home / Relationship/ Age-related characteristics of the creative imagination of younger schoolchildren. Coursework: Features of creative abilities and imagination of junior schoolchildren

Age-related characteristics of the creative imagination of primary schoolchildren. Coursework: Features of creative abilities and imagination of junior schoolchildren

Features of imagination development in children of primary school age

Imagination is one of the forms of mental reflection of the world. A more traditional point of view is the definition of imagination as a process (V.G. Kazakova, L.L. Kondratyeva, A.V. Petrovsky, M.G. Yaroshevsky, etc.). According to M.V. Gamezo and I.A. Domashenko, “imagination is a mental process consisting in the creation of new images (ideas) by processing the material of perceptions and ideas obtained in previous experience.”

Domestic authors also consider imagination as an ability (L.S. Vygotsky, V.T. Kudryavtsev) and as a special human activity (L.D. Stolyarenko, B.M. Teplov). Taking into account the complex functional structure of the imagination, L.S. Vygotsky considered it optimal to use the concept of a psychological system.

So, imagination is the process of transforming existing images in memory in order to create new ones that have never been perceived by a person before. The process of imagination is peculiar only to man and is a necessary condition for his work activity. Imagination is always a certain departure from reality. But in any case, the source of imagination is objective reality. Imagination, orienting a person in the process of activity, allows one to imagine the result of work before it begins.

With the help of imagination, a person reflects reality in unusual, often unexpected combinations and connections. Imagination changes reality and creates other images on this basis. Imagination is closely connected with thinking, therefore it can intensively change a person’s life experiences, knowledge and ideas acquired by him. In general, imagination is closely connected with all aspects of human mental activity: with his perception, thinking, memory, feelings.

Imagination plays a huge role in human life. Without imagination, creative activity is impossible. The peculiar shapes of cars, fantasies on the theme of “Engineer Garin’s ray” and the display of images at a distance (modern television), E. Tsiolkovsky’s dreams of interplanetary flights and much more would have remained aloof from culture for centuries if humanity had not been capable of imagination . Thanks to imagination, a person intelligently plans his activities, manages them, and creates. Almost all human spiritual and material culture is the creativity of people and a product of the imagination. Imagination plays a huge role in the development and improvement of man as a species. It takes a person beyond the limits of his existence, reminds him of the past, and opens up the future. Possessing a rich imagination, a person can “live” in different times, which no other creature in the world can afford. The past is presented in memory images, arbitrarily resurrected by an effort of will, the future is presented in dreams and fantasies.

Imagination allows a person to understand and navigate a situation, solve problems independently without the intervention of practical actions. It helps him a lot in such life situations when practical actions are either impossible, or confusing, or simply undesirable. Imagination differs from perception in that its images do not always correspond to reality; they contain elements of fantasy and fiction. If the imagination draws pictures to the consciousness that have little or no correspondence in reality, then this is called fantasy. If, in addition, the imagination is directed towards the future, it is called a dream.

In psychology, there are two directions for the development of personal imagination: cognitive and affective. The cognitive direction is focused on the development of imagination as a specific reflection of the objective world, overcoming the contradictions that have arisen in a growing person’s ideas about reality, completing and clarifying a holistic picture of the world. The affective direction presupposes the emergence, as a result of contradictions, of the child’s emerging image of “I,” which in such cases is one of the mechanisms for its construction and development.

The human mind cannot be in an inactive state, which is why people dream so much. The human brain continues to function even when it does not solve any problems, when new information does not enter it. It is at this time that the imagination begins to work. It has been established that a person, at will, is not able to stop the flow of thoughts, stop the imagination.

Imagination in the process of human life performs a number of specific functions, the first of which is to represent reality in images and be able to use them when solving problems. The second function of imagination is to regulate emotional states. With the help of his imagination, a person is able to satisfy many needs. The third function of imagination is associated with the state of a person and his participation in the voluntary regulation of cognitive processes. With the help of skillfully created images, a person can pay attention to the necessary events; through images, he gains the opportunity to control perceptions, memories, and statements. The fourth function of imagination is to form an internal plan of action, i.e. the ability to perform them in the mind, manipulating images. The fifth function of imagination is planning and programming activities.

Depending on the characteristics of the imagination process, the following types of imagination are distinguished: involuntary and voluntary. Involuntary imagination is a process when new images are produced by themselves in a person’s mind without a predetermined goal. Voluntary imagination is produced deliberately in connection with a predetermined goal.

Depending on the degree of activity, imagination can be passive or active. Passive imagination is the spontaneous creation of images that are often not realized. Passive imagination can be intentional or unintentional. Deliberate imagination is the creation of images (dreams, illusions) that are not associated with the will, which could contribute to their implementation. Unintentional imagination is a weakening of the activity of consciousness during its disorders in a half-asleep state, in a dream, during hallucinations.

A dream is an image of the desired future. It arises under the influence of a person’s needs, interests, beliefs, and character traits. In its content, a dream can be associated with sublime, noble, socially important goals or, conversely, with insignificant, petty, and sometimes base motives. A daydream is a dream unrelated to life. Dreams weaken the will, reduce a person’s activity, and slow down his development.

Active imagination is the creation of images that are aimed at solving certain problems. Active imagination can be reconstructive and creative. Recreating imagination is the process of creating certain images that correspond to the description; the more information, the less work remains for the imagination. Active imagination, in turn, includes reproductive (recreating) and productive (creative). Productive is called imagination, in the images of which there are many new things (elements of fantasy). The products of such imagination are usually similar to nothing or very little similar to what is already known. Reproductive is imagination, the products of which contain a lot of what is already known, although there are also individual elements of the new. This, for example, is the imagination of a novice engineer, writer, artist, who at first create their creations according to known models, thereby learning professional skills.

Creative imagination is the independent creation of images that require the selection of materials in accordance with the plan. Creative imagination is invaluable for its social significance and is aimed at achieving a creative or personal task. A type of creative imagination is fantasy. Fantasy is the creation of ideas about unreal events and phenomena. Fantasy is inherent in every person, but all people (especially children) differ in the direction of this fantasy, its strength and brightness.

M.V. Ermolaeva identifies and describes the following psychological mechanisms of imagination: 1) variation is the desire to change the images and ideas that exist in experience; 2) modeling is a way of recreating events using new material; 3) schematization is a reduction of reality with the subsequent transfer of the action and functions of an object to other objects; 4) detailing is a mechanism that enhances the brightness of an image or presentation; 5) combination is the transformation of previously obtained ideas by combining heterogeneous components in a new image.

The creation of imaginary images is carried out using several techniques. The first technique is agglutination, i.e. “gluing together” different parts that are not connected in everyday life (for example, “Centaur” or “Phoenix”). The second technique is hyperbolization, i.e. incredible increase or decrease in an object or its individual parts (“Gulliver”, “Tom Thumb”, “Dwarf Nose”). The third technique is schematization, in this case individual ideas merge, differences are smoothed out, and the main features of similarity are clearly worked out (schematic drawing). The fourth technique is typification, that is, highlighting the essential, repeated in facts that are homogeneous in some respects and embodying them in a specific image (the image of a doctor, policeman, firefighter). The fifth technique is emphasis, i.e. in the created image, some part, detail stands out, is especially emphasized (for example, cartoon; caricature).

The images that appear in the imagination always contain features of images already known to a person. But in the new image they are transformed, changed, combined into unusual combinations. The essence of imagination lies in the ability to notice and highlight specific signs and properties in objects and phenomena, and transfer them to other objects.

According to L.S. Vygotsky, at the very beginning of the imagination process there are external and internal perceptions that form the basis of human experience. What a child sees and hears are the first reference points for his future creativity. Then dissociation occurs, which consists in the fact that this complex whole, as it were, falls apart into parts: individual parts are highlighted preferentially in comparison with others, that is, some are preserved, while others are forgotten. The process of dissociation is followed by a process of change to which these dissociated elements undergo. This process of change is based on the dynamism of our internal, nervous excitations and the corresponding images. Next, association occurs, that is, the unification of dissociated and changed elements into a new image. Then the individual elements are combined, brought into a system, and a complex picture is built. At the very end, imagination is embodied in external images.

According to research by L.S. Vygotsky, imagination develops most actively in children of preschool and primary school age. Junior school age (from 7-11 years old) is called the pinnacle of childhood. The child retains many childish qualities - naivety, frivolity, looking up at the adult. Teaching is a meaningful activity for him. A child's entry into school is associated with huge changes in all areas of his life. These changes concern, first of all, the structure of relationships and the child’s place in society.

The first images of a child’s imagination are associated with the processes of perception and his play activities. A one and a half year old child is not yet interested in listening to stories (fairy tales) of adults, since he still does not have the experience that gives rise to the processes of perception. But in the imagination of a playing child you can see how, for example, a cube turns into a car, a doll into a cheerful or offended person, a blanket into an affectionate friend. The child uses his imagination even more actively in his games during the period of speech development. However, all this happens as if by itself, by chance. From 3 to 5 years, arbitrary forms of imagination develop. Images of imagination can appear at the request of others, or initiated by the child himself.

The primary school period is characterized not only by the rapid development of imagination, but also by an intensive process of acquiring diverse knowledge and using it in practice.

The individual characteristics of the imagination of younger schoolchildren are clearly manifested in the creative process. To develop imagination in children, adults need to create conditions under which freedom of action, independence, initiative, and looseness are manifested. If at primary school age you do not pay enough attention to the development of imagination, then the quality level of education decreases.

In general, any problems associated with the development of imagination in younger schoolchildren usually do not arise, so almost all children who play a lot and variedly in preschool childhood have a well-developed and rich imagination. The main questions that may arise before a child and a teacher at the beginning of education concern the connection between imagination and attention, as well as the assimilation of abstract concepts, which are quite difficult for a junior schoolchild, like an adult, to imagine and present.

Junior school age is qualified by scientists as the most favorable and sensitive for the development of creative imagination and fantasy. The games and conversations of children reflect the power of their imagination, one might even say, a riot of imagination. In their stories and conversations, reality and fantasy are often mixed, and images of imagination can be experienced by children as quite real. Their experience is so strong that the child feels the need to talk about it. Such fantasies are often perceived by others as lies. Parents and teachers often turn to psychological consultations, alarmed by such manifestations of fantasy in children, which they regard as deceit. In such cases, the psychologist usually recommends analyzing whether the child is pursuing any benefit with his story. If not (and most often this is the case), then adults are dealing with fantasizing, making up stories, and not lying. Inventing stories like this is normal for children. In these cases, it is useful for adults to get involved in the children’s play, to show that they like these stories, but precisely as manifestations of fantasy, a kind of game. By participating in such a game, sympathizing and empathizing with the child, the adult must clearly indicate and show him the line between game, fantasy and reality.

Children of primary school age develop all types of imagination. It can be reconstructive (creating an image of an object according to its description) and creative (creating new images that require the selection of material in accordance with the plan).

The main trend emerging in the development of children's imagination is the transition to an increasingly correct and complete reflection of reality, the transition from a simple arbitrary combination of ideas to a logically reasoned combination. If a child of 3-4 years old is content to depict a bird with ticks, then at 7-8 years old he already needs an external resemblance to a bird (“so that there are wings and a beak”). A schoolchild at the age of 11-12 often sculpts a model himself and demands that it resemble a real bird even more completely.

Observations show that the child strives to portray well-known events truthfully, as happens in life. In many cases, changes in reality are caused by ignorance, the inability to coherently and consistently depict life events. The realism of the imagination of a junior schoolchild is especially clearly manifested in the selection of game attributes. For a younger preschooler, everything can be everything in the game. Older preschoolers are already selecting material for play based on the principles of external similarity. The younger schoolchild also makes a strict selection of material suitable for the game. This selection is made according to the principle of maximum proximity, from the child’s point of view, of this material to real objects, according to the principle of the ability to perform real actions with it.

The obligatory and main character of the game for schoolchildren in grades 1-2 is a soft toy and a doll. You can perform any necessary “real” actions with them: you can feed them, dress them, express your feelings. Also for this purpose, younger schoolchildren use a live kitten or puppy, since they can be truly fed and put to bed. Amendments to the situation and images made by children of primary school age during the game give the game and the images themselves imaginary features that bring them closer and closer to reality.

A.G. Ruzskaya notes that children of primary school age are not devoid of fantasy, which is at odds with reality, which is even more typical for schoolchildren (cases of children's lies, etc.). “Fantasizing of this kind still plays a significant role and occupies a certain place in the life of a primary school student. But, nevertheless, it is no longer a simple continuation of the fantasy of a preschooler, who himself believes in his fantasy as in reality. A 9-10 year old schoolchild already understands the “conventionality” of his fantasy, its discrepancy with reality.”

In the minds of a junior schoolchild, concrete knowledge and fascinating fantastic images built on its basis coexist peacefully. With age, the role of fantasy, divorced from reality, weakens, and the realism of children's imagination increases. However, the realism of children's imagination, in particular the imagination of a primary school student, must be distinguished from another of its features, close, but fundamentally different. Realism of the imagination involves the creation of images that do not contradict reality, but are not necessarily a direct reproduction of everything perceived in life.

The imagination of a primary school student is also characterized by another feature: the presence of elements of reproductive, simple reproduction (in their games, children repeat the actions that they observed in their parents and adults, they act out stories that they saw in the movies, at school, in the family). However, with age, the elements of reproductive, simple reproduction in the imagination of a junior schoolchild become less and less, and creative processing of ideas appears to an increasing extent.

According to research by L.S. Vygotsky, a child of preschool age and primary school can imagine much less than an adult, but he trusts the products of his imagination more and controls them less, and therefore a child has more imagination in the everyday, cultural sense of the word than an adult. However, not only the material from which the imagination is built is poorer in a child than in an adult, but also the nature of the combinations that are added to this material, their quality and variety are significantly inferior to the combinations of an adult. Of all the forms of connection with reality, the child’s imagination is equally similar to the adult’s imagination only in the reality of the elements from which it is built.

V.S. Mukhina notes that at primary school age a child can already create a wide variety of situations in his imagination. Formed in playful substitutions of some objects for others, imagination moves into other types of activity.

In the process of educational activity of schoolchildren, which begins in the elementary grades from living contemplation, a major role, as psychologists note, is played by the level of development of cognitive processes: attention, memory, perception, observation, thinking. The development and improvement of imagination will be more effective with targeted work in this direction, which will entail an expansion of the cognitive capabilities of children.

At primary school age, for the first time, a division of play and labor occurs, that is, activities carried out for the sake of pleasure that the child will receive in the process of the activity itself, and activities aimed at achieving an objectively significant and socially assessed result. This distinction between play and work, including educational work, is an important feature of school age.

At primary school age, imagination is the highest and main ability of a person. At the same time, it is precisely this ability that cannot do without targeted development. And if the imagination is not specifically developed during this period, then subsequently there is a decrease in the intensity of this function. Along with the fading of a person’s ability to fantasize, the personality becomes impoverished, the possibilities of creative thinking decrease, and interest in science, art, etc. decreases.

Young schoolchildren use their imagination to carry out their productive activities. Their games are the fruit of active imagination; they engage in creative activities with pleasure. When, in the process of studying, primary schoolchildren are faced with the need to comprehend abstract material, it is the child’s imagination that comes to the aid.

Thus, the importance of the imagination function in the mental development of a primary school student is great. However, fantasy must have a positive direction of development. It should promote self-discovery and self-improvement of the individual and better knowledge of the world around us, and not develop into passive daydreaming, replacing real life with dreams. To accomplish this task, it is necessary to help younger schoolchildren use their imagination in the direction of progressive self-development, to enhance cognitive activity, in particular the development of abstract thinking, attention, speech and creativity in general. Children of primary school age love to engage in visual arts. It allows the younger student to reveal his personality in a more free form. All visual activity is based on active imagination. These functions provide the child with a new, unusual view of the world.

P. Torrens developed criteria and indicators for the development of creative imagination. He included the following as the main criteria: 1) fluency; 2) flexibility; 3) originality; 4) brightness and detail of images.

Fluency reflects the ability to generate a large number of ideas (associations, images) and is measured by the number of images produced. Flexibility allows you to put forward a variety of ideas, reflects the ability to move from one aspect of a problem to another, and use different strategies for solving creative problems. Originality characterizes the ability to put forward ideas that are different from the obvious, normative ones, and is measured by the number of extraordinary, non-repetitive answers, images, and ideas. The brightness and detail of images captures the ability for productive, constructive activity and is measured by the number of essential and non-essential features when developing the main idea.

Thus, imagination is the main driving force of a person’s creative process and plays a huge role in his entire life. Creative abilities must be developed in a person from early childhood; without a creative approach it is difficult to solve any problem. The imagination of a primary school student actively develops in the process of play and productive activity, which depends on the conditions of his life, education and upbringing. Imagination undergoes development from involuntary, passive, recreating to voluntary, creative. A characteristic feature of creative imagination in children of primary school age is spontaneity, internal interest in the process, and the absence of a pronounced desire to achieve high performance in work. This is due to the fact that the product of activity for a primary school student is only subjectively novel; activity at this age is more often episodic.

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Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

State Educational Institution of Higher Education of the Russian Pedagogical University named after. A.I. Herzen

Institute of Childhood

Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Primary Education

Development of imagination in primary school age

Saint Petersburg

Introduction

3. Formative stage

Bibliography

Introduction

The problem of developing abilities is not new for psychological and pedagogical research, but is still relevant. It is no secret that schools and parents are concerned about the development of students’ abilities. Society is interested in people starting to work exactly where they can bring maximum benefit. And for this, the school must help students find their place in life. The problem of developing children's imagination is relevant because in recent years society has faced the problem of preserving the intellectual potential of the nation, as well as the problem of developing and creating conditions for gifted people in our country, since this category of people is the main productive and creative force of progress.

In Russian psychology, research on the development of imagination in preschool children also occupies a significant place. Most authors connect the genesis of imagination with the development of a child’s play activity (A.N. Leontiev, D.B. Elkonin, etc.), as well as with preschool children’s mastery of activities traditionally considered “creative”: constructive, musical, visual, artistic -literary. S.L. Rubinstein et al. devoted their research to studying the mechanisms of imagination. The basis for determining the characteristics of the creative activity of primary school students is the works of famous Russian teachers and psychologists A.S. Belkina, L.I. Bozhovich, L.S. Vygotsky, V.V. Davydova, V.A. Petrovsky, E.S. Polat et al. As studies by L.S. have shown. Vygotsky, V.V. Davydova, E.I. Ignatieva, S.L. Rubinshteina, D.B. Elkonina, V.A. Krutetsky and others, imagination is not only a prerequisite for the effective assimilation of new knowledge by children, but is also a condition for the creative transformation of children’s existing knowledge and contributes to the self-development of the individual, i.e. largely determines the effectiveness of educational activities at school.

Thus, the imagination of children has enormous potential for realizing the reserves of an integrated approach to teaching and upbringing. And children’s visual activities provide great opportunities for the development of creative imagination.

The purpose of this work: to study the possibilities of developing imagination in primary schoolchildren. The object of the study is the process of developing the imagination of younger schoolchildren. The subject is the development of the imagination of younger schoolchildren.

Study and analyze scientific and methodological literature and practical experience on the issue of imagination and creativity.

To identify the features of the creative imagination of junior schoolchildren.

Find diagnostics that study the level of imagination of primary schoolchildren

Hypothesis: the role of a primary school teacher in the development of imagination will be successful if he uses a system of exercises to develop imagination, as a result of which the level of development of children's imagination will significantly increase and will further contribute to increasing the overall level of learning of younger schoolchildren.

1. Theoretical aspects of the study of imagination

1.1 Imagination as a mental process

Imagination is one of the forms of mental reflection of the world. The most traditional point of view is the definition of imagination as a process (A.V. Petrovsky and M.G. Yaroshevsky, V.G. Kazakova and L.L. Kondratyeva, etc.).

According to M.V. Gamezo and I.A. Domashenko: “Imagination is a mental process consisting in the creation of new images (ideas) by processing the material of perceptions and ideas obtained in previous experience.”

Domestic authors also consider this phenomenon as an ability (V.T. Kudryavtsev, L.S. Vygotsky) and as a specific activity (L.D. Stolyarenko, B.M. Teplov). Taking into account the complex functional structure, L.S. Vygotsky considered the application of the concept of a psychological system to be adequate.

According to E.V. Ilyenkov, the traditional understanding of imagination reflects only its derivative function. The main one - allows you to see what is, what lies before the eyes, that is, the main function of the imagination is to transform an optical phenomenon on the surface of the retina into the image of an external thing.

Functions of imagination Borovik O.V. Development of imagination.

Representing activities in images and creating the opportunity to use them when solving problems;

Regulation of emotional relationships;

Voluntary regulation of cognitive processes and human states;

Formation of a person’s internal plan;

Planning and programming of human activities.

The human imagination is multifunctional. Among its most important functions, some scientists highlight: Gamezo M.V., Domashenko I.A. Atlas of psychology: Information method. Manual for the course “Human Psychology”.

1) gnostic-heuristic - allows the imagination to find and express in images the most significant, significant aspects of reality;

2) protective - allows you to regulate the emotional state (satisfy needs, reduce tension, etc.);

3) communicative - involves communication either in the process of creating a product of imagination, or when evaluating the result;

4) prognostic - lies in the fact that the product of imagination is the goal towards which the subject strives.

Nemov noted that imagination includes the intellectual, emotional, and behavioral experience of the subject and is included in various types of his activities. Nemov R.S. Psychology. In 3 books. Book 2.

Forms of expression of imagination Borovik O.V. Development of imagination.

Construction of the image, means and final result of the activity.

Creating a behavior program in an uncertain situation.

Creation of images corresponding to the description of the object, etc.

There are 4 types of imagination:

Representations of what exists in reality, but which a person has not previously perceived;

Representations of the historical past;

Ideas of what will happen in the future and what never happened in reality.

Forms of synthesis of representations in imagination processes

Agglutination is a combination of qualities, properties, parts of objects that are not connected in reality;

Hyperbolization or emphasis - increasing or decreasing an object, changing the quality of its parts;

Sharpening - emphasizing any features of objects;

Schematization - smoothing out differences between objects and identifying similarities between them;

Typification is the selection of the essential, repeated in homogeneous phenomena and its embodiment in a specific image.

Mechanisms of imagination: Subbotina L.Yu. Children's fantasies: Developing children's imagination.

Dissociation - cutting a complex whole into parts;

Association is the union of dissociated elements.

There are different classifications of types of imagination:

Types of imagination according to L.S. Vygotsky: Vygotsky L.S. Pedagogical psychology.

Active

Reproductive

Passive

Productive

Types of imagination according to O. Borovik: Borovik O.V. Development of imagination.

Active (or also called voluntary) - imagination is controlled by the efforts of the will. Images of passive imagination arise spontaneously, in addition to a person’s desire.

Recreating imagination is the idea of something new for a given person, based on a verbal description or conventional image of this new thing. Creative - imagination that gives new, original, images created for the first time. The source of creativity is the social need for a particular new product. It determines the emergence of a creative idea, a creative plan, which leads to the emergence of a new one.

Fantasy is a type of imagination that produces images that have little correspondence with reality. However, fantasy images are never completely divorced from reality. It has been noticed that if any product of fantasy is decomposed into its constituent elements, then among them it will be difficult to find something that does not really exist. Daydreaming is a fantasy associated with a desire, most often a somewhat idealized future. A dream differs from a daydream in that it is more realistic and more closely related to reality. Dreams are passive and involuntary forms of imagination in which many vital human needs are expressed. Hallucinations are fantastic visions, usually the result of mental disorders or painful conditions.

Types of imagination according to V.A. Morozov Morozov A.V. Business psychology. :

1. Involuntary (or passive), that is, images arise spontaneously, in addition to the will and desire of a person, without a predetermined goal, by themselves (for example, dreams).

Failure to satisfy a material or spiritual need can involuntarily evoke in the mind a vivid image of a situation in which this need could be satisfied. Feelings and emotional states that arise in a given environment can also cause the appearance of images of involuntary imagination.

2. Voluntary (or active) - using it, a person, of his own free will, by an effort of will, evokes appropriate images in himself, forces his imagination to work in order to solve his problems.

Voluntary imagination is associated with the activity of the second signaling system, with its ability to regulate the functions of the first signaling system, which underlies, first of all, the figurative reflection of reality. The main forms of voluntary imagination are:

a) recreating - the process of creating images based on personal experience, perception of speech, text, drawing, map, diagram, etc.;

b) creative - a more complex process - this is the independent creation of images of objects that do not yet exist in reality. Thanks to creative imagination, new, original images are born in various areas of life.

3. A dream is a unique type of imagination - it is a representation of the desired future. It can be useful and harmful. A dream, if it is not connected with life, relaxes the will, reduces a person’s activity, and slows down his development. It's empty. Such dreams are called daydreams.

Having characterized imagination as a mental process, it is necessary to highlight the features of its development in primary school age. There are conditions that contribute to finding a creative solution: observation, ease of combination, sensitivity to the manifestation of problems.

1.2 Development of imagination in ontogenesis

The ability to imagine is not given at birth. Imagination develops with the accumulation of practical experience, acquisition of knowledge, and improvement of all mental functions. In modern psychology, there is a large number of studies devoted to the development of imagination in ontogenesis. The main subject of study was the age periods of development and the types of activities in which it developed. There are the following stages of imagination development:

The first stage (from 0 to 3 years) - the prerequisites for imagination are ideas that appear in the second year of life. A child aged about one and a half years recognizes what is shown in the picture. Imagination helps to perceive a pictorial sign. It completes what does not quite correspond to the idea in memory. When recognizing, the child does not create anything new. Therefore, imagination acts as a passive process. It exists within other mental processes; its foundation is laid in them. The first manifestations of imagination are evidenced by the child’s ability to act in an imaginary situation with imaginary objects. The first imitative games that appear in the second year of life do not yet contain elements of imagination. One of the reasons for the emergence of imagination is the psychological distance between a child and an adult, a child and the object of his desire. The child perceives the main actions of an adult, but reflects them in a generalized and conditional manner, conveying only their meaning and the external drawing of Kataeva L.I. Studying the cognitive processes of preschool children. .

The development of the initial forms of imagination in a young child is associated with the generality of play actions and play objects, as well as with the fact that the repertoire of play actions firmly includes substitutions by V.T. Kudryavtsev. Child's imagination: nature and development. .

According to V.A. Skorobogatova and L.I. Konovalova’s baby does not immediately respond to the substitution offered by the adult, but plays only with real toys. The turning point occurs when the child refuses to use any substitution offered by adults. The most important factor that makes it possible to transfer meaning to other objects is the appearance of speech forms. Mastering speech leads to the first independent substitutions appearing in play. A new way of working with substitute objects is emerging - the full use of substitutions. The choice of substitute objects becomes conscious and is accompanied by detailed statements. Thus, creative elements arise in the play activities of young children. Against the backdrop of interest in a new type of activity, the child quickly begins to deviate from the patterns of action set by adults and introduces his own nuances into them. But imagination is reproductive.

The second stage (then 3 to 4 years) - the formation of verbal forms of imagination occurs. In the third year of life, the need for play activity becomes an independent need of the child, although it requires the support and encouragement of an adult. The main support of the game is a detailed orientation in the subject side of human activity. This orientation begins with imitation of the actions of an adult and develops along the path of independent creative construction of images of action with objects, still based on real objects. Consequently, indicators of the development of imagination in the game are: variety of plots, action in an imaginary situation, independent choice of a substitute object, flexibility in changing the functions and names of objects, originality of substitution of game actions, criticality of the partner’s substitutions.

Affective imagination appears, associated with the child’s awareness of his “I” and separation of himself from other people. Imagination is already becoming an independent process.

The third stage (from 4 to 5 years) - at this age, creative manifestations in activities increase, primarily in play, manual labor, storytelling and retelling. Dreams about the future appear. They are situational, often unstable, caused by events that caused an emotional response in the child. Imagination turns into a special intellectual activity aimed at transforming the surrounding world. The support for creating an image is not only a real object, but also ideas expressed in words. Imagination remains largely involuntary. The child does not yet know how to direct the activity of the imagination, but he can already imagine the state of another person. The reconstructed images are differentiated, meaningful and emotional. Kataeva L.I. Studying the cognitive processes of preschool children.

The fourth stage (from 6 to 7 years) - at this age the imagination is active. External support suggests a plan, and the child arbitrarily plans its implementation and selects the necessary means. There is an increase in the productivity of imagination, this is manifested in the development of the ability to create a plan and plan its achievement. Recreated images appear in various situations, characterized by content and specificity. The child develops the ability to act figuratively, an internalized imagination arises, that is, it moves to the internal plane, the need for visual support for creating images disappears. Elements of creativity appear. At preschool age, the child develops a special internal position, and imagination already becomes an independent process. Taking into account the fact that imagination develops in different types of activities, the most productive in childhood are playing and drawing.

The fifth stage (from 7 to 11 years) is a qualitatively new stage in the development of imagination in children. This is facilitated by a significant expansion of the volume of knowledge that a student receives in the learning process, the systematic mastery of various skills and abilities that enrich and at the same time clarify, concretize the images of the imagination, and determine their productivity. “Children of primary school age are not without imagination, which is at odds with reality. Which is even more typical for middle school students (cases of children’s lies, etc.).

Realism of the imagination involves the creation of images that do not contradict reality, but are not necessarily a direct reproduction of everything perceived in life. The imagination of a primary school student is also characterized by another feature - the presence of elements of reproduction, simple reproduction. This feature of imagination is expressed in the fact that in their games children repeat those actions and positions that they observed in adults. They act out stories that they experienced, saw in films, reproducing the life of school, family, etc. However, with age, the elements of reproduction become fewer and more and more creative processing of ideas appears.

At primary school age, verbal and mental imagination begins to develop, which constitutes, as it were, a new stage in the development of imagination. With developing verbal-mental imagination, reliance on an object and even an action, if it takes place, is secondary, tertiary. Rogov E.I. Handbook for a practical psychologist.

The sixth stage (from 12 to 17 years) - further development of students’ imagination is carried out not only in the classroom, but also in the process of creative activities in school clubs, electives, and so on. At the stage of a student’s creative activity, he needs to be supported and encouraged. The friendly attitude of adults towards the child’s creative activities and the results of his creativity will serve as an incentive for further intensification of creative activity.

The stages of development of imagination as an indirect function described here represent only the possibilities of each age, which are realized in natural conditions by a minority of children. Without specific guidance, the development of imagination may have an unfavorable prognosis. Affective imagination without sufficient, usually spontaneously emerging, recovery from trauma can lead to pathological experiences (obsessive fears, anxiety) or lead the child to complete autism, to the creation of a substitute imaginary life, rather than real creative products. The culture of emotional life (the ability to empathize, sympathize), as well as the mastery of various other elements of culture, are only necessary conditions for the full development of human imagination.

Conclusion: thus, imagination is a special form of the human psyche, thanks to which a person creates, intelligently plans his activities and manages them.

The initial forms of imagination first appear at an early age in connection with the emergence of plot-role-playing games and the development of the sign-symbolic function of consciousness. Further development of imagination occurs in three directions. Firstly, in terms of expanding the range of replaced items and improving the replacement operation itself. Secondly, in terms of improving the operations of the recreating imagination. Thirdly, creative imagination develops. The development of imagination is influenced by all types of activities, and especially drawing, playing, designing, and reading fiction. Subbotina L.Yu. Children's fantasies: Developing children's imagination.

1.3 Features of the creative imagination of children of primary school age

A child’s imagination is formed in play and is initially inseparable from the perception of objects and the performance of play actions with them. In children 6-7 years old, the imagination can already rely on objects that are not at all similar to those being replaced. Vygotsky L.S. Imagination and creativity in childhood.

Most children do not like very naturalistic toys, preferring symbolic, homemade ones that give room to imagination. Parents who love to give their children huge bears and dolls often unwittingly slow down their development. They deprive them of the joy of independent discovery in games. Children, as a rule, like small, expressionless toys - they are easier to adapt to different games. Large or “just like real” dolls and animals contribute little to the development of imagination. Children develop more intensively and get much more pleasure if the same stick plays the role of a gun, a horse, and many other functions in various games. Thus, in the book by L. Kassil “Conduit and Schwambrania” a vivid description of the attitude of children to toys is given: “The chiseled lacquered figurines presented unlimited possibilities for using them for the most diverse and tempting games... Both queens were especially convenient: the blonde and the brunette. Each queen could work for a Christmas tree, a cab driver, a Chinese pagoda, a flower pot on a stand, and a bishop.”

Gradually, the need for external support (even in a symbolic figure) disappears and interiorization occurs - a transition to playful action with an object that does not actually exist, to a playful transformation of the object, to giving it a new meaning and imagining actions with it in the mind, without real action. This is the origin of imagination as a special mental process. Vygotsky L.S. Imagination and creativity in childhood.

Children of primary school age have their own imagination. Primary school age is characterized by the activation, first, of the recreative imagination, and then of the creative one. The main line in its development is the subordination of the imagination to conscious intentions, i.e. it becomes arbitrary.

It should be noted here that for a long time in psychology there was an assumption according to which imagination is inherent in the child “initially” and is more productive in childhood, and with age it is subordinated to the intellect and fades away. However, L.S. Vygotsky shows the inconsistency of such positions. All images of the imagination, no matter how bizarre they may seem, are based on ideas and impressions received in real life. And therefore the experience of a child is poorer than the experience of an adult. And it can hardly be said that a child’s imagination is richer. It’s just that sometimes, without sufficient experience, a child explains in his own way what he encounters in life, and these explanations often seem unexpected and original. Vygotsky L.S. Imagination and creativity in childhood.

Primary school age is considered the most favorable and sensitive age for the development of creative imagination and fantasy. The games and conversations of children reflect the power of their imagination, one might even say, a riot of imagination. In their stories and conversations, reality and fantasy are often mixed, and images of the imagination can, by virtue of the law of emotional reality of the imagination, be experienced by children as completely real.

A feature of the imagination of younger schoolchildren, manifested in educational activities, is initially its reliance on perception (primary image), and not on representation (secondary image). For example, a teacher offers children a task in class that requires them to imagine a situation. It could be the following problem: “A barge was sailing along the Volga and was carrying... kg of watermelons in its holds. There was a rocking motion, and... kg of watermelons burst. How many watermelons are left? Of course, such tasks trigger the process of imagination, but they require special tools (real objects, graphic images, layouts, diagrams), otherwise the child finds it difficult to advance in voluntary actions of imagination. In order to understand what happened in the holds with the watermelons, it is useful to give a cross-sectional drawing of the barge.

According to L.F. Bertsfai, a productive imagination must have the following features in order for the child to painlessly enter the school learning environment:

with the help of imagination he must be capable of reproducing the principles of the structure and development of things;

have the ability to see the whole before its parts, i.e. the ability to create a holistic image of any object;

The child’s productive imagination is characterized by “over-situationalism,” i.e. the tendency to constantly go beyond given conditions, to set new goals (which is the basis of future ability and desire to learn, i.e. the basis of educational motivation);

mental experimentation with a thing and the ability to include the subject in new contexts, and, consequently, the ability to find a method or principle of action.

A child’s creativity is determined by two factors: Subbotina L.Yu. Children's fantasies: Developing children's imagination.

subjective (development of anatomical and physiological characteristics);

objective (impact of environmental phenomena).

The most vivid and free manifestation of the imagination of younger schoolchildren can be observed in play, in drawing, writing stories and fairy tales. In children's creativity, manifestations of imagination are diverse: some recreate real reality, others create new fantastic images and situations. When writing stories, children can borrow plots, stanzas of poems, and graphic images that they know, sometimes without noticing it at all. However, they often deliberately combine well-known plots, create new images, exaggerating certain aspects and qualities of their heroes.

The tireless work of imagination is an effective way for a child to learn and assimilate the world around him, an opportunity to go beyond personal practical experience, the most important psychological prerequisite for the development of a creative approach to the world.

2. Practical aspects of studying imagination in children of primary school age

2.1 Methods for studying imagination in primary schoolchildren

To assess the development of imagination in primary school age, diagnostic techniques are used: “Torrance circles”, “Two lines”, “Come up with a story”, “Unfinished drawing”, etc.

Methodology “Torrens Circles” Khudik V.A. Psychological diagnostics of child development: research methods.

For children from 5 years old

(Assessment of creative visual imagination abilities)

A variant of E. Torrance’s test may be a proposal to draw as many images as possible, using only circles or only triangles, etc. as their initial basis.

Children are offered a sheet of paper, A4 format, on which 25 circles are drawn, located on the sides of a 55 cm square. Test subjects need to complete each circle to complete the image. The test time is limited to 5 minutes.

1. Fluency (number of images created) - each drawing - 1 point.

2. Flexibility (number of categories (classes) of depicted objects used: nature, household items, science and technology, sports, decorative items (have no practical use), people, economics, universe) -- 1 point for each category.

Standards: For 8-year-old children, fluency in identifying groups of objects was 3.6 points; flexibility -14.6 points.

For 10-year-old children, fluency in identifying groups of objects was 4.3-4.6 points; flexibility -- 11.7 (boys), 14.3 (girls).

Methodology “Verbal Fantasy” (verbal imagination) Subbotina L.Yu. We learn by playing. Educational games for children 5-10 years old.

The child is asked to come up with a story (story, fairy tale) about any living creature (person, animal) or something else of the child’s choice and present it orally within 5 minutes. Up to one minute is allotted to come up with a theme or plot for a story (story, fairy tale), and after that the child begins the story.

During the story, the child’s imagination is assessed according to the following criteria:

speed of imagination processes;

unusualness, originality of imagination;

wealth of imagination;

depth and elaboration (detail) of images;

impressionability, emotionality of images.

For each of these characteristics, the story is scored from 0 to 2 points.

0 points are given when this feature is practically absent from the story. A story receives 1 point if this feature is present, but expressed relatively weakly. A story earns 2 points when the corresponding feature is not only present, but also expressed quite strongly.

If within one minute the child has not come up with a plot for the story, then the experimenter himself suggests some plot to him and 0 points are given for the speed of imagination. If the child himself came up with the plot of the story by the end of the allotted time (1 minute), then according to the speed of imagination he receives a score of 1 point. Finally, if the child managed to come up with the plot of the story very quickly, within the first 30 seconds, or if within one minute he came up with not one, but at least two different plots, then the child is given 2 points for the “speed of imagination processes.”

The unusualness and originality of imagination is assessed in the following way:

If a child simply retold what he once heard from someone or saw somewhere, then he receives 0 points for this criterion. If a child retells what is known, but at the same time brings something new into it, then the originality of his imagination is assessed at 1 point. If a child comes up with something that he could not see or hear somewhere before, then the originality of his imagination receives a score of 2 points.

The richness of a child’s imagination is also manifested in the variety of images he uses. When assessing this quality of imagination processes, the total number of different living beings, objects, situations and actions, various characteristics and signs attributed to all of this in the child’s story is recorded. If the total number named exceeds ten, then the child receives 2 points for the richness of imagination. If the total number of parts of the specified type is in the range from 6 to 9, then the child receives 1 point. If there are few signs in the story, but in general there are at least five, then the richness of the child’s imagination is assessed as 0 points.

The depth and elaboration of images is determined by how diverse the story is in presenting details and characteristics related to the image that plays a key role or occupies a central place in the story. Grades are also given here in a three-point system.

The child receives 0 points when the central object of the story is depicted very schematically.

1 point - if, when describing the central object, its detail is moderate.

2 points - if the main image of his story is described in sufficient detail, with many different details characterizing it.

The impressionability or emotionality of imaginary images is assessed by whether it arouses interest and emotion in the listener.

0 points - the images are uninteresting, banal, and do not make an impression on the listener.

1 point - the images of the story arouse some interest on the part of the listener and some emotional response, but this interest, along with the corresponding reaction, soon fades away.

2 points - the child used bright, very interesting images, the listener’s attention to which, once aroused, did not fade away, accompanied by emotional reactions such as surprise, admiration, fear, etc.

Thus, the maximum number of points that a child can receive for his imagination in this technique is 10, and the minimum is 0.

Methodology “Drawing” Vachkov I.V. Psychology of training work.

In this technique, the child is offered a standard sheet of paper and markers (at least 6 different colors). The child is given the task to come up with and draw a picture. 5 minutes are allotted for this.

The analysis of the picture and the assessment of the child’s fantasy in points was carried out in the same way as the analysis of oral creativity in the previous method, using the same parameters and using the same protocol.

Methodology “Sculpture”. Vachkov I.V. Psychology of training work.

The child is offered a set of plasticine and a task, using it, in 5 minutes, to make some kind of craft, sculpt it from plasticine.

The child’s fantasies are assessed using approximately the same parameters as in previous methods from 0 to 10 points.

0-1 point - during the 5 minutes allotted for work, the child was unable to come up with anything or do anything with his hands;

2-3 points - the child came up with and sculpted something very simple from plasticine, for example, a cube, a ball, a stick, a ring;

4-5 points - the child has made a relatively simple craft, which contains a small number of simple parts, no more than two or three;

6-7 points - the child came up with something unusual, but at the same time not distinguished by the richness of imagination;

8-9 points - the thing invented by the child is quite original, but not worked out in detail;

A child can receive 10 points only if the thing he has invented is quite original, worked out in detail, and has good artistic taste.

Methodology “Additional drawing of figures” Khudik V.A. Psychological diagnostics of child development: research methods.

Purpose: to study the originality of solving imagination problems.

Equipment: a set of twenty cards with figures drawn on them: outline images of parts of objects, for example, a trunk with one branch, a circle-head with two ears, etc., simple geometric figures (circle, square, triangle, etc. ), colored pencils, paper. Research procedure. The student needs to complete each of their figures so that they get a beautiful picture.

Processing and analysis of results. A quantitative assessment of the degree of originality is made by counting the number of images that were not repeated in the child and were not repeated in any of the children in the group. Those drawings in which different reference figures were transformed into the same element of the drawing are considered identical.

The calculated coefficient of originality is correlated with one of six types of solution to the imagination task. Null type. It is characterized by the fact that the child does not yet accept the task of constructing an imaginary image using a given element. He does not finish drawing it, but draws something of his own next to it (free imagination).

Type 1 - the child completes the drawing of the figure on the card so that an image of a separate object (tree) is obtained, but the image is contoured, schematic, and devoid of details.

Type 2 - a separate object is also depicted, but with various details.

Type 3 - when depicting a separate object, the child already includes it in some imaginary plot (not just a girl, but a girl doing exercises).

Type 4 - the child depicts several objects according to an imaginary plot (a girl walks with a dog).

Type 5 - a given figure is used in a qualitatively new way.

If in types 1-4 it acts as the main part of the picture that the child drew (the circle-head), now the figure is included as one of the secondary elements to create an image of the imagination (the triangle is no longer a roof, but the lead of a pencil with which the boy draws a picture) .

“As many names as possible” technique. Bityanova M.I. Workshop on psychological games with children and adolescents.

Children are offered various pictures that depict not individual characters, but pictures containing plots. They can depict people, animals, plants, etc. It is possible to use the works of famous artists to develop children's horizons. The child must carefully examine the picture and come up with as many names for it as possible.

Methodology “Derivation of consequences” Bityanova M.I. Workshop on psychological games with children and adolescents. (This game is used both in the development of creative imagination and verbal-logical thinking.) Children are asked a series of questions starting with the words “What will happen if...”. The child’s task is to give as complete and original answers to the questions as possible.

List of sample questions:

“What happens if it rains nonstop?”

“What would happen if all animals started speaking with human voices?”

“What would happen if all the mountains suddenly turned into sugar mountains?”

“What will happen if all the fairy-tale heroes come to life?”

“What would happen if people at a distance could read each other’s thoughts?”

“What happens if you grow wings?”

“What would happen if all the people on Earth became as light as feathers?” and etc.

Methodology "Wizards". Bityanova M.I. Workshop on psychological games with children and adolescents.

When assessing a task, when it is proposed to draw “wizards” on your own, turning one into good and the other into evil, the realism of the image (the degree of similarity to a given object) and its completeness are taken into account (are all the given objects depicted, are distinctive features used when depicting individual objects), its originality. It is necessary to evaluate each parameter and identify the level of development.

Evaluation of results.

The results of a child’s drawing are assessed using points based on the following parameters:

10 points - the child, within the allotted time, came up with and drew something original, unusual, clearly indicating an extraordinary imagination, a rich imagination. The images and details are carefully worked out. The images are used in an original and witty combination.

8-9 points - the child came up with and drew something quite original, imaginative, emotional and colorful, although the image is not completely new. The details of the picture are worked out well. The images of the figures are used in harmonious combination.

5-7 points - the child came up with something that, in general, is not new, but carries obvious elements of creative imagination. The details of the drawing images are worked out moderately. An interesting depiction of both figures, the distinctive points are clear.

3-4 points - the child drew something simple, unoriginal, the imagination is poorly visible and the details are not very well worked out. At least one required object is shown.

0-2 points - the child was able to draw only individual strokes and lines, or was unable to draw even one object.

Conclusions about the level of development:

10 points - very high.

8-9 points - high.

5-7 points - average.

3-4 points - low.

0-2 points - very low.

3. Formative stage.

The methods of assessing the development of imagination of a child of primary school age through his stories, drawings, and crafts were not chosen by chance. This choice corresponds to the three main types of thinking that a child of this age has: visual-effective, visual-figurative and verbal-logical. The child’s imagination is most fully manifested in the corresponding types of creative activity.

Having carried out the appropriate techniques and determined the level of development of imagination in children, we can distinguish 3 groups:

Group 1 - children whose imagination is poorly developed

Group 2 - children with an average level of imagination

Group 3 - children with a high level of imagination development.

Based on this, children will be offered games and exercises to develop their imagination. These exercises can be carried out and used both in the classroom and at home with parents.

For the experiment, you can take two classes, for example, 2 “a” and 2 “b”, in “a” and in “b” classes, conduct diagnostics to determine the level of imagination development. Calculate the results. In “b” class, leave everything as it is, and in “a” class, conduct games and exercises aimed at developing imagination for 2 months. At the end of the experiment, conduct a diagnostic test common to the two classes and determine how the exercises and games affected and whether changes occurred.

Getting started with exercises and games to develop imagination, we will define the principles for the development of creative thinking in primary schoolchildren:

1. Before starting to develop creative activity in children, they should develop the necessary speech and thinking skills for this.

2. New concepts should be introduced only in familiar content.

4. The focus should be on mastering the meaning of the concept, not the rules of grammar.

5. The child should be taught to look for a solution, taking into account, first of all, possible consequences, and not absolute merits.

6. Encourage children to express their own ideas about the problem being solved. Subbotina L.Yu. We learn by playing. Educational games for children 5-10 years old.

3. Formative stage

3.1 Exercises and games aimed at developing imagination in children of primary school age

Various games and exercises can be used to develop imagination. Without a developed ability to imagine, there can be no real creativity. It follows that imagination needs to be developed.

Exercise No. 1 “Fantastic image” L.Yu. Subbotina Subbotina L.Yu. We learn by playing. Educational games for children 5-10 years old.

Purpose: used to develop imagination and thinking.

Age: Available for all ages.

Stimulus material: cards with depicted elements.

Progress of the exercise:

The child is offered cards with images of individual elements. Instructions: “Your task is to build a fantastic image (creature, object) from these elements. Then describe what properties it has and how it can be used.

The more elements the created image includes, the more original it is, the more vividly the child’s imagination functions.

Exercise No. 2 “Unfinished stories” by L.Yu. Subbotina Subbotina L.Yu. We learn by playing. Educational games for children 5-10 years old.

Purpose: this exercise develops creative imagination.

Age: Available for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Stimulus material: text “Tricks of a Squirrel”

Time: 10-15 minutes.

Progress of the exercise:

Instructions: “Now I will read you a very interesting story, but it will not have an ending. You must complete the story you started. The story is called "The Tricks of a Squirrel."

Two girlfriends went into the forest and picked a full basket of nuts. They walk through the forest, and around the flowers they seem to be invisible.

“Let’s hang the basket on a tree and pick some flowers ourselves,” says one friend. " OK!" - the other one answers.

A basket is hanging on a tree, and girls are picking flowers. I looked out of the squirrel's hollow and saw a basket of nuts. Here he thinks..."

The child must not only complete the plot, but also take into account the title of the story.

Game No. 3 “Pantomime” L.Yu. Subbotina Subbotina L.Yu. We learn by playing. Educational games for children 5-10 years old.

Purpose: used to develop imagination.

Age: from 5 to 11 years.

Time: 10-15 minutes.

Progress of the game:

A group of children stands in a circle.

Instructions: “Children, now, in turn, each of you will go to the middle of the circle and, using pantomime, will show some action.

For example, he imagines picking imaginary pears from a tree and putting them in a basket. At the same time, we can’t speak, we depict everything only with movements.”

The winners are determined by those children who most accurately depicted the pantomime picture.

Game No. 4 “Inner cartoon” M.I. Bityanova Bityanova M.I. Workshop on psychological games with children and adolescents.

Stimulus material: text of the story.

Time: 10 minutes.

Progress of the game:

Instructions: “Now I’ll tell you a story, listen carefully and imagine that you are watching a cartoon. When I stop, you continue the story. Then you stop and I will continue again. Summer. Morning. We're at the dacha. We left the house and went to the river. The sun is shining brightly, a pleasant light breeze is blowing"

Game No. 5 “Draw the mood” M.I. Bityanova Bityanova M.I. Workshop on psychological games with children and adolescents.

Purpose: used to develop creative imagination.

Stimulus material: album sheet, watercolor paints, brushes.

Time: 20 minutes.

Progress:

Instructions: “You have paper and paints in front of you, draw your mood. Think about how sad it is, or how cheerful it is, or maybe something else? Draw it on paper in any way you want."

Game No. 6 “Reverse Fairy Tale” I.V. Vachkov Vachkov I.V. Psychology of training work. M.

Purpose: used to develop creative imagination.

Age: Used for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Stimulus material: heroes of your favorite fairy tales.

Time: 10-15 minutes.

Progress:

Instructions: “Remember what is your favorite fairy tale? Tell it so that everything in it is “the other way around.” The good hero became evil, and the evil one became good-natured. The little one turned into a giant, and the giant into a dwarf.”

Game No. 7 “Connect the sentences” I.V. Vachkov Vachkov I.V. Psychology of training work. M.

Age: Used for children from 5 to 11 years old.

Stimulus material: unfinished sentences.

Time: 15-20 minutes.

Progress:

The child is alternately offered three tasks in which he must combine two sentences into a coherent story.

Instructions: “Listen to two sentences, they need to be combined into a story. “Far away on the island there was a volcanic eruption...” - “... so today our cat was left hungry.”

“A truck drove down the street...” - “...that’s why Santa Claus had a green beard.”

“Mom bought fish in the store...” - “... so I had to light candles in the evening.”

Game No. 8 “Transformations” I.V. Vachkov Vachkov I.V. Psychology of training work. M

Purpose: used to develop reconstructive imagination.

Age: Used for children from 5 to 13 years old.

Stimulus material: game images.

Time: 10-15 minutes.

Progress:

Children are invited to depict playful images in motion.

Instructions: “Imagine that you have turned into a tiger sneaking through the jungle. Picture it in motion." After completing the task, the following is given: “robot”, “eagle”, “queen”, “boiling pan”.

Enough methods and techniques have been developed to study imagination. For each age, a certain set of psychological and diagnostic techniques is used. To study the imagination of children of primary school age, you can use such techniques as: “Completing the drawing of figures”, “Deriving consequences”, “As many names as possible”, etc.

Imagination can be developed using specially selected exercises and games: “Pantomime”, “Unfinished Stories”, “Fantastic Image” by L.Yu. Subbotina; “Inner cartoon”, “Draw the mood”, “What does it look like?” M.I. Bityanova; “Fairy tales in reverse”, “Connect the sentences” by I.V. Vachkova.

Conclusion

Based on the results of the study, the following conclusions can be drawn. Imagination is the main driving force of a person’s creative process and plays a huge role in his entire life, since all human life activities are connected with creativity, from cooking to creating literary works or invention. Imagination significantly expands and deepens the process of cognition. It plays a huge role in transforming the objective world.

As a result of the work, the goal of the study was achieved - we studied imagination as a psychological process. They noted that imagination is a special form of the human psyche, thanks to which a person creates, intelligently plans and manages his activities. Based on the study of psychological literature, the following types of imagination were characterized:

1) voluntary and involuntary;

2) recreative and creative;

3) dreams and fantasies.

We investigated the functions performed by the imagination:

1) gnostic-heuristic;

2) protective;

3) communicative;

4) prognostic.

It was noted that the activity of imagination is carried out using certain mechanisms: combination, emphasis, agglutination, hyperbolization, schematization, reconstruction.

We studied the stages of imagination development from early childhood to high school age. Conducted studies on the development of imagination have revealed the dependence of imagination on accumulated experience, impressions received, as well as games and exercises.

We selected psychological methods for diagnosing the level of imagination development (using the example of primary school age), using the developments of E.P. Torrensa, L.Yu. Subbotina, R.S. Nemova.

We described exercises and games that help develop the imagination of children of primary school age. Authors of games and exercises: I.V. Vachkov, M.I. Bityanova, L.Yu. Subbotina.

Thus, the goal of the work has been achieved, the problems have been solved.

Bibliography

imagination learning ability schoolboy

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Coursework on the topic:

“Features of the imagination of younger schoolchildren”

Introduction

Chapter I Theoretical foundations of the characteristics of the imagination of younger schoolchildren

1.1 Imagination as the highest mental function

1.2 Psychological characteristics of younger schoolchildren

1.3 Features of the imagination of younger schoolchildren

Chapter II Practical experimental work to identify the characteristics of the imagination of primary schoolchildren

2.1 Diagnostic program for studying the characteristics of the imagination of younger schoolchildren

2.2 Analysis of the results of a study of the characteristics of imagination in primary school age

2.3 Program for developing imagination in younger schoolchildren

Conclusion

Bibliography

Application

Introduction

The relevance of this course work lies in the fact that research on the problem of studying the characteristics of the development of creative abilities, in particular imagination, in children of primary school age lies in the fact that in modern sociocultural conditions, when there is a process of continuous reform, a fundamental change in all social institutions, skills thinking outside the box, creatively solving assigned problems, and designing the expected end result acquire special significance.

A creatively thinking person is able to solve the tasks assigned to him faster and more economically, overcome difficulties more effectively, set new goals, provide himself with greater freedom of choice and action, that is, ultimately, organize his activities most effectively in solving the problems set before him by society. It is a creative approach to business that is one of the conditions for nurturing an active life position of an individual.

The prerequisites for further creative development and personal self-development are laid in childhood. In this regard, increased demands are placed on the initial stages of development of a child’s personality, especially the primary school stage, which largely determines its further development.

Problems of creativity and imagination have been widely developed in Russian psychology. Currently, researchers are searching for an integral indicator that characterizes a creative personality. Psychologists such as B.M. made a great contribution to the development of problems of abilities and creative thinking. Teplov, S.L. Rubinstein, B.G. Ananyev, N.S. Leites, V.A. Krutetsky, A.G. Kovalev, K.K. Platonov, A.M. Matyushkin, V.D. Shadrikov, Yu.D. Babaeva, V.N. Druzhinin, I.I. Ilyasov, V.I. Panov, I.V. Kalish, M.A. Kholodnaya, N.B. Shumakova, V.S. Yurkevich and others.

An object research - imagination as the highest mental function.

Item research - features of the imagination of children of primary school age.

Target research - to identify the characteristics of the imagination of children of primary school age and propose a program for the development of imagination at this age.

Hypothesis: We assume that primary school students have specific characteristics of imagination: in each child, the reproductive imagination will prevail over the productive one.

Tasks:

Conduct an analytical review of the literature on the research topic,

Expand the concept of imagination and study the patterns of its development,

To draw up and implement a diagnostic program to study the characteristics of the imagination of primary schoolchildren,

To analyze the results of a study of the characteristics of the imagination of primary schoolchildren,

Develop a program to develop the imagination of younger schoolchildren.

Research methods:

Theoretical methods: analysis of scientific literature on the problem. Empirical methods: observation, testing, analysis of products of activity (creativity). Data processing method: qualitative and quantitative analysis of research results. Presentation of research results: figures, tables.

Research base. School No. 52 in Tula (Zarechensky district, Oktyabrskaya str., 199), 2nd grade students, 14 people.

diagnosis imagination feature child

ChapterI. Theoretical foundations of the characteristics of the imagination of younger schoolchildren

1.1 Imagination as the highest mental function

The experimental study of imagination has become a subject of interest for Western psychologists since the 50s. The function of imagination - constructing and creating images - has been recognized as the most important human ability. Its role in the creative process was equated with the role of knowledge and judgment. In the 50s, J. Guilford and his followers developed the theory of creative intelligence.

Defining imagination and identifying the specifics of its development is one of the most difficult problems in psychology. According to A.Ya. Dudetsky (1974), there are about 40 different definitions of imagination, but the question of its essence and difference from other mental processes is still debatable. So, A.V. Brushlinsky (1969) rightly notes the difficulties in defining imagination and the vagueness of the boundaries of this concept. He believes that “Traditional definitions of imagination as the ability to create new images actually reduce this process to creative thinking, to operating with ideas, and conclude that this concept is generally redundant - at least in modern science.”

S.L. Rubinstein emphasized: “Imagination is a special form of the psyche that only a person can have. It is continuously connected with the human ability to change the world, transform reality and create new things.”

Possessing a rich imagination, a person can live in different times, which no other living creature in the world can afford. The past is recorded in memory images, and the future is represented in dreams and fantasies. S.L. Rubinstein writes: “Imagination is a departure from past experience, it is the transformation of what is given and the generation of new images on this basis.”

L.S. Vygotsky believes that “Imagination does not repeat impressions that were accumulated before, but builds some new series of previously accumulated impressions. Thus, introducing something new into our impressions and changing these impressions so that as a result a new, previously non-existent image appears , forms the basis of that activity which we call imagination."

Imagination is a special form of the human psyche, standing apart from other mental processes and at the same time occupying an intermediate position between perception, thinking and memory. The specificity of this form of mental process is that imagination is probably characteristic only of humans and is strangely connected with the activities of the body, being at the same time the most “mental” of all mental processes and states.

In the textbook "General Psychology" A.G. Maklakov provides the following definition of imagination: “Imagination is the process of transforming ideas that reflect reality, and creating new ideas on this basis.

In the textbook "General Psychology" V.M. Kozubovsky contains the following definition. Imagination is the mental process of a person creating in his mind an image of an object (object, phenomenon) that does not exist in real life. The product of imagination can be:

The image of the final result of real objective activity;

a picture of one’s own behavior in conditions of complete information uncertainty;

an image of a situation that resolves problems that are relevant to a given person, the real overcoming of which is not possible in the near future.

Imagination is included in the cognitive activity of the subject, which necessarily has its own object. A.N. Leontyev wrote that “The object of activity appears in two ways: primarily - in its independent existence, as subordinating and transforming the activity of the subject, secondly - as an image of the object, as a product of the mental reflection of its properties, which is realized as a result of the activity of the subject and cannot be realized otherwise.” . .

The identification of certain properties in an object that are necessary for solving a problem determines such a characteristic of the image as its bias, i.e. the dependence of perception, ideas, thinking on what a person needs - on his needs, motives, attitudes, emotions. “It is very important to emphasize that such “bias” is itself objectively determined and is not expressed in the adequacy of the image (although it can be expressed in it), but that it allows one to actively penetrate into reality.”

The combination in the imagination of the subject contents of the images of two objects is associated, as a rule, with a change in the forms of representation of reality. Starting from the properties of reality, the imagination cognizes them, reveals their essential characteristics by transferring them to other objects, which record the work of the productive imagination. This is expressed in metaphor and symbolism that characterize the imagination.

According to E.V. Ilyenkova, “The essence of imagination lies in the ability to “grasp” the whole before the part, in the ability to build a complete image on the basis of a separate hint.” “A distinctive feature of the imagination is a kind of departure from reality, when a new image is built on the basis of a separate sign of reality, and not simply reconstructed existing ideas, which is characteristic of the functioning of the internal plan of action.”

Imagination is a necessary element of human creative activity, which is expressed in the construction of an image of the products of labor, and ensures the creation of a program of behavior in cases where the problem situation is also characterized by uncertainty. Depending on the various circumstances that characterize a problem situation, the same problem can be solved both with the help of imagination and with the help of thinking.

From this we can conclude that the imagination works at that stage of cognition when the uncertainty of the situation is very great. Fantasy allows you to “jump” over certain stages of thinking and still imagine the end result.

Imagination processes are analytical-synthetic in nature. Its main tendency is the transformation of ideas (images), which ultimately ensures the creation of a model of a situation that is obviously new and has not previously arisen. When analyzing the mechanism of imagination, it is necessary to emphasize that its essence is the process of transforming ideas, creating new images based on existing ones. Imagination, fantasy is a reflection of reality in new, unexpected, unusual combinations and connections.

So, imagination in psychology is considered as one of the forms of reflective activity of consciousness. Since all cognitive processes are reflective in nature, it is necessary, first of all, to determine the qualitative originality and specificity inherent in the imagination.

Imagination and thinking are intertwined in such a way that it can be difficult to separate them; both of these processes are involved in any creative activity; creativity is always subordinated to the creation of something new, unknown. Operating with existing knowledge in the process of fantasy presupposes its mandatory inclusion in systems of new relationships, as a result of which new knowledge can arise. From here we can see: “... the circle closes... Cognition (thinking) stimulates the imagination (creating a model of transformation), which (the model) is then checked and refined by thinking" - writes A.D. Dudetsky.

According to L.D. Stolyarenko, several types of imagination can be distinguished, the main ones being passive and active. Passive, in turn, is divided into voluntary (daydreaming, daydreaming) and involuntary (hypnotic state, fantasy in dreams). Active imagination includes artistic, creative, critical, recreative and anticipatory.

Imagination can be of four main types:

Active imagination is a sign of a creative type of personality, which constantly tests its internal capabilities, its knowledge is not static, but is continuously recombined, leading to new results, giving the individual emotional reinforcement for new searches, the creation of new material and spiritual values. Her mental activity is supraconscious and intuitive.

Passive imagination lies in the fact that its images arise spontaneously, regardless of the will and desire of a person. Passive imagination can be unintentional or intentional. Unintentional passive imagination occurs with weakening of consciousness, psychosis, disorganization of mental activity, in a semi-drowsy and sleepy state. With deliberate passive imagination, a person arbitrarily forms images of escape from reality-dreams.

The unreal world created by a person is an attempt to replace unfulfilled hopes, make up for bereavements, and alleviate mental trauma. This type of imagination indicates a deep intrapersonal conflict.

Reproductive imagination aims to reproduce reality as it is, and although there is also an element of fantasy, such imagination is more like perception or memory than creativity. Thus, the direction in art called naturalism, as well as partly realism, can be correlated with the reproductive imagination.

Productive imagination is distinguished by the fact that in it reality is consciously constructed by a person, and not simply mechanically copied or recreated, although at the same time it is still creatively transformed in the image.

Imagination has a subjective side associated with the individual personal characteristics of a person (in particular, with his dominant cerebral hemisphere, type of nervous system, characteristics of thinking, etc.). In this regard, people differ in:

brightness of images (from the phenomena of a clear “vision” of images to the poverty of ideas);

by the depth of processing of images of reality in the imagination (from complete unrecognizability of the imaginary image to primitive differences from the real original);

by the type of dominant channel of imagination (for example, by the predominance of auditory or visual images of the imagination).

1.2 Psychologicalcharacteristics of younger schoolchildren

Junior school age (from 6-7 to 9-10 years) is determined by an important external circumstance in the child’s life - entering school.

A child who enters school automatically takes a completely new place in the system of human relations: he has permanent responsibilities associated with educational activities. Close adults, a teacher, even strangers communicate with the child not only as a unique person, but also as a person who has taken upon himself the obligation (whether voluntarily or under compulsion) to study, like all children of his age. The new social situation of development introduces the child into a strictly standardized world of relationships and requires from him organized arbitrariness, responsible for discipline, for the development of performing actions associated with acquiring skills in educational activities, as well as for mental development. Thus, the new social situation of schooling tightens the child’s living conditions and acts as a stressful one for him. Every child who enters school experiences increased mental tension. This affects not only physical health, but also the child’s behavior [Davydov 13., 1973].

Before school, the child’s individual characteristics could not interfere with his natural development, since these characteristics were accepted and taken into account by loved ones. At school, the child's living conditions are standardized. The child will have to overcome the trials that have befallen him. In most cases, the child adapts himself to standard conditions. The leading activity is educational. In addition to mastering special mental actions and actions related to writing, reading, drawing, labor, etc., the child, under the guidance of a teacher, begins to master the content of the basic forms of human consciousness (science, art, morality, etc.) and learns to act in accordance with traditions and new ones. people's social expectations.

According to the theory of L.S. Vygotsky, school age, like all ages, opens with a critical, or turning point, period, which was described in the literature earlier than others as the crisis of seven years. It has long been noted that a child, during the transition from preschool to school age, changes very dramatically and becomes more difficult in educational terms than before. This is some kind of transitional stage - no longer a preschooler and not yet a schoolchild [Vygotsky L.S., 1998; p.5].

Recently, a number of studies have appeared on this age. The results of the study can be schematically expressed as follows: a 7-year-old child is distinguished, first of all, by the loss of childish spontaneity. The immediate cause of children's spontaneity is insufficient differentiation of internal and external life. The child’s experiences, his desires and expression of desires, i.e. behavior and activity usually represent an insufficiently differentiated whole in a preschooler. The most significant feature of the seven-year-old crisis is usually called the beginning of differentiation between the internal and external aspects of the child’s personality.

The loss of spontaneity means the introduction of an intellectual moment into our actions, which wedges itself between experience and direct action, which is the direct opposite of the naive and direct action characteristic of a child. This does not mean that the crisis of seven years leads from immediate, naive, undifferentiated experience to the extreme pole, but, indeed, in each experience, in each of its manifestations, a certain intellectual moment arises.

At the age of 7, we are dealing with the beginning of the emergence of such a structure of experience, when the child begins to understand what it means “I am happy”, “I am sad”, “I am angry”, “I am kind”, “I am evil”, i.e. . he develops a meaningful orientation in his own experiences. Just as a 3-year-old child discovers his relationship with other people, so a 7-year-old child discovers the very fact of his experiences. Thanks to this, some features appear that characterize the crisis of seven years.

Experiences acquire meaning (an angry child understands that he is angry), thanks to this the child develops such new relationships with himself that were impossible before the generalization of experiences. Just like on a chessboard, when with each move completely new connections arise between the pieces, so here completely new connections arise between experiences when they acquire a certain meaning. Consequently, by the age of 7, the entire nature of a child’s experiences is rebuilt, just as a chessboard is rebuilt when a child learns to play chess.

By the seven-year crisis, generalization of experiences, or affective generalization, the logic of feelings, first appears. There are deeply retarded children who experience failure at every step: normal children play, an abnormal child tries to join them, but is rejected, he walks down the street and is laughed at. In short, he loses at every turn. In each individual case, he has a reaction to his own insufficiency, and a minute later you look - he is completely satisfied with himself. There are thousands of individual failures, but there is no general feeling of one’s worthlessness; he does not generalize what has happened many times before. In a school-age child, a generalization of feelings arises, i.e., if some situation has happened to him many times, he develops an affective formation, the nature of which also relates to a single experience, or affect, as the concept relates to a single perception or memory . For example, a preschool child has no real self-esteem or pride. The level of our demands on ourselves, on our success, on our position arises precisely in connection with the crisis of seven years.

A child of preschool age loves himself, but self-love as a generalized attitude towards himself, which remains the same in different situations, but a child of this age does not have self-esteem as such, but generalized attitudes towards others and an understanding of his own value. Consequently, by the age of 7, a number of complex formations arise, which lead to the fact that behavioral difficulties change sharply and radically; they are fundamentally different from the difficulties of preschool age.

Such new formations as pride and self-esteem remain, but the symptoms of the crisis (mannering, antics) are transient. In the crisis of seven years, due to the fact that differentiation of internal and external arises, that semantic experience arises for the first time, an acute struggle of experiences also arises. A child who does not know which candy to take - bigger or sweeter - is not in a state of internal struggle, although he hesitates. Internal struggle (contradictions of experiences and choice of one’s own experiences) becomes possible only now [Davydov V., 1973].

A characteristic feature of primary school age is emotional sensitivity, responsiveness to everything bright, unusual, and colorful. Monotonous, boring classes sharply reduce cognitive interest at this age and give rise to a negative attitude towards learning. Entering school makes major changes in a child's life. A new period begins with new responsibilities, with systematic teaching activities. The child’s life position has changed, which brings changes to the nature of his relationships with others. New circumstances in the life of a small schoolchild become the basis for experiences that he did not have before.

Self-esteem, high or low, gives rise to a certain emotional well-being, causes self-confidence or lack of faith in one’s strengths, a feeling of anxiety, a feeling of superiority over others, a state of sadness, and sometimes envy. Self-esteem can be not only high or low, but also adequate (corresponding to the true state of affairs) or inadequate. In the course of solving life problems (educational, everyday, gaming), under the influence of achievements and failures in the activities performed, a student may experience inadequate self-esteem - increased or decreased. It causes not only a certain emotional reaction, but often a long-term negative emotional state.

While communicating, the child simultaneously reflects in his mind the qualities and properties of his communication partner, and also gets to know himself. However, now in pedagogical and social psychology the methodological foundations for the process of forming younger schoolchildren as subjects of communication have not been developed. By this age, the basic block of psychological problems of the individual is structured and the mechanism of development of the subject of communication changes from imitative to reflective [Lioznova E.V., 2002].

An important prerequisite for the development of a junior schoolchild as a subject of communication is the emergence in him, along with business communication, of a new non-situational-personal form of communication. According to research by M.I. Lisina, this form begins to develop from the age of 6. The subject of such communication is a person [Lisina M.I., 1978]. The child asks the adult about his feelings and emotional states, and also tries to tell him about his relationships with peers, demanding from the adult an emotional response and empathy for his interpersonal problems.

1.3 Peculiaritiesimagination of younger schoolchildren

The first images of a child’s imagination are associated with the processes of perception and his play activities. A one and a half year old child is not yet interested in listening to stories (fairy tales) of adults, since he still does not have the experience that gives rise to the processes of perception. At the same time, you can observe how, in the imagination of a playing child, a suitcase, for example, turns into a train, a silent doll, indifferent to everything that happens, into a crying little person offended by someone, a pillow into an affectionate friend. During the period of speech formation, the child uses his imagination even more actively in his games, because his life observations expand sharply. However, all this happens as if by itself, unintentionally.

From 3 to 5 years, arbitrary forms of imagination “grow up”. Images of imagination can appear either as a reaction to an external stimulus (for example, at the request of others), or initiated by the child himself, while imaginary situations are often purposeful in nature, with an ultimate goal and a pre-thought-out scenario.

The school period is characterized by rapid development of imagination, due to the intensive process of acquiring diverse knowledge and its use in practice.

Individual characteristics of imagination are clearly manifested in the creative process. In this sphere of human activity, imagination about significance is placed on a par with thinking. It is important that for the development of imagination it is necessary to create conditions for a person in which freedom of action, independence, initiative, and looseness are manifested.

It has been proven that imagination is closely connected with other mental processes (memory, thinking, attention, perception) that serve educational activities. Thus, by not paying enough attention to the development of imagination, primary teachers reduce the quality of teaching.

In general, younger schoolchildren usually do not have any problems associated with the development of children's imagination, so almost all children who play a lot and variedly in preschool childhood have a well-developed and rich imagination. The main questions that in this area may still arise before the child and the teacher at the beginning of education concern the connection between imagination and attention, the ability to regulate figurative representations through voluntary attention, as well as the assimilation of abstract concepts that a child, like an adult, can imagine and imagine. hard enough.

Senior preschool and junior school age qualify as the most favorable and sensitive for the development of creative imagination and fantasy. The games and conversations of children reflect the power of their imagination, one might even say, a riot of imagination. In their stories and conversations, reality and fantasy are often mixed, and images of the imagination can, by virtue of the law of emotional reality of the imagination, be experienced by children as completely real. Their experience is so strong that the child feels the need to talk about it. Such fantasies (they also occur in adolescents) are often perceived by others as a lie. Parents and teachers often turn to psychological consultations, alarmed by such manifestations of fantasy in children, which they regard as deceit. In such cases, the psychologist usually recommends analyzing whether the child is pursuing any benefit with his story. If not (and most often this is the case), then we are dealing with fantasizing, inventing stories, and not with lies. Inventing stories like this is normal for children. In these cases, it is useful for adults to get involved in the children’s play, to show that they like these stories, but precisely as manifestations of fantasy, a kind of game. By participating in such a game, sympathizing and empathizing with the child, the adult must clearly indicate and show him the line between game, fantasy and reality.

At primary school age, in addition, the active development of the recreating imagination occurs.

In children of primary school age, several types of imagination are distinguished. It can be reconstructive (creating an image of an object according to its description) and creative (creating new images that require the selection of material in accordance with the plan).

The main trend emerging in the development of children's imagination is the transition to an increasingly correct and complete reflection of reality, the transition from a simple arbitrary combination of ideas to a logically reasoned combination. If a 3-4 year old child is content to depict an airplane with two sticks placed crosswise, then at 7-8 years old he already needs an external resemblance to an airplane (“so that there are wings and a propeller”). A schoolchild at the age of 11-12 often constructs a model himself and demands that it be even more similar to a real plane (“so that it looks and flies just like a real one”).

The question of the realism of children's imagination is connected with the question of the relationship of the images that arise in children to reality. The realism of a child’s imagination is manifested in all forms of activity available to him: in play, in visual activities, when listening to fairy tales, etc. In play, for example, a child’s demands for verisimilitude in a play situation increase with age.

Observations show that the child strives to depict well-known events truthfully, as happens in life. In many cases, changes in reality are caused by ignorance, the inability to coherently and consistently depict life events. The realism of the imagination of a junior schoolchild is especially clearly manifested in the selection of game attributes. For a younger preschooler, everything can be everything in the game. Older preschoolers are already selecting material for play based on the principles of external similarity.

The younger schoolchild also makes a strict selection of material suitable for the game. This selection is made according to the principle of maximum proximity, from the child’s point of view, of this material to real objects, according to the principle of the ability to perform real actions with it.

The obligatory and main character of the game for schoolchildren in grades 1-2 is a doll. You can perform any necessary “real” actions with it. You can feed her, dress her, you can express your feelings to her. It’s even better to use a live kitten for this purpose, since you can really feed it, put it to bed, etc.

Amendments to the situation and images made by children of primary school age during the game give the game and the images themselves imaginary features that bring them closer and closer to reality.

A.G. Ruzskaya notes that children of primary school age are not devoid of fantasy, which is at odds with reality, which is even more typical for schoolchildren (cases of children's lies, etc.). “Fantasizing of this kind still plays a significant role and occupies a certain place in the life of a junior schoolchild. But, nevertheless, it is no longer a simple continuation of the fantasy of a preschooler, who himself believes in his fantasy as in reality. A schoolchild of 9-10 years old already understands “conventionality” of one’s fantasy, its inconsistency with reality.”

Realism of the imagination involves the creation of images that do not contradict reality, but are not necessarily a direct reproduction of everything perceived in life.

The imagination of a primary school student is also characterized by another feature: the presence of elements of reproductive, simple reproduction. This feature of children's imagination is expressed in the fact that in their games, for example, they repeat those actions and positions that they observed in adults, they act out stories that they experienced, that they saw in the movies, reproducing without changes the life of school, family, etc. The theme of the game is the reproduction of impressions that took place in the lives of children; The storyline of the game is a reproduction of what was seen, experienced and necessarily in the same sequence in which it took place in life.

However, with age, the elements of reproductive, simple reproduction in the imagination of a younger schoolchild become less and less, and creative processing of ideas appears to an increasing extent.

According to research by L.S. Vygotsky, a child of preschool age and primary school can imagine much less than an adult, but he trusts the products of his imagination more and controls them less, and therefore imagination in the everyday, “cultural sense of the word, i.e. something like this what is real and imaginary, a child, of course, has more than an adult. However, not only the material from which the imagination is built is poorer in a child than in an adult, but also the nature of the combinations that are added to this material, their quality and the variety is significantly inferior to the combinations of an adult. Of all the forms of connection with reality that we listed above, the child’s imagination possesses, to the same extent as that of an adult, only the first, namely the reality of the elements from which it is built.

In the process of educational activity of schoolchildren, which begins in the elementary grades from living contemplation, a major role, as psychologists note, is played by the level of development of cognitive processes: attention, memory, perception, observation, imagination, memory, thinking. The development and improvement of imagination will be more effective with targeted work in this direction, which will entail an expansion of the cognitive capabilities of children.

At primary school age, for the first time, a division of play and labor occurs, that is, activities carried out for the sake of pleasure that the child will receive in the process of the activity itself and activities aimed at achieving an objectively significant and socially assessed result. This distinction between play and work, including educational work, is an important feature of school age.

Along with a decrease in a person’s ability to fantasize, the personality becomes impoverished, the possibilities of creative thinking decrease, interest in art, science, and so on fades away.

Younger schoolchildren carry out most of their active activities with the help of imagination. Their games are the fruit of wild imagination; they are enthusiastically engaged in creative activities. The psychological basis of the latter is also creative

imagination. When, in the process of studying, children are faced with the need to comprehend abstract material and they need analogies and support in the face of a general lack of life experience, the child’s imagination also comes to the aid. Thus, the importance of the imagination function in mental development is great.

Thus, one cannot but agree with the conclusions of psychologists and researchers that imagination is one of the most important mental processes and the success of mastering the school curriculum largely depends on the level of its development, especially in children of primary school age.

Chapter summary: So, we examined the concept of imagination, types and features of its development in primary school age. In this regard, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Defining imagination and identifying the specifics of its development is one of the most difficult problems in psychology.

Imagination is a special form of the human psyche, standing apart from other mental processes and at the same time occupying an intermediate position between perception, thinking and memory.

Imagination can be of four main types:

Active imagination is characterized by the fact that, using it, a person, of his own free will, by an effort of will, evokes in himself the appropriate images.

Passive imagination lies in the fact that its images arise spontaneously, regardless of the will and desire of a person. Passive imagination can be unintentional or intentional.

There is also a distinction between reproductive, or reproductive, and transformative, or productive, imagination.

Diagnostics of children of primary school age showed that the level of imagination development can be divided into three levels: high, medium and low.

ChapterII. Practical experimental work to identify the characteristics of the imagination of primary schoolchildren

2.1 Diagnostic programresearch into the characteristics of the imagination of younger schoolchildren

Purpose of the experimental study- in a practical way, identify the features of the development of the imagination of younger schoolchildren.

Junior schoolchildren - 2nd grade students of secondary school No. 52 in Tula - took part in the study. Number of participants - 14 people. Among them are 7 boys and 7 girls, aged from 7 to 9 years.

IN methods: observation, testing and analysis of children's creative activity products.

IN The study involved the following techniques.

Method No. 1.Methodology for studying the characteristics of imagination based on the Torrance “Incomplete Figures” test.

Target: diagnostics of imagination development in children.

This technique allows us to sufficiently fully study the features of children’s creative imagination and trace the specifics of this process. From the point of view of E. Torrance, the activity of creative imagination begins with the emergence of sensitivity to problems, shortcomings, missing elements, disharmony, etc., i.e. in conditions of shortage of external information. In this case, the figures to be completed and the corresponding instructions provoke the emergence of such sensitivity and create the opportunity for a multi-valued solution to the task. According to the terminology of E. Torrance, difficulties are identified, guesses arise or hypotheses are formed regarding missing elements, these hypotheses are tested and rechecked, and their possible implementation occurs, which manifests itself in the creation of diverse drawings. This technique activates the activity of the imagination, revealing one of its main properties - seeing the whole before the parts. The child perceives the figures proposed by the test as parts of some wholes and completes and reconstructs them.

Methodology №2. "Test of Divergent Thinking" (Guilford tasks).

Target: determining the level of development of divergent thinking.

This test is aimed at studying creativity and creative thinking. Children are given a task in which they need to find a use for an ordinary brick and a tin can. It is not just the total number of proposed options that is subject to evaluation, but only options that are fundamentally different in function or in the property used. For example, in the case of a brick - build a residential building, a school, build a stove, erect a fortress wall, fill a hole and all similar answers, no matter how many there are, belong to the same category and receive one point. It is necessary that the answers use different properties of bricks. Brick is not only a building material. It has weight, can heat up and store heat or protect against heat, has coloring properties and many others. All suggestions to use tin cans to carry water, store small items, feed cats, keep worms for fishing, etc., where the can is used as a container, also belong to the same function and are worth one point. Points are awarded precisely for the variety of properties and functions used.

Method No. 3."Solving unusual problems."

Target: determining the level of development of imagination.

This technique is aimed at activating intentional passive imagination, because children are asked to describe the proposed situation.

Method No. 4. “ Hfour paper clips” (O.I. Motkov)

Target: determine the level of development of figurative imagination.

This technique is intended to study the processes of imagination. Children are offered a task in which they must use four paper clips to create a figure or some kind of composition, and then draw it on a blank sheet of paper (A4). Each drawing must be signed.

Diagnostic program:

	Purpose of the technique	Criterion under study
1. Methodology for studying the characteristics of imagination based on the Torrance “Incomplete Figures” test	diagnostics of imagination development in children	Creative imagination
2. “Test of divergent thinking” (Guilford tasks).	study of creativity, creative thinking	Creativity, creative thinking
3. “Solving unusual problems.”	Determine the level of development of creative imagination	Creative imagination
4. Four paper clips” (O.I. Motkov)	determine the level of development of figurative imagination	Imagination

2.2 Analysis of research resultsFeatures of imagination in primary school age

Method No. 1. methodology for studying individual characteristics of imagination (according to Torrance). The diagnostic data for younger schoolchildren using the first method are shown in Table No. 1. Next, we will analyze the diagnostic results using the first method, and compile a percentage distribution by levels of imagination development based on the results of the first method:

Table No. 1. Percentage distribution of children by levels of imagination development according to the results of the first method.

Based on the data in Table No. 1, a graph was constructed that clearly reflects the difference in the level of imagination development in this group of children.

Picture 1. Distribution of children in the group according to levels of imagination development based on the results of method No. 1

So, according to the results of this technique, most of the subjects were assigned to the second (6 hours) and third (5 hours) levels of imagination development, which corresponds to 42.84% and 35.7%.

The work of children assigned to the 2nd level of imagination development is characterized by less schematic representation, the appearance of a greater number of details both inside the main contour and outside it. Drawings by children at level 3 are characterized by the appearance of a “field of things” around the main image, i.e. subject design of the environment.

Two children or 14.3% are classified at the 4th level of imagination development. The works show a broadly expanded subject environment; children, having turned a test figure into an object, add more and more new elements to the drawing, organizing a holistic composition according to an imaginary plot. And finally, one subject was assigned to level 5; the work was characterized by the repeated use of a given figure in the construction of a single semantic composition. Not a single child was assigned to the first and sixth levels. Method No. 2"Test of Divergent Thinking" (Guilford tasks). The diagnostic data for younger schoolchildren using the second method are shown in Table No. 2. Next, we will analyze the diagnostic results using the second method, and compile a percentage distribution by levels of development of creative thinking based on the results of the second method:

Table No. 2 Percentage distribution of children by levels of development of creative thinking based on the results of the second method.

Based on the data in Table No. 2, a graph was constructed that clearly reflects the difference in the level of development of creative thinking in this group of children.

Figure 2. Distribution of children in the group according to the levels of development of creative thinking based on the results of method No. 2.

So, according to the results of this technique, most of the subjects (8 people) were classified as having a low level of development of creative thinking, which corresponds to 57.12%. 4 children or 28.6% belonged to the average level, and, accordingly, 2 students achieved a high level of development of creative thinking (14.3%).

Method No. 3"Solving Unusual Problems"

The diagnostic data for younger schoolchildren using the third method are shown in Table No. 3. Next, we will analyze the diagnostic results using the third method, and compile a percentage distribution by levels of imagination development based on the results of the third method:

Table 3 Percentage distribution of children by levels of imagination development according to the results of the third method.

Based on the data in Table No. 3, a graph was constructed that clearly reflects the difference in the level of imagination development in this group of children.

Figure 3. Distribution of children in the group according to levels of imagination development based on the results of method No. 3.

So, according to the results of this technique, most of the subjects (10 people) were classified as having a high level of imagination development, which corresponds to 71.4%. 2 people, or 14.3% each, were classified as medium and low.

Method No. 4“Four paper clips” (O.I. Motkov)

The diagnostic data for younger schoolchildren using the fourth method are shown in Table No. 4. Next, we will analyze the diagnostic results using the fourth method, compiling a percentage distribution by levels of imagination development based on the results:

Table No. 4 Percentage distribution of children by levels of imagination development according to the results of the fourth method.

Based on the data in Table No. 4, a graph was constructed that clearly reflects the difference in the level of imagination development in this group of children.

Figure 4. Distribution of children in the group according to levels of imagination development based on the results of method No. 4.

So, according to the results of this technique, most of the subjects (10 people or 71.4%) are classified as having an average level of imagination development. Two students each fell into the first and third levels.

Conclusions from the study

So, the features of the imagination of children of primary school age are as follows:

Based on the results of the E. Torrence test, we see that children of primary school age reach the 4th level of imagination development (2 people): in the products of creative activity of primary schoolchildren, a widely developed subject environment appears, children add more and more new elements to the drawing, organizing a complete composition according to an imaginary plot; and also one child reached the 5th level of imagination development: products of creative activity are already characterized by the repeated use of a given figure when constructing a single semantic composition, and the possibility of repeated use of a test figure as an external stimulus when creating an imaginary image indicates the plasticity of the imagination, more high level of formation of its operational components;

Based on the results of the Guilford test, we found that children at this age have not yet developed divergent thinking - out of the total sample (14 people), 8 students did not cope with the task.

Based on the results obtained using the fourth method (4 paper clips), we found that figurative imagination was developed at a high level in two people and in two people it was developed at a low level. Most of the sample, according to the results of the methodology, corresponds to the average level of development of imaginative imagination.

Based on the results obtained from the “solving unusual problems” method, we come to the conclusion that among children in this group, 10 children have a highly developed level of imagination, which is 71.4% of the total sample.

Two people each belonged to the high and low levels.

2.3 A set of games and exercisesaimed at developing imagination in children of primary school age

The purpose of the program: development of imagination in children of primary school age.

Program objectives:

Forms and methods of implementation: exercises, games, tasks.

Lesson name (lesson number)	Purpose of the lesson	Time allotted for each lesson
1.exercise “UFO”	development of imagination, activation of attention, thinking and speech.	15-20 minutes to draw
2.exercise “funny drawing”	Team unity, liberation of emotions, development of imagination.	Not limited
3.exercise “image an animal”	Correction of isolation, development of imagination	Not limited
4.exercise “looking into the future”	development of imagination, visual skills, activation of thinking and speech.	Not limited
5. task “drawing of what cannot be”	development of imagination, creation of a positive emotional state, emancipation of children.	Not limited
6.game “sea and sky”	developing imagination, teaching children to express emotions	20-30 minutes
7.game “what will happen if...”	development of imagination	Not limited
8.game "self-portrait"	in a humorous manner, increase players’ ability to correlate external characteristics and images of people with various professions, developing imagination	From 20 minutes
9.game "sculpture"	Development of imagination, teach children to control the muscles of the face, arms, legs and relieve muscle tension	From 20 minutes
10.game “what did the bunny do?”	development of the emotional sphere.
11. game “braggart competition”	Developing imagination, increasing team cohesion

This course work can be used by teachers as methodological material for studying the characteristics of children's imagination. If a teacher knows the characteristics of imagination and creative thinking, knows during what period intensive development occurs, then he will be able to influence the correct development of these processes.

Circles: artistic, literary, technical, are of great importance for the development of creative imagination. But the work of clubs should be organized so that students see the results of their work.

Age-related characteristics of the creative imagination of primary schoolchildren. Coursework: Features of creative abilities and imagination of junior schoolchildren

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Age-related characteristics of the creative imagination of primary schoolchildren. Coursework: Features of creative abilities and imagination of junior schoolchildren

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