In the article we will talk about the moral education of preschool children. We'll take a closer look at this topic, as well as talk about key tools and techniques.
What is it about?
To begin with, we note that the moral education of children of middle preschool age is a broad concept that includes a whole range of educational methods that teach a child moral values. But even before that, the child gradually raises his level of upbringing, joins a certain social environment, begins to interact with other people and master self-education. Therefore, the moral education of children of primary preschool age is also important, which we will also talk about, because it is during this period that significant changes in personality occur.
Content of moral education
Since ancient times, philosophers, scientists, parents, writers and teachers have been interested in the issue of moral education of the future generation. Let's not hide the fact that every old generation notes the fall of the moral foundations of the youth. More and more are being developed regularlyrecommendations intended to raise morale.
This process is greatly influenced by the state, which actually forms a certain set of necessary qualities of a person. For example, consider the times of communism, when workers had the most honors. People who were ready to help at any moment and clearly follow the orders of the leadership were extolled. In a sense, the individual was oppressed, while the collectivists were most valued. When capitalist relations came to the fore, such human traits as the ability to look for non-standard solutions, creativity, initiative, and entrepreneurship became key. Naturally, all this was reflected in the upbringing of children.
What is the moral education of preschool children for?
Many scientists have different answers to this question, but in any case the answer is ambiguous. Most researchers still agree that it is impossible to cultivate such qualities in a child; one can only try to instill them. It is quite difficult to say exactly what determines the individual perception of each child. Most likely it comes from the family. If a child grows up in a calm, pleasant environment, then it will be easier to “wake up” these qualities in him. It is logical that a child who lives in an atmosphere of violence and constant stress will be less likely to succumb to the attempts of the educator. Also, many psychologists say that the problem lies in the discrepancy between the upbringing that the child receives at home and inteam. Such a contradiction may eventually result in an internal conflict.
For example, let's take a case when parents try to instill in a child a sense of ownership and aggression, and educators try to instill such qualities as goodwill, friendliness and generosity. Because of this, the child may experience some difficulty in forming his own opinion about a particular situation. That is why it is very important to teach young children the highest values, such as kindness, honesty, justice, regardless of what principles their parents are currently guided by. Thanks to this, the child will understand that there is some ideal option, and will be able to form his own opinion.
Basic concepts of the moral education of older preschool children
The first thing to understand is that training must be comprehensive. However, in the modern world, we are increasingly seeing a situation where a child, moving from one teacher to another, absorbs completely opposite values. In this case, the normal learning process is impossible, it will be chaotic. At the moment, the goal of the moral and patriotic education of preschool children is to fully develop both the qualities of a collectivist and an individual.
Very often, educators use a personality-oriented theory, thanks to which the child learns to openly express his opinion and defend his position,without coming into conflict. In this way, self-esteem and significance are formed.
However, to achieve maximum results, the methods of moral education of preschool children must be chosen deliberately and purposefully.
Approaches
There are several approaches that are used to form moral qualities. They are realized through play, work, creativity, literary works (fairy tales), personal example. At the same time, any approach to moral education affects the whole complex of its forms. Let's list them:
- patriotic feelings;
- attitude towards power;
- personal qualities;
- relationships in the team;
- unspoken rules of etiquette.
If educators work at least a little in each of these areas, then they already create an excellent base. If the entire system of upbringing and education operated according to one scheme, skills and knowledge, layering on top of each other, would form an integral set of qualities.
Problems
Problems of moral education of preschool children lie in the fact that the child fluctuates between two authorities. On the one hand, they are educators, and on the other hand, they are parents. But there is also a positive side to this issue. Early childhood education institutions and parents, working together, can achieve excellent results. But, on the other hand, the unformed personality of the child can be very confused. At the same time, let's not forget that children on the subconsciouslevel copy the behavior and reactions of the person they consider their mentor.
The peak of this behavior falls on the first school years. If in Soviet times all the shortcomings and mistakes of each child were put on public display, then in the modern world such problems are discussed behind closed doors. Moreover, scientists have long proved that education and training based on criticism cannot be effective.
At the moment, public disclosure of any problems is treated as a punishment. Today, parents can complain about the caregiver if they are not satisfied with his methods of work. Note that in most cases this intervention is inadequate. But in the moral and patriotic education of children of older preschool age, the authority of the educator is of great importance. But teachers are becoming less and less active. They remain neutral, trying not to harm the child, but in this way they do not teach him anything.
Goals
The goals of the moral education of children of senior preschool age are:
- formation of various habits, qualities and ideas about something;
- cultivating a humane attitude towards nature and others;
- formation of patriotic feelings and pride in their country;
- cultivating a tolerant attitude towards people of other nationalities;
- building communication skills to work productively in a team;
- formation of an adequateself-esteem.
Funds
Spiritual and moral education of preschool children occurs using certain means and techniques, which we will discuss below.
Firstly, this is creativity in all its manifestations: music, literature, fine arts. Thanks to all this, the child learns to perceive the world figuratively and feel it. In addition, creativity provides an opportunity to express your own feelings and emotions through words, music or drawings. Over time, the child understands that everyone is free to realize himself as he pleases.
Secondly, this is communication with nature, which is a necessary factor in the formation of a he althy psyche. To begin with, we note that spending time in nature always fills not only a child, but also any person with strength. Observing the world around, the child learns to analyze and understand the laws of nature. Thus, the baby understands that many processes are natural and should not be ashamed of them.
Thirdly, the activity that manifests itself in games, work or creativity. At the same time, the child learns to express himself, behave and present himself in a certain way, understand other children and put into practice the basic principles of communication. In addition, thanks to this, the baby learns to communicate.
An important means of spiritual and moral education of preschool children is the environment. As they say, in a basket of rotten apples, he althy ones will soon begin to spoil. The means of moral education of preschool children will be ineffective ifthe team will not have the right atmosphere. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the environment, as modern scientists have proven that it plays a huge role. Note that even if a person does not particularly strive for anything, then when the communication environment changes, he noticeably changes for the better, acquires goals and desires.
During the moral and patriotic education of children of senior preschool age, experts resort to three main methods.
It's about establishing contact for an interaction that is built on respect and trust. With such communication, even with a clash of interests, it is not a conflict that begins, but a discussion of the problem. The second method concerns soft trusting influence. It lies in the fact that the educator, having a certain authority, can influence the child's conclusions and correct them, if necessary. The third method is to form a positive attitude towards contests and competitions. In fact, of course, the attitude towards competition is understood. It is very important to form a correct understanding of this term in the child. Unfortunately, for many, it has a negative connotation and is associated with meanness, cunning and dishonest actions towards another person.
Programs for the moral education of preschool children imply the development of a harmonious attitude towards oneself, people around and nature. It is impossible to develop a person's morality in only one of these directions, otherwise he will experience strong internal contradictions, and, as a result, will tend tospecific side.
Implementation
Education of moral qualities in preschool children is based on some basic concepts.
In an educational institution, you need to let the child know that he is loved here. It is very important that the educator be able to show his affection and tenderness, because then the children will learn these manifestations in all their diversity, observing the actions of parents and educators.
Equally important is to condemn ill-will and aggression, but not to force the child to repress their real emotions. The secret is to teach him to correctly and adequately express both positive and negative emotions.
The foundations of the moral education of preschool children are based on the need to create situations of success and teach children to respond to them. It is very important that the baby learns to properly perceive praise and criticism. At this age, having an adult to imitate is of great importance. Unconscious idols are often created in childhood, which in adulthood can influence a person’s uncontrollable actions and thoughts.
Social and moral education of preschool children is largely based not only on communication with other people, but also on the solution of logical problems. Thanks to them, the child learns to understand himself and look at his actions from the outside, as well as interpret the actions of other people. The specific goal facing educators is to develop the ability to understand their emotions and other people.
The social part of educationlies in the fact that the child goes through all the stages together with their peers. He must see them and his successes, empathize, support, feel he althy competition.
The basic means of educating preschool children is based on the observations of the educator. He must analyze the behavior of the child over a certain period, note positive and negative trends and inform parents about this. It is very important to do it in the correct form.
The problem of spirituality
An important part of moral education is often lost, namely the spiritual component. Both parents and educators forget about it. But it is precisely on spirituality that morality is built. A child can be taught what is good and bad, or you can develop in him such an internal state when he himself understands what is right and what is not.
In religious kindergartens, very often children are brought up with a sense of pride for their country. Some parents instill religious faith in their children on their own. This is not to say that scientists support it, but in some cases it is really very useful. However, in most cases, kids are lost in the complex vicissitudes of religious movements. If you teach children this, then you need to do it very correctly. You should not give an unformed person any specialized books, as they will easily lead him astray. It is much better to talk about this topic with the help of images and fairy tales.
Civil bias
In manychildren's educational institutions are biased towards civic feelings. Moreover, many educators consider such feelings to be synonymous with morality. In kindergartens in countries where there is a sharp class inequality, educators very often try to instill unconditional love for their state in kids. At the same time, there is little useful in such moral education. It is not wise to instill reckless love, it is much better to teach the child history first and help him form his own attitude over time. However, respect for authority must be brought up.
Aesthetics
An important part of raising children is to develop a sense of beauty. Forming it just won’t work, since the child must have some kind of base from the family. It is laid in early childhood, when the child watches his parents. If they like to walk, visit theaters, listen to good music, understand art, then the child, without realizing it himself, absorbs it all. It will be much easier for such a baby to evoke a sense of beauty. It is very important to teach a child to see something good in everything that surrounds him. Let's face it, not all adults can do this.
Thanks to just such foundations laid down from childhood, talented children grow up who change the world and leave their names for centuries.
Environmental component
At the moment, ecology is very closely intertwined with education, since it is incredibly important to educate a generation that will be humane and reasonabletreat the blessings of the earth. Modern people have started this situation, and the issue of ecology worries many. Everyone understands perfectly well what an ecological disaster can turn into, but money still comes first.
Modern education and upbringing of children faces a serious task of cultivating in children a sense of responsibility for their land and the environment. It is impossible to imagine a comprehensive moral and patriotic education of preschool children without this aspect.
A child who spends time among environmentally conscious people will never become a hunter, will never throw garbage on the street, etc. He will learn from an early age to save his space, and pass this understanding on to his descendants.
Summing up the article, let's say that children are the future of the whole world. It is on what the next generations will be that depends on whether there is a future for our planet at all. The upbringing of moral feelings in a preschool child is a feasible and good goal that all educators should strive for.
