and your playing partners better.

This game:

• gives the child the opportunity to think about the characteristics of both his own behavior and the behavior of other people;
• teaches you to evaluate your behavior and compare it with the norms that exist in the family and in society;
• promotes norm formation;
• creates a comfortable gaming atmosphere when the child receives assessment of his behavior from loved ones;
• allows the child to learn and evaluate what actions are or are not accepted in other families;
• develops the ability to clearly explain the motives, reasons and content of their actions.

The game is intended primarily for parents with children aged 5-6 to 10-11 years .

There are variations of “Psikrets”:

“Teenage Psycrets” - cards for working with groups of teenagers, but without parents.

In this version there are many cards about the values ​​of teenagers, their relationships with their bodies, with food, with each other. But this is not a relationship with parents. The game is intended for a group of teenagers from 12 to 17 years old .

“Psycrets of Family Traditions” is a game option for families with children from 8 to 15 years old , including those raising adopted children.

“Psycrets for Ladies and Gentlemen” is a game consisting of 120 cards, which is suitable for group or individual work with older teenagers.

Grandfather Freud (and not only)

There are at least ten scientific approaches to explaining the causality of the game. In the theory and practice of the game there are diametrically opposed points of view: from the complete denial of the educational role of the game to the absolutization of its cultural significance. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle.

Friedrich Schiller and Gerber Spencer were the first to talk about the game, but they touched on the issue only in passing and associated the game exclusively with pleasure: they say, you have free time, you can have fun, but it will not be useful in life. William Stern had a great influence on the then emerging psychology, who was the first to mention that a child is forced to move into the playful world of imagination and fantasy due to the literal “crowding” of the world in which he lives - rooms, apartments, places for walking. He also drew attention to the fact that the child introduces other people into his fictional world - primarily adults, whose roles he takes on in games.

Sigmund Freud (where would we be without him) in his work “Beyond Pleasure” (1920) writes about children’s play as a means of self-awareness:

In other words, the main driving force of the game, like any other human activity, is (you guessed it) sexual attraction. Freud believed that by creating a play situation, a child is able to overcome many prohibitions and barriers. Thus he laid the foundations of play therapy.

But if all of the above thinkers touch on the issue of play only in passing, then the German psychologist Karl Groos is considered one of the creators of the theory of play. He emphasized the “physical” importance of play; he believed that play serves to prepare the body for life’s challenges, and its main tool is exercise. Karl based his theory on observing the behavior of young animals, and therefore the game acquired a biologically important function for him - the acquisition of skills necessary for further “adult” life. However, he did not say anything about the psychological aspects of the game, about its role in pedagogy. Actually, everyone who studied game theory further either agreed with Groos, or argued with him, or supplemented him. For example, the Dutch biologist and psychologist Frederik Buytendijk was one of those who argued. Firstly, he believed that if an animal has never played, this does not mean that its instincts will be less developed. At least he did not find any evidence for such a statement. He also separated exercise from play, saying something like this: a child can learn to walk - and this is not a game, but he can play walking. Based on analogies with animals, this sounds simpler: a fox cub can go hunting with its parents in order to learn - this is imitation, learning, and it leads to the killing of the victim, so this is not a game. The same little fox can play hunting with his brothers and sisters, and this action will be completely harmless. The Swiss philosopher and psychologist, creator of the theory of cognitive development Jean Piaget, who taught in his youth at a Parisian school for boys where the director was the inventor of the IQ test Binet, talked about the game in the context of intellectual development. He believed that in play a child masters and subjugates reality. Piaget, by the way, has an interesting thing about the egocentrism of children aged two to seven years.

Piaget showed children, taken one by one, a model of three mountains, each of which had some distinctive feature: a house, a river or a snowy peak. He also gave them several photographs in which the mountains were depicted from different sides. The child was asked to choose a photograph in which the mountains were visible as the child himself sees them, from the same side. Usually the child was not mistaken. After this, Piaget placed a doll on the other side of the model and asked the child to choose a photo in which the mountains are depicted as the doll “sees” them. The preschoolers could not do this and again chose their photo. Even if the child and the doll were swapped, everything was repeated: the child chose his picture correctly and could not take the “doll’s point of view.” Piaget emphasized that egocentrism goes away not when the child has more experience, but only when he begins to realize that his point of view is only one of the possible, that he is not the only center, but one of many centers.

And this happens after about seven years. Therefore, do not expect that the toddler will be able to see your desire to drink coffee from your side of the cup.

The issue of the game, of course, also occupied our minds. In Soviet psychology, mention should be made first of all of Ushinsky (emphasized the importance of play for the spiritual development of the individual), Sikorsky (on the contrary, he believed that play is important specifically for mental development) and Basov (did not agree with either one or the other). Mikhail Yakovlevich Basov is one of the founders of Russian psychology, so I cannot limit myself to mentioning his opinion in parentheses. He looked at the game not only naturalistically, from within the personality itself, like many of his predecessors, but analyzed it as a general type of behavior. Play, he argued, is stimulated by freedom of relationship with the environment - that is, the child’s absence of any obligations. It is freedom that leads to a special type of behavior - play.

The name of our next hero is most likely familiar to you: Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, the founder of the “cultural-historical theory” in psychology. He introduced the concept of role-playing game, explaining its appearance by the fact that the child already wants to enter the world of adults, but cannot yet be an active participant in it. For him, playing is precisely a way to participate in adult life. At the same time, he noted that although the situations created by the child are imaginary, the feelings that he experiences are the most real. It doesn’t matter what the girl has in her hands – an expensive drinking-peeing-pooping Baby Bourne or a rag Waldorf doll sewn by her mother – she will swaddle it, rock it and consider it her baby.

The Soviet psychologist and philosopher Sergei Leonidovich Rubinstein, as usual, did not agree with Lev Semenovich and made an attempt to create his own theory of the game. “ Play is an activity; this means that the game is an expression of a certain attitude of the individual to the surrounding reality

"(Fundamentals of General Psychology, 1940).
He considered play not just an activity that relieves boredom or trains skills, but a completely meaningful one, during which the child quite consciously strives to obtain the desired emotions and feelings. Sergei Leonidovich’s conclusions were developed by psychologist, philosopher and teacher Alexey Nikolaevich Leontiev, who explained the game as an accessible way for a child to understand and master the world. He believed that the child enjoys the process itself: “ Play is not a productive activity; its motive lies not in the result, but in the content of the action itself
.”

The creator of an original direction in child and educational psychology, our classic theorist of game psychology, Daniil Borisovich Elkonin (you've probably heard about the teaching method according to the Elkonin-Davydov system), defined game as an activity in which behavior control is developed and improved. He studied role-playing play, which directly prepares a child for adult life. And he doesn’t just cook, but influences his desire to become an adult.

Educational games for children - building social networks

From the point of view of some experts, the phrase “educational games for children” sounds like “butter.”
People who work with children know that a child develops during any game - in general, unlike adults, he does not do anything meaningless, intended simply for entertainment, no matter how his actions may look from the outside. However, some games do develop a child's intelligence particularly intensively; They should not be forced on your child, but if you simply invite him to play together, he is unlikely to refuse. Obstacle course

This can be the first educational game for a child who has just started crawling. Place various obstacles in his way - pillows, phone books, large soft toys, and so on. By overcoming these challenges, the child develops cognitive functions and gross motor skills. Carefully select safe obstacles, and make sure that there are no fragile or valuable things in the child’s path, as well as sleeping cats and dogs.

Classic Games

Many classic games that are familiar to us, our parents, and grandparents from childhood, according to experts, perfectly develop a child’s intellect. For example, ordinary hide and seek and games in which one person hides an object and the other searches for it develop observation, attention, and many other important qualities. Zhmurki is another great game that teaches a child to navigate in space without relying on vision. A variant of blind man's buff is a blindfolded game of guessing objects: the child is blindfolded, several objects are placed in front of him, and he is asked to name them, relying only on tactile sensations.

A wonderful game for memory development Memory development - we play a wizard and concentration: one person places several objects on the table, brings the child to him, and lets him look at them for 20-30 seconds (this period can be changed taking into account the child’s abilities). Then the child turns away, another object is placed on the table, and the child must determine what exactly was not on the table before. The number of items can be increased by increasing the difficulty level of the game. Alternatively, you can have your child name objects from memory after he has looked at them for thirty seconds.

Identifying similarities and differences, developing memory

Categorization is a very important property of human intelligence. Therefore, among educational games there are many that are designed to teach children to separate objects based on certain characteristics. Children under three years old can be asked to divide the cubes by color: blue to blue, green to green, and so on. Young children can also classify objects based on their shape or size. Children over 3-4 years old can be offered this game to develop memory: playing cards are laid out face down on the table. The child turns over two cards in turn. If they have the same suit, they take them and give way to another player. If not, he must remember where the cards of certain suits are so that he can turn over cards of the same suit next time. The one who has the most cards wins - which means the one who has a better developed memory.

These types of games can be played anywhere. When you go to the store, invite your child to look for products of a certain color there - for example, purple (plums, eggplants), or you can look for objects of a certain shape in your home - round, triangular, pentagonal. This perfectly develops observation and concentration.

Animal game

This game develops imagination, memory and many other brain functions. The rules are simple: parents name an animal, and the child must imitate its behavior. Then the parents say: “Night has come!”, and the “animal” falls asleep. It wakes up when the next animal is called. This game can have many variations, but the essence is the same - children learn to identify the main characteristics of animals and imitate them.

Measurements

Using a variety of objects and concepts, teach your child about measurement. You can start with a measuring tape, but then the game needs to be expanded. For example, ask your child to count how many minutes and seconds there are in a day (of course, you will have to help him), how many minutes and seconds your walk lasts, how many months, weeks and hours have passed since the birth of the child, and so on. In the fall, when you and your child are lying in the garden on the grass, invite him to measure his and your height with apples (lay the apples in a column next to the person lying down). Determine how many wooden cubes are wide for your sofa, and how many cubes are tall for your refrigerator. Use different objects and all new measures of length and volume - this not only helps develop mathematical abilities, but also allows the child to go beyond the usual measurement systems and look at ordinary things from an unusual angle.

Introduction to smells

When you and your child are in the kitchen, let him smell different seasonings - cinnamon, mint. Mint and its beneficial properties: aromatic freshness, vanilla, cumin, cloves. Cloves: exquisite aromatherapy, nutmeg, and so on. Tell him the names of all these seasonings. After this, ask him to close his eyes and determine the name of the seasonings only by smell. This game will be especially useful if you have a large collection of seasonings in your kitchen. The game can include the smells of food, cosmetics, and even medicinal herbs, which can be quite difficult to distinguish.

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• Games for children

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Sorry, Montessori

Modern psychologists and teachers largely agree with their predecessors and consider play as preparing a child for what awaits him in the future. Moreover, this position, judging by modern trends, is shared by many of us - adequate and progressive, as we call ourselves, parents. Come on, which of you takes or wants to take your child not to a regular kindergarten, but to a Montessori kindergarten? Thank you, put your hands down. But one of the distinctive features of Montessori pedagogy is precisely that children spend a lot of time mastering the so-called exercises of practical life. In such preschool institutions there are not even toys - in the usual sense of the word. Your child will not roll cars or swaddle dolls, but will pour, pour, carry, open and close, unfasten and fasten, wash, clean, cut... In general, do approximately what you do every day throughout the entire maternity leave.

Well, those of us who are not for Montessori are, of course, for Waldorf pedagogy. That’s where the children play, you say. Yes. But no. And here they spend part of the day watching how teachers do chores or handicrafts (and can join if they wish), dance a lot, sing and walk, and if they play, then with special toys - conventional, impersonal, so as not to extinguish, but stimulate fantasy and imagination. Let's add here reviews about pseudo-educational toys and countless articles stating that toys (especially if they are, for example, animals or something else real) should not be bright, unnatural colors, otherwise it confuses children and gives them an incorrect picture of the world. And here is the result: right now we are seeing an interesting trend of abandoning toys and games in general in the traditional sense and reorienting children more towards practical play, which prepares them for adulthood.

Modern scientists go even further. According to the latest research, children DO NOT NEED toys at all. I'll say it again. Just in case you don't think it's a typo. Everything is capslocked. CHILDREN DO NOT NEED TOYS AT ALL. Next - proofs.

Mom, buy a firebrand!

Anthropologist David Lancy, in his book Raising Children (2017), describes games typical of the tribes of Asia and Africa who have preserved their ancient way of life. In one of the tribes living in the jungles of Thailand, he saw a father who calmly watched his son crawling with a knife in his hand (he crawled because he simply could not walk yet), and a four-year-old girl independently cutting her own greens with a machete. I don’t know if any of us could even lift a machete, but the four-year-old was calmly preparing dinner for her parents. In one of the East African tribes, a toddler may well start licking a knife - and no one will rush to take it away. At least until one of the parents gets the urge to cut off a piece of meat for themselves or scare a neighbor. Children on the Pacific island of Wanatinai also play freely with knives and firebrands that they remove from fires. Lancy says:

It’s just that in such communities everything is based on the principle of equality, and from a very early age children are treated as full members of society, so sharing food and any other resources with them is an absolute norm. According to these parents, a child learns much better from experience, even if it sometimes comes with the risk of injury. Playing with “dangerous” objects develops ingenuity, determination and creativity, and wounds and burns are just an opportunity to gain new experience and knowledge, and not a reason to be hysterical or run to the doctor.

Games in such communities are mainly focused on repeating after adults or teaching activities that children will have to do in the future. If you are a guy and you are lucky enough to be born into the Inuit tribe (Eskimos of North America), then as a gift from your dad you will receive not a car, and certainly not a bicycle, but a miniature harpoon and a piece of seal skin: go, learn to hunt, it will come in handy in life. And if you are, say, a girl from the Conambo Indian tribe, then from an early age you will sculpt from clay in order to later take up pottery (this tribe is famous for its traditional ceramics). Girls from the African Aka tribe begin to collect food with their mothers in the first years of their lives, and boys from an early age climb trees for honey from wild bees. They had never heard of the failure that befell Winnie the Pooh.

Aggressive or competitive games are not used there either - it is believed that competition, on the contrary, discourages and deprives one of courage. Children come up with games in which there is no winner, but the process itself is important. For example, they tie a small weight to a feather, throw it up and then click on it as it gently falls to the ground. No, not who will click how much, but they just click. That's all. There is also no place for fantasy and fiction in their games. Even if children from the Aka tribe of nomadic African pygmies pretend to be animals, they will be, for example, antelopes, and not centaurs or unicorns. Their goal is not just to have fun, but to acquire practical skills: try to stand in the place of an antelope and determine where it will run.

«In hunter-gatherer tribes there is almost no difference between play and work, because children rehearse adult roles during play.

“explains anthropologist Adam Boyette.
In general, they are not far from Plato, who said that “ a person who wants to become outstanding in any matter must exercise from an early age... For example, someone who wants to become a good farmer or house builder must also play games or cultivate the land , or erect any children’s facilities.”

Why won't the raccoon learn to share?

Scientists have come to the conclusion that the nature of the play of modern children is much closer to what we can observe in tribes that have preserved the ancient way of life, rather than to what is dictated by consumer society. Children much prefer to help adults or simply repeat after them than to play Peppa Pig or pretend to be Harry Potter. According to psychologist Angeline Lillard, among modern parents the habit of letting children tinker with kitchen utensils or involving them in household chores is not very common. They are more likely to ask the child to stay out of the way and mind his own business if he wants to help sweep the floor or wash the dishes. At the same time, parents do not understand why, after a couple of years, children often refuse to fulfill basic requests like “put away your cup” or “pack up your toys.” The psychologist explains:

In more than forty years of research, researchers have been unable to prove the widely held view that pretend play develops specialized social skills or provides other benefits for children, Lillard and her colleagues concluded (Psychological Bulletin, 2013).

The study they conducted involved one hundred American children aged three to six years. Each child was shown nine pairs of photographs. In one photo, the child was performing some real action: cutting vegetables with a knife, talking on the phone, or feeding the baby from a bottle. On the second he simply pretended to do the same thing. When asked what they would prefer, preschoolers chose the real action almost two-thirds of the time. The study showed that among children there are many more ardent adherents of practical life exercises (to the delight of Maria Montessori) than fans of doing something pretend. The love for real activities was most often explained by purely practical reasons, for example, the desire to learn how to feed a baby in order to help a mother and brother or sister. Children also chose photos with real activities because they simply had not tried this before. And they really wanted to. “I’ve never spoken on a real phone,” admitted one of the guys.

In another study, boys and girls of the same age were asked to choose between real objects (such as a microscope) and toy versions of them. During the ten-minute game, children spent twice as much time with real objects. Interestingly, preference changed with age. While three-year-olds played with both objects for approximately the same amount of time, older children steadily preferred only real ones and were almost not interested in toy ones.

A couple of other interesting studies also prove that the real world has much more influence on children than the fictional one. Children from four to six years old were divided into three groups, each of which had thirty-two children. Two groups were read stories about sharing. In the first, the main character was a raccoon, in the second, a man, but both of them were much better off in the plot if he gave away what he really needed. The third group of children generally listened to a story about seeds, in which no one shared anything with anyone. Afterwards, the children were given stickers and asked to share them with each other. It was in the group that listened to a story involving a real character, rather than a talking raccoon, that the most children demonstrated a desire to give away some of the stickers.

Here's an even more striking example. Ninety children aged four to six were read one of three versions of a story with pictures about a child who gets lost on his way to the school bus. The first (let's call it realistic) version took place in an ordinary modern city. The action of the second (futuristic) took place on the Moon in the distant future. The third story (fantastic) took place in the Middle Ages with the participation of magical characters. At the end of each story, the main character finally made it to the school bus. And the children (regardless of what story they were reading) were asked to choose which one: a regular school one, a futuristic one with rockets on the sides, or a magical carriage with dragon wings, respectively. Surprisingly, 40 percent of children placed a standard school bus at the end of a futuristic story, and about 70 percent of children who listened to a fantasy story did the same.

Didactic games for social and communicative development.

Didactic games

on social and communicative development.

"Listen to the clapping"

Development of attention and voluntary behavior.

Children move freely around the room, but when the leader claps, they must stop and turn into a stork (raise one leg, arms to the sides); they must respond to two claps by turning into a frog (sit down, heels together, toes apart, hands between toes). three claps allow you to move freely again.

Comment: the game helps in developing voluntary attention, the ability to quickly switch from one type of action to another.

"Magic Transformations"

number of players:

3-6.

Development of imagination, ability to transform.

Children are offered to “transform” into berries, fruits, a steamboat, a toy, etc. An adult (or one of the children) begins the game with the words: “We go into... (pause - for the children to concentrate) garden... (pause - each child must decide what kind of fruit he will be). One two Three!". After this command, the children take the form of the intended fruit.

Comment: the adult (or child leader) must take a creative approach to further continuation of the game. He needs to come up with some kind of story involving children. But first, of course, he must guess who has turned into whom.

"What do you hear"

number of players:

one or more.

Development of the ability to concentrate, correlate sounds and actions.

The adult invites the child to listen and remember what is happening outside the door. Then the child must tell what he heard. After this, they also pay attention to the window, then back to the door. Subsequently, the child must tell exactly what happened outside the window and outside the door.

Comment: the adult himself should focus on the sounds in order to help the children in case of difficulty or correct them in case of mistakes.

You can make the task more difficult by asking the children to take turns telling the story.

"Four forces"

number of players:

group of children.

Development of attention.

Children sit in a circle. The presenter invites them to lower their hands when they say “earth”, to stretch them forward when they say “water”, to lift them up when they say “air”, and to rotate their hands when they say “fire”. The one who makes a mistake leaves the game.

Comments: the adult takes an active part in the game. After the children have mastered the movements, the adult can deliberately knock down the children, making mistakes. For example, say: “Air!” – but to show the movement of the “earth”.

“Hot ball”

number of players: group of children up to 10 people.

Development of attention, reaction speed, motor dexterity.

Children stand in a circle, very close to each other. They pass the ball to each other quickly, trying not to drop it. The one who misses the ball is out of the game. The last two remaining children win.

Comments: other game options are based on changing the position of the children.

You can line up the children in a column, and pass the ball either over your head up, or, bending over, through your legs. You can also build children in a zigzag.

“Shapes”

number of players: one.

Necessary equipment:

Counting sticks.

Development of attention, fine motor skills, imagination.

An adult arranges the counting sticks in the form of a certain figure. The child must form exactly the same figure. The complexity of the task is constantly increasing: first they show simple figures, then more complex ones; first, the child makes the figures by looking at the sample, then the sample is removed, giving the child the opportunity to remember the figure.

Comments: Counting sticks can be replaced with matches with cut heads.

This game can be used most effectively when working with children who have difficulty concentrating and are characterized by disinhibition.

"Fly of butterfly"

Development of attention and expressiveness of movements.

Children are asked to memorize several movements and repeat them accurately. To make memorization easier, you can first learn blocks of movements, giving them original names, like: “butterfly flight”, “cat step”, etc.

Comments: it is necessary to discuss movements with children using the question “How does our bear (for example) walk?” When all the children understand the principle of movements, then you can start playing directly.

The game can also carry a cognitive load if it is included in classes to study types of professions, animals, transport, etc.; those. propose, for example, to imitate only the movements of a car, airplane, steam locomotive, etc.

A change of movement must occur either at the command of an adult or at the sound signal. The most attentive child wins.

"Mirror"

Development of attention, reaction speed, motor skills.

Children choose a leader, he stands in the center, and the rest of the children form a semicircle around the leader, who shows various poses and demonstrates different facial expressions. Children must repeat them.

Comments: the change of poses and facial studies should be quick. An adult must monitor the pace and correctness.

“My extraordinary camera”

Development of attention and active vocabulary.

The children sit around. The teacher gives them pictures every 10 seconds. The pictures should go to each child 2-3 times, after which they are asked the question: which picture was shown first? What was written on it? Children should not close their eyes when answering.

Comments: for children 5 years old, the time period can be increased to 30 seconds, and then gradually reduced. You can ask the children who remembered the sequence of the proposed pictures. With this game it is easy to identify children with low levels of visual memory.

“Who will be who”

number of players: two or more.

Development of attention, imagination, thinking, speech.

Children sit in a circle. An adult asks questions. Addressing each child in turn: “Who (what) will it be...(for now - student, egg, duckling, acorn, boy, kid, lamb, puppy, kitten, larva, seed, egg, calf, piglet, chick, chick, wolf cub , basin, walrus, bunny, tadpole, caterpillar, dough, onion, etc.?”

Comments: There may be several answer options for each word. For example, a boy will be: a man, a mechanic, an adult, a student, a good person, a father, a brother, etc. The bulb will be a salad, feathers, a pipe, seeds, fertilizer, window sill decoration, etc.

Children can also be offered objects united by one theme (plants, animals, etc.).

"Who was"

number of players: two or more.

Development of thinking, speech, imagination.

Children sit in a circle. The adult asks questions, addressing each child in turn: “Who (what) was... (apple tree, buffalo, horse, chicken, frog, dog, master, bird, sheep, goat, butterfly, fish, duck, hare, etc. .)?

Comments: the game is held immediately after the game “Who will be who” or the next day. This will help children look at everyday objects from different points in time and build logical chains.

"Hat Dance"

number of players: 4-8 people.

Necessary equipment: hat, audio cassette with a recording of a piece of music.

Development of attention, motor coordination.

Children sit in a circle, and at the first sounds of music, they begin to pass the hat, putting it on the neighbor’s head. When the music stops, the participant who has the hat on his head must show some movement, and all the other children must repeat it. Then the game continues.

Comments: In this game, the hat is essentially a "red herring" because... Children happily try to dress up their neighbor, forgetting about the music. If children are embarrassed to perform the movements one at a time, you can invite the child on whom the music stopped to choose a partner and dance with him.

“Guess and find”

number of players: one person.

Necessary equipment: toys.

Development of attention, perception, memory.

An adult talks about a toy. The child asks questions if he does not yet understand what is being said, and then he must find the toy in the room.

Comments: the game can take place according to the “child - child” scheme, i.e. an adult may not participate in the game. When describing a particular toy, it is better to start with minor details or indirect signs. For example, you can say. That girls like to play with this toy more, etc.

"Cinderella",

number of players: one or more.

Necessary equipment: matchboxes filled with seeds: buckwheat, oats, rye, rice, various flowers, etc.

Development of tactile sensitivity and visual memory, concentration, perseverance, and counting skills.

The child is invited to help Cinderella: sort the grains, give 2-3 different grains to the fairy-tale characters, plant a field. The task can be made more difficult by blindfolding the child.

Comments: before starting the game, it is necessary to examine the grains of each type with the children, determine their shape, differences from others, and clearly indicate the name of each. You can start the game only when the presenter is sure that the participants have learned the differences.

"To the touch",

number of players:

5-10 people.

Necessary equipment:

Bag, various small items, blindfold.

Development of fine motor skills of the hands, tactile sensitivity

Up to ten small items are placed in a bag. The child, feeling the bag, must say what is in it. You have 30 seconds to complete the task. The one who names the most items wins.

Comments: Young children are first shown objects that are placed in a bag.

It is better to prepare several sets of items so that children cannot remember them.

During the examination of the bag, the child must show all the discovered objects so that other participants are convinced of the correctness of the answer.

For children 4 years old, the examination time can be increased.

“Write a fairy tale”

(I. Klimina),

number of players: 6-7 people.

Necessary equipment: drawings and illustrations for fairy tales.

Development of imagination and thinking.

1. Children must put together several drawings in the order in which the plot develops.
2. Children select drawings on their own, and then, combining them with some theme, they come up with a plot.

Comments: the first version of the game is more suitable for children 4 years old, and the second is better used when working with older children. During the game, children are able to create the most incredible stories and unite completely different characters. The main thing is to give them the opportunity to break away from stereotypes.

“And I” (folk game),

number of players: one or more.

Development of intelligence, endurance, sense of humor.

An adult tells a story to children, and they should say, where it makes sense, “And me!” If it is said inappropriately, the child pays a forfeit. At the end of the game, the children themselves come up with what the owner of the forfeit needs to do.

The adult begins:

• I was once walking through the forest...

Children:

• And I!
• And suddenly a wolf jumped out from behind a tree!

(Silence).

• He chattered his teeth...

(Silence).

• I was scared...
• And I!
• But at that moment a car drove out from behind the bushes...

(Silence).

• The wolf ran away...

(Silence).

• And I am the force in the car...
• And I!
• Happy that I managed to avoid danger, I laughed...
• And I!

Comments: over time, when the children understand the rules of the game, they can be trusted to play the role of leader.

The stories can be very diverse; you can introduce problematic situations observed among children in the group. For example, a story may present children with a double choice: following a game rule and complying with moral standards.

• I brought a new toy.
• And I!
• Vadik asked to play.
• And I!
• I didn't give him the toy.
• ?..

"Zoo",

number of players: 4-20 people.

Development of creative abilities, imagination, expressiveness of movements.

Children stand in a circle, and each one takes turns showing the movements that the intended animals make. The rest of the players must guess what kind of animal it is.

You can divide the players into groups of 3-4 people. The presenter quietly tells them which animal needs to be depicted. Everyone is trying as best they can, everyone - to the best of their knowledge about the habits of this beast. The others' task is to guess what kind of animal it is.

Comments: This game must be preceded by some work: reading books, looking at illustrations, etc. Then it will be easier for children to convey the habits of this or that animal.

"Conversation with hands"

number of players: adult + child.

Necessary equipment: pencils, sheet of paper.

Reacting emotions, developing positive self-perception.

This game is played if the child is prone to fighting or destruction. The adult invites the child to outline the outline of the palms, and then “revive” them: draw their faces (eyes, mouth, nose, etc.), you can color the fingers with colored pencils. Then the adult begins a conversation with the fingers, asking them about their habits and affections, what they like and what they don’t like. The child can answer, but if he is silent, then the adult himself is responsible for the fingers, talking about how good they are, how much they can do. Then the adult says: “But sometimes fingers do not obey their master,” and offers to conclude an “agreement” with naughty fingers that for 2-3 days they will not hurt anyone and will not break anything, they will only do good things: say hello , tinkering, playing, helping the owner get dressed and undressed. For hyperactive children, a shorter period is prescribed - 1-2 days or even several hours. If a child starts this game, then after a specified period of time you can repeat the drawing with him, praising the fingers and their owner, and also offering a longer term for the “contract.”

Comment: the game may not work out the first time, as disinhibited children have difficulty transferring acquired skills into everyday life and have difficulty controlling their impulses. During the game itself, the adult must indirectly convince the child that he will make friends with his fingers and make them kind. So, on the one hand, the child develops a positive self-perception, and on the other hand, he thinks about the problem.

Outdoor games

"Crocodile in the swamp"

Necessary equipment: various geometric shapes cut out of cardboard - “bumps” in a swamp.

Development of motor activity and education of the ability to restrain.

“Bumps” are laid out on the carpet. Children are “hunters”; they catch a crocodile, silently and as quietly as possible jumping from hummock to hummock. It is best for an adult to play the role of a crocodile, as he catches unlucky “hunters” who make a lot of noise (“the crocodile” names a name, and the “hunter” must approach him).

Comment: the number of “crocodiles” may increase as the game progresses. It will also be interesting to expand the plot and introduce some additional restrictions. For example, you can agree that when night comes, you can only jump on square “bumps”, and when it’s day – on round ones. Commands “Day!”, “Night!” an adult can use his voice or use some kind of sound signal, which will also contribute to the development of skills in regulating his behavior.

"Snake"

number of players: 10 or more.

Development of dexterity and coordination, the ability to act in concert.

They choose a driver, he becomes the head of the “snake” that the players form, standing in a row facing one direction. The driver runs along a bizarre trajectory, making sharp turns and twisting the “snake”. His goal is to force the players to unclasp their hands. Such children drop out of the game. Those who last the longest in the “snake” win.

Comment: an adult takes either the position of an observer or the position of a judge who monitors the integrity of the “snake” and removes players who have broken the rules.

Finding themselves in a situation in which it is necessary to hold on to each other, both literally and figuratively, children gain experience in living in various situations, learn not to be afraid of communication, and coordinate their actions.

"Kangaroo",

number of players: any.

Necessary equipment: balls.

Development of movement coordination.

The players line up on the same line and hold the ball between their feet. At a signal, they begin to jump towards the finish line, which is set at a distance of 20-30 meters. If the ball falls out, they pick it up and continue moving.

Comment: this relay race game is suitable for children of any age; it is also useful for adults. At first glance, the game is simple and effortless. But, despite its apparent ease, it is quite difficult for preschoolers and requires training.

"Butterflies and

elephants"

Development of communication skills, imagination, expressiveness of movements.

The teacher invites the children to turn into elephants. Children walk around the room, pretending to be elephants, and communicate with each other when they meet.

Then the teacher invites the children to become butterflies. Children, pretending to be butterflies, easily flutter around the room and communicate.

"Get inflated

bubble"

number of players: group.

Development of a sense of cohesion, development of attention.

Children stand in a circle very closely - this is a “deflated bubble”. Then they inflate it: they blow into fists placed one on top of the other, like a pipe. After each exhalation, they take a step back - the “bubble” increases, after taking a few breaths, everyone joins hands and walks in a circle, saying:

Blow up, bubble,

Blow up big

Stay like this

Don't burst!

It turns out to be a big circle. Then the teacher (or one of the children chosen by the leader) says: “Clap!” - the “bubble” bursts, everyone runs up to deflate) or scatters around the room (bubbles scatter).

Comment: An adult needs to carefully monitor that children perform play actions correctly. In particular, for each breath we took one step. Such entertainment games are loved by children of any age, since the rules in them are extremely simple and easy to follow, and the game itself promotes emotional release.

"The Dragon Bites Its Tail"

The players stand behind each other, holding the waist of the person in front. The first child is the head of the dragon, the last is the tip of the tail. The first player tries to grab the last one - the dragon catches its tail. The rest cling tenaciously to each other. If the dragon does not catch its tail (“does not bite the tail”), then another child takes the place of the dragon’s head.

Note: When the game is first played, the dragon's head may be an adult.

"Catch a Fish"

Some of the children stand in a circle, holding hands (“nets”). The rest of the children - “fish” - “swim” (run, jump) inside the circle, “swim out of it (crawl under the children’s clasped hands). At the adult’s signal: “Network!” – children holding hands sit down. Whichever of the “fishes” remained in the circle was “caught.” The game can be played with music.

“Bee Pranks”

“Bees” “fly” (run) from flower to flower (use hoops, cubes, etc.). They work, collect nectar. But the bees really want to play pranks. And then they “fly” (run, jump) after each other, forgetting about work. But the “main bee” (the leader) does not allow distractions. When he notices intruders, he “flies up” to them and “plants” them on his large flower.

“Pass the ball”

Sitting or standing, the players try to pass the ball as quickly as possible without dropping it. You can throw the ball to your neighbors as quickly as possible. You can turn your back in a circle and put your hands behind your back and pass the ball. Whoever dropped it is out.

Note: You can make the exercise more difficult by asking children to close their eyes.

“Teddy Bear”

Everyone stands in a circle and joins hands. The little bear sits inside with his eyes closed. Everyone says (it’s better to sing) a poem in chorus and slowly moves towards the center of the circle:

Little bear, little bear

He sleeps in his den.

Although he is not dangerous,

Be careful:

You are such a naughty person

Never believe it.

At the end of the rhyme (song), the “little bear” suddenly jumps up and tries to touch one of the children.

“Catch, catch!”

number of players: any

Necessary equipment:

A stick 0.5 m long with a light ball attached to it on a bright ribbon.

Relieving emotional stress.

They choose a leader, hand him a wand, then stand in a circle, and the leader is in the center of the circle. The presenter approaches the children with the words: “Catch, catch!” The players' task is to catch the ball, which keeps flying up. Several participants can catch the ball at once.

Comment: the game greatly excites children, so it is best to play it during a walk after bedtime. It is good to use when it is necessary to activate children, increase their tone, relieve emotional stress, and direct their motor activity in the right direction.

Communication games

"Name-calling"

number of players: at least two,

Necessary equipment: ball.

Development of communication skills, removal of negative emotions.

Children are encouraged to pass the ball to each other and call each other harmless names, for example, the names of vegetables or fruits, and be sure to say the name of the person to whom the ball is being passed: “And you, Alyoshka, are a potato,” “And you, Irishka, a radish,” “And you Vovka are a carrot”, etc. Be sure to warn children that they should not be offended by these name-calling, because this is a game. Be sure to end the game with good words: “And you, Marinka, are a picture,” “And you, Antoshka, are the sun,” etc.

You need to pass the ball quickly, you can’t think for a long time.

"Dinosaurs"

number of players: 6-7.

Removing negative experiences, removing bodily pressures.

Children, imagining themselves as “dinosaurs,” make scary faces, jump high, run around the hall and let out heartbreaking screams.

Comment: The game is interesting because of the freedom it provides to children, thanks to which they have the opportunity to give vent to accumulated fears, contradictions, and grievances. After all, even children now rarely have the opportunity to do what they want.

"Tiger Hunt"

number of players:

at least 4,

necessary equipment:

small toy (tiger).

Development of communication skills.

The children stand in a circle, the driver turns to the wall and counts loudly to 10. While the driver is counting, the children pass the toy to each other. When the leader finishes counting, the child who has the toy covers the tiger with his palms and stretches his arms forward. The rest of the children do exactly the same. The driver must find the tiger. If he guessed right, then the one who had the toy becomes the driver.

"Let's talk"

number of players: two or more.

Development of communication skills.

An adult and a child (or children) play. The adult begins the game with the words: “Let's talk. I would like to become... (wizard, wolf, small). How do you think why?". The child makes an assumption and a conversation ensues. In the end, you can ask what the child would like to become, but you cannot judge his desire and you cannot insist on an answer if he does not want to admit for some reason.

This game is useful for introverted and shy children, since in a playful form it teaches the child not to be afraid of communication, and puts him in a situation where he needs to make contact.

In the initial stages, children may be reluctant to ask questions or engage in play. Then an adult should take the initiative.

Important point! In the game, the adult should be on the same level as the child, and in case of difficulties, below him.

"Palm to palm"

number of players:

two or more;

necessary equipment:

table, chairs, etc.

Developing communication skills, gaining experience interacting in pairs, overcoming the fear of tactile contact.

Children stand in pairs, pressing their right palm to their left palm and their left palm to their friend’s right palm. Connected in this way, they must move around the room, avoiding various obstacles: a table, chairs, a bed, a mountain (in the form of a pile of pillows), a river (in the form of a laid out towel or a children's railway), etc.

Comment: in this game a couple can be an adult and a child. You can complicate the game if you give the task to move by jumping, running, squatting, etc. players need to be reminded that they cannot unclench their palms.

The game will be useful for children who have difficulty communicating.

"Joy and Sadness"

number of players: any.

Necessary equipment: drawings.

Development of the emotional sphere, the ability to differentiate the emotions and feelings of other people.

Children carefully examine the drawings, and then arrange them in two rows - joy and sadness - depending on the color scheme.

Comment: the main task of an adult is to help children talk about their feelings about a particular drawing, explain why they consider one drawing funny and another sad.

"Newspaper"

number of players: four or a multiple of four.

Necessary equipment:

newspaper.

Development of communication skills, overcoming tactile barriers.

An unfolded newspaper is placed on the floor, on which four children stand. Then the newspaper is folded in half, all children must stand on it again. The newspaper is folded until one of the participants can stand on the newspaper. During the game, children must understand that to win they need to hug - then the distance between them will be reduced as much as possible.

Comment: this game helps children overcome shyness before tactile contact, removes the “muscle shell”, and makes them more open. This is especially important for withdrawn and timid children, as well as children who have suffered some kind of trauma.

The game will be more interesting if children act on command. In other words, they must stand on the newspaper after a certain signal, and between them they can move freely around the room. After the children stand on the newspaper, the adult should record their location and give the children the opportunity to feel the support of their neighbor.

"Find the Difference"

number of players: adult + child (group of children).

Necessary equipment: sheet of paper, pencil(s).

Development of communication skills.

The child draws whatever he wants, then passes the piece of paper to an adult. The adult adds one or more details and returns the drawing to the child, who must find the changes. Then the adult draws, and the child makes changes - they switch roles.

Comment: if several children take part in the game, they can be placed in a circle and asked to exchange drawings, passing them in a circle until the piece of paper returns to the owner.

Depending on the characteristics of the children, the game can take place at either a fast or slow pace.

After completing the game, the drawings are stacked on the table or on the floor. The adult offers to talk about them. It is important to ask the child whether he likes the drawing, what exactly he likes (or doesn’t like), what he would like to remove (add), etc.

"Dog Barbos"

number of players:

6-8.

Necessary equipment: scarf.

Development of volition and self-control.

A child is selected to be the “dog”. He blindfolds his eyes and ears with a scarf, curls up into a ball and pretends to be asleep. The rest of the children should quietly pass by him. Suddenly the “dog” wakes up and, barking, catches the disturbed children. The one who is caught becomes a “dog”.

Comment: the game is noisy and interesting. An adult should not restrain the emotional impulses of children; let them have plenty of fun. Such an outburst will help children concentrate on their studies in half an hour.

"Growing Flowers"

number of players: group.

Necessary equipment:

Musical instruments, 2-3 large paper flowers.

Strengthening self-confidence, stimulating the desire for leadership. Development of observation skills.

One child plays a musical instrument, the rest listen. At the same time, the adult, hiding behind a tall piece of furniture, begins to pick up the flower. When the music stops, the flower stops growing; when the music is fast and loud, it grows faster. If a flower can no longer grow, everyone starts dancing around it or pretending to wither it. If two instruments are playing at the same time, you can use two flowers.

Comment: when the essence of the game becomes clear to the children, the adult can be replaced by a child.

After the game, a conversation is held with the children. You can ask a flower child what sounds he wanted to grow up with and what sounds he didn’t. You can ask a child musician if he wanted the flower to grow, if not, then why.

During the game, an adult should try to comment on the growth rate of the flower and suggest certain versions of the plot twist. For example: if a flower does not grow for a long time, the adult should draw the children's attention to the sounds, and then to what he probably does not like or what he is sad. You can ask all the children, together with the musician, to help the flower grow.

The game stimulates children to understand the feelings of another person, develops a sense of empathy, and a desire to help if necessary.

"Touch..."

number of players: 6-8 people;

necessary equipment:

toys.

Development of communication skills, ability to ask, removal of bodily pressures.

Children stand in a circle and place toys in the center. The presenter says: “touch ... (eye, wheel, right leg, tail, etc.).” whoever does not find the required item drives. Comment: There should be fewer toys than children. If children's communication skills are poorly developed, conflicts may develop in the initial stages of play. But in the future, with systematic conversations and discussion of problematic situations with moral content, with the inclusion of this and similar games, children will learn to share and find a common language.

35

About the green stick and white wire

While I was reading and writing all this wonderful evidence that children love washing dishes more than standing on an overturned stool imagining themselves rushing to Hogwarts as Harry Potter (for some reason this is the only character that comes to mind when I need to imagine who children imagine), I remembered my younger brother. And if Tolstoy had his “green stick” (well, you remember, but if you don’t remember, then here it is), then my brother had a “white wire”. An ordinary one, about thirty centimeters long, a slightly bent white wire. I remember he is about five years old, wearing an orange short robe (mine, of course) and without panties, rushing from room to room with idleness and suddenly sees his delay. He comes up, very carefully takes it by the ends with both hands, lifts it to his forehead, ties it around his head and... turns into Rimbaud. I swear, even at that moment, instead of a five-year-old boy without panties, I began to see Sylvester Stallone in his best years. And only children can do this! And Sylvester Stallone, of course. Therefore, to be honest, I don’t really believe the assertion that the role of fantasy in children’s games is overrated. And I also dug up this information.

Ethnographers and travelers who describe the life and customs of peoples closer to the primitive level of development indeed indicate that children in such communities almost never play. The Scottish missionary and explorer of Africa, David Livingstone, back in 1857 in his book “Travel and Research of a Missionary in South Africa,” describing the life of one of the tribes, mentioned: “ I have never seen their children play

" However, this is due, first of all, to the fact that in primitive society, in principle, there was no such a large gap between adults and children that we see today. Their mothers never took maternity leave, and their fathers were busy hunting mammoths, so there was simply no time left for games and children. With fathers, by the way, the situation has not changed much. In this regard, children were included early in the activities of adults and became truly independent. Role-playing games, according to some researchers, begin to develop during patriarchy, when women began to spend a lot of time at home and, therefore, devote it to children. Or at a minimum, hand over the children to tutors and nannies who needed to do something with them throughout the day.

Role-playing play is the leading activity for children from three to seven years old. They learn to distinguish between reality and fantasy, to plan in their minds, to anticipate their actions and the actions of others, and to coordinate them. In such a game, the child not only reproduces some life situations, but takes on a role, gets used to it and learns to predict and experiment. Therefore, it is imaginary games that have a great influence on the social and emotional maturation of children, psychologists Thalia Goldstein and Matthew Lerner argue in their report (Development Science, 2018). They came to this conclusion by administering an empathy test to four- and five-year-olds. After play sessions in which children took part, one of the adults pretended that he had accidentally bruised his knee or injured his finger. Those who played imaginary games (being a superhero, an animal, or a chef, for example) were less susceptible to other people's pain than children playing with blocks or reading books. The scientists suggested that playing imaginary games allowed children to better control the intense experience of seeing an adult in pain.