LEGO - design and robotics in preschool educational institutions.
LEGO - design and robotics in preschool educational institutions.
Currently, new games and entertainment have appeared in the education system of preschool children. Children easily master information and communication technologies, and it is difficult to surprise them with traditional visual means. The development of the educational process goes in many directions, affecting mainly the formation of the personal qualities of a preschooler. The result of the educational activities of preschool educational institutions today is considered not the sum of knowledge, skills and abilities, but the personal qualities acquired by the child: curiosity, activity, independence, responsibility and good manners.
We, teachers, strive to use a variety of techniques and methods, realizing that we ourselves must learn modern technologies, because our students live in a world of computers, the Internet, electronics and automation. They want to see this in educational activities, to study, use, understand. One of these modern methods is considered to be joint (preschoolers, teachers and parents) integration activity - Lego construction.
Every child is a born designer, inventor and researcher. These tasks inherent in nature are especially quickly realized and improved in constructive activities. Construction is a very interesting and exciting activity; it is closely connected with the intellectual development of a child.
This type of activity is distinguished by its novelty in the use of Lego, a construction set with which the child has the opportunity to communicate, explore and play.
The construction set helps children bring their ideas to life, build and imagine, working with passion and seeing the end result. Lego encourages both your head and your hands to work equally. Lego is always a new discovery, a new idea. A new impetus for development.
Children who are interested in design are distinguished by rich fantasy and imagination, an active desire for creative activity, a desire to experiment and invent; They have developed spatial, logical, mathematical, associative thinking, memory, and this is the basis of the child’s intellectual development.
Construction is closely related to the sensory and intellectual development of a preschooler. It is of particular importance for improving visual acuity, accuracy of color perception, tactile qualities, development of small muscles of the hands, perception of the shape and size of an object, space. Children try to establish what an object is like and how it differs from others; master the ability to measure the width, length, height of objects; begin to solve constructive problems “by eye”; develop imaginative thinking; learn to imagine objects in different spatial positions, mentally change their relative positions. In the course of classes, work is being done on the development of the intellect of imagination, fine motor skills, creative inclinations, the development of dialogic and monologue speech, and the expansion of vocabulary. Particular attention is paid to the development of logical and spatial thinking. Pupils learn to work with the proposed instructions, develop the ability to cooperate with a partner and work in a team.
Robots Education Creativity
Details Published: 09.12.2018 10:50
Lightweight construction and the basics of robotics today are the most popular areas of development for children, and it doesn’t matter at all whether they are schoolchildren or preschoolers. Teachers search for lesson plans on the Internet or create their own innovative programs. Today we would like to introduce you to one of these programs.
It was sent by Narmina Azimovna Azimetova from the Tyumen region, teacher, MBDOU d/s “Sibiryachok”. The program is designed for children 3-4 years old.
Club activities program
"LEGO construction"
It's easier to do everything with LEGO,
It's easier to get smarter with LEGO.
LEGO is the most popular board game on the planet. The word “LEGO” has two meanings in Latin: “I learn” and “I add.” The British Toy Traders Association awarded LEGO the title of “Toy of the Century.”
The introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard for preschool education involves the development of new educational models, which should be based on educational technologies that comply with the principles:
- developmental education;
- scientific validity and practical applicability;
- compliance with the criteria of completeness, necessity and sufficiency;
- unity of educational, developmental and training goals and objectives of the education process for preschool children;
- integration of educational areas;
- solving program educational problems in joint activities and independent activities of adults and children;
- accounting for the preschooler’s leading activity—games.
LEGO is one of the most famous and widespread pedagogical systems, widely using three-dimensional models of the real world and a subject-based gaming environment for the learning and development of a child. Play is the most important companion of childhood. LEGO allows children to learn through play and learn through play.
During educational activities, children become builders, architects and creators; while playing, they bring their ideas to life. Starting with simple figures (from 3 to 5 years), the child moves further and further. Seeing his successes, he becomes more confident and moves on to the next, more complex stage of training.
The prospects for using LEGO technology are determined by the high educational opportunities that are required of these tools at the present stage: multifunctionality, technological and aesthetic characteristics, use in various play and educational areas. Paramonova L.A. believes that even the smallest set of building elements opens up a new world for the child. A child does not consume, he creates, creates objects, the world and life.
Games with construction sets help develop children's creative and intellectual abilities, design skills, imagination, and the ability to foresee the results of their actions.
Children begin to solve difficult problems through fun, creative play. Preschoolers develop fine motor skills and improve their speech quality. LEGO construction contributes to the sensory development of a preschooler, because Bright, functional details can affect literally all the child’s senses:
visual acuity, accuracy of color perception, tactile qualities, perception of shape, size of an object, space and much more are improved.
Building with LEGO helps a child see the world in all its colors. The brighter, more holistic, and more emotional children’s impressions of the world around them are, the more interesting and varied the buildings will become.
Tasks:
- Learn to see the design of an object, analyze its main parts, their functional purpose.
- Develop a sense of symmetry and aesthetic color schemes of buildings.
- To develop preschoolers' interest in modeling and design, to stimulate children's scientific and technical creativity.
- Improve children's communication skills when working in pairs, teams, and sharing responsibilities.
- Strengthen children's knowledge about the world around them.
- To identify gifted, talented children with unconventional creative thinking and abilities in constructive activities and to ensure further development.
LEGO construction is included in the regulations for the educational activities of the kindergarten and is implemented within the educational area “Cognition”, section “Design”, implemented by the preschool educational institution program of the L.A. Center. Wenger "Development+". The content of educational activities in LEGO construction is based on the methodological developments of L.G. Komarova. “We build with LEGO.”
Using the LEGO constructor, educational tasks with preschoolers are solved in the following areas:
- Development of fine motor skills of the hands, stimulating general speech development and mental abilities in the future.
- Learning to correctly and quickly navigate in space.
- Obtaining mathematical knowledge about counting, shape, proportion, symmetry.
- Expanding your ideas about the world around you - about architecture, transport, landscape.
- Development of attention, ability to concentrate, memory, thinking.
- Teaching imagination and creative thinking.
- Mastering the ability to mentally divide an object into its component parts and assemble a whole from the parts.
- Learning to communicate with each other, respecting one’s own and others’ work.
LEGO construction begins at the age of three: children in the second junior groups are offered the LEGODUPLO construction set. Children get acquainted with the basic details of the construction set, methods of fastening bricks, and children develop the ability to correlate the results of their own actions in constructing an object with a model.
In the middle group (from 4 to 5 years old), children consolidate the skills of working with LEGO constructors acquired in the younger group and get acquainted with the small LEGODASTA constructor for the first time. The last four classes are held with him. The predominant form of work is design by design. Children experiment freely with building materials. The sample may be shown at the beginning of the lesson and then removed. The organization of educational activities is built in individual and subgroup forms of work with children, the requirements of SanPin are met.
LEGO construction sets provide a great opportunity for a child to learn through experience.
LEGO games help develop intellectual qualities: attention, memory, especially visual; the ability to find dependencies and patterns, classify and systematize material; the ability to combine, that is, the ability to create new combinations from existing elements and parts; ability to find errors and shortcomings; spatial and imaginary; the ability to foresee the results of one's actions.
Most LEGO games are not limited to the proposed tasks, but allow children to create new versions of the task, that is, engage in creative activities.
Unbeknownst to the child, these games help to acquire a very important skill - to restrain yourself, not to interfere with each other, to think and make decisions, not to ask for help if you haven’t tried to do it yourself.
Program content
Middle group
- Acquaintance with new details of the Lego Duplo constructor, consolidation of knowledge about those already known to children.
- Teach children to create a plot composition on a board.
- Continue to teach how to build according to your own plans.
- Learn to plan your work, be able to tell.
- Continue to introduce children to the concept of stability of a building, its strength.
- Teach children to analyze a building from a picture and identify its main structural parts.
- Continue to teach how to work in a team, learn how to build a joint building, and plan the stages of its creation.
- Learn to convey the shape of an object using Legos, select parts according to shape, size and stability in accordance with the content.
- Learn to follow the teacher's instructions.
- Give the concept of symmetry.
- Continue to teach children to work according to the example.
- Continue to develop the ability to navigate in space (on a plane), to use words denoting spatial relationships.
- Continue to introduce children to different ways of fastening Lego pieces.
- Continue introducing children to Lego mosaics, teach them to distinguish geometric shapes, their color location in space.
- Learn to distinguish geometric shapes regardless of their color and location, learn to combine shapes by color and shape.
- Give children the opportunity to experiment with Legos.
Form for presenting the result: Technology of design skills, creative thinking in middle-aged preschoolers using LEGO construction.
— search and research methods that stimulate the cognitive activity of students;
— experimental research, design and research activities that develop the creative initiative of students;
- activity-based types of practical tasks that involve a creative approach.
Taking into account the age and physiological characteristics of the development of children of middle preschool age, in this program a large place is given to conducting classes in the form of a game.
In the process of working with Lego constructors, various forms of tasks were used:
- according to the model;
- on cards with models;
- according to one's own design;
- the teacher gives the task, the children complete it;
- tasks are formulated by the child and carried out by the children and the teacher;
- children give each other tasks;
- The task is given by the teacher and carried out by the parents and the child.
To successfully carry out activities with Lego constructors, certain conditions were created:
- free access to the construction set is organized so that children can choose the parts they need;
- children were thoroughly introduced to the sample;
- specially selected music to accompany productive activities;
- the safety of the building is ensured for some time.
TO THE LEVEL OF CHILDREN'S PREPARATION
Vospi- tannik must | Basic program | Component preschool educational institution | Regional component |
Know | Have an idea of architecture, know who architects are and what they do. Understand what an algorithm, rhythm, rhythmic pattern is. The symbol for an algorithm is a notation. Generalized ideas about the objects being constructed (bridges: railway, pedestrian; buildings: residential, schools, theaters | Be able to distinguish and name the parts of a Lego constructor (Lego Duplo, Lego Dacta) Understand what symmetry is and be able to alternate colors in your buildings. | Our country, its main city Moscow and with the help of a Lego set can easily be used to convey the defensive structures of Russian cities (Kremlin walls, wooden and stone ancient Russian architecture, churches, bell towers and other architectural objects) |
Be able to | Be able to distinguish and name the parts of a Lego constructor (Lego Duplo, Lego Dacta) Can mentally change the spatial position of an object and its parts. Design according to the conditions set by adults and the plot of the game. Master generalized methods of design (combinatorics, objectification, removing unnecessary things, etc.) Independently and creatively implement your own design ideas from different materials. Design according to a given scheme and build the scheme of the future design itself. Be able to mentally change the spatial position of a constructed object, its parts, details, and imagine what position they will occupy after the change. Be able to analyze the operating conditions of a future structure, establish the sequence of their implementation and, based on this, create an image of the object (a bridge across a river for pedestrians of a certain width) Be able to build and implement your own plan (selecting a topic, creating a plan for future design, selecting materials and design methods) Be able to work in a team and in pairs. Be able to place a building on a board and build collective buildings. Be able to talk about your construction. Be able to follow the teacher's instructions Be able to create a plot composition on the board. | Fasten Lego parts in a variety of ways. Be able to distinguish geometric shapes, their color, shape, location in space (mosaic) Distinguish geometric shapes regardless of their color and location, be able to combine shapes by color and shape. Be able to convey the characteristic features of fairy-tale characters using the Lego Duplo (Dakta) constructor Be able to use Lego buildings in theatrical games and role-playing games. Create moving structures and find simple technical solutions. | Participate in the development of projects on local history topics. Use Lego to convey the appearance features of animals and birds in the Moscow region. Be able to model human figures, fairy-tale heroes in various Russian costumes. Model folk holiday entertainment (carousels, swings, bear fun) |
Working with Lego parts stimulates and develops the potential creative abilities of every child, teaches him to create and destroy, which is also very important. Destroy not aggressively, not thoughtlessly, but to ensure the possibility of creating something new.
By breaking his own Lego building, the child has the opportunity to create another one or complete some of its parts from the freed parts, acting as a creator. Thus, Lego construction is a type of modeling creative and productive activity. With its help, difficult learning tasks can be solved through fun, creative games.
Each child is unique, and each is born with abilities that can and should be developed. Preschool children have a great desire to create and get results. By creating the necessary conditions for constructive activity, we help the child to understand the world around him and realize his place in this world.
Designer type | Ascertaining stage |
Builder | 12 groups |
Lego | 11 groups |
Mechanical constructor | 4 groups |
Large modules | 3 groups |
Volumetric puzzles | 4 groups |
Magnetic mosaic | 4 groups |
Paper constructor | 5 groups |
Fun slides | 3 groups |
Observing children's social role-playing games
Goal: Identify the use of different constructors in gaming activities. Ascertaining stage.
Children unite their crafts with one theme. They design according to ideas; graphic diagrams, samples in pictures, photographs, and technological maps are not used. Therefore, the designs of objects are not sufficiently appropriate for the age of children.
The final stage
All children began to use construction sets in their free activities.
Children often design based on ideas; they also use samples in pictures, photographs, and technological maps. Children's crafts have become more perfect and more expressive, which indicates acquired design skills.
The level of children’s knowledge acquisition can be determined using the criteria I developed for assessing children’s mastery of Lego construction and the development of their creativity.
The analysis is carried out twice a year at the beginning of the school year and at the end according to three criteria:
● Knowledge acquired
● Knowledge is not specific, gets confused, makes mistakes
● Knowledge not acquired
The child’s activities are also assessed at each lesson.
As a result of the first year of classes in the circle, the children learned well:
- recognize the details of the LEGO constructor, depicted from 3 different positions (straight, on top, on the side),
- recognize and correctly reproduce structures using development diagrams,
- create graphic models of structures based on analysis of a specific sample,
- The level of development of children's imagination has increased.
A worse result was obtained when completing the task “Constructing an object according to plan.” During the construction process, not all children were able to retain the idea and implement the design in accordance with the plan. The designs of the objects were not age appropriate (they were simple in execution).
By studying in a circle, children will acquire work culture skills: they will learn to maintain order in the workplace, distribute time and effort when making models (each lesson has its own topic) and, therefore, plan activities.
In addition, design is closely related to the sensory and intellectual development of the child: visual acuity, perception of color, shape, size are improved, and mental processes (analysis, classification) are successfully developed.
LEGO construction helps preschoolers enter the world of social experience. Children develop a unified and holistic idea of the objective and social world. The lesson plan includes topics such as “Animals”, “Urban and rural buildings”, “Furniture”, “Toys”, “Such different transport”, “Ships”, “Journey to a fairy tale” and others. On calendar holidays, thematic exhibitions will be organized in the children's creativity corner, where we will present the works of children attending additional classes in LEGO construction
PLAN FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN
2 YOUNGER GROUPS
№ | Classes | Quantity classes |
1. | Safety precautions in LEGO construction classes. | 1 |
2. | Spontaneous individual LEGO - children's play, or acquaintance with LEGO continues. | 1 |
3. | Brick Explorers. Game "Colorful Towers". | 1 |
4. | Magic molds. Game "What's Hidden?" | 1 |
5. | Games “Magic Color”, “Dreamers”. | 1 |
6. | Let's get acquainted with the form LEGO bricks. | 1 |
7. | Game "Guess my model" | 1 |
8. | Magic bricks. Construction of a common fence. | 1 |
9. | We build magic stairs. | 1 |
10. | Game "Beautiful Houses". | 1 |
11. | Mold Researchers. On-board simulation. Flower for mom. | 1 |
12. | Pets. - dog. - cat. | 2 |
13. | Wild animals of hot countries: - giraffe. | 1 |
14. | Construction of different trees. | 1 |
15. | Transport construction: - airplane - car (based on sample) - ship | 3 |
16. | Furniture for a doll: - table - chair - sofa - bed. | 2 |
17. | We are building a bird. | 1 |
18. | Project work: “Children’s playground.” | 2 |
Annual planning of design classes in the middle group
month | a week | Lesson number | Title of the lesson | Program content |
September | 3,4 | Diagnostics | ||
October | 1 | 1 | "Fences" | I. Design according to a model and transform it according to conditions. to train children in closing space by arranging planar figures; in distinguishing and correctly naming primary colors (red, blue, yellow, green) and geometric shapes (square, triangle, circle, rectangle); consolidate ideas about the details of the designer; teach to understand an adult, think, find your own solutions. |
3 | 2 | "Gate and Fence" | Learn to build gates for a fence; carefully and tightly fasten the parts of the Duplo lego set; exercise children in constructing buildings according to the model and transforming them according to given conditions; in distinguishing and correctly naming primary colors, geometric shapes and familiar construction parts; clarify children’s ideas about the relative size of objects using the example of a gate (lower - higher, narrower - wider); practice the skill of accurately connecting building parts, placing them on top of each other and placing them next to each other; teach children to analyze buildings; consolidate the ability to close space, giving it a certain shape. | |
november | 1 | 3 | "Furniture for dolls" | Develop the ability to identify their functional parts in real objects; continue to introduce children to the concept of design; learn to analyze a sample; teach children to work with construction sets; design various pieces of furniture; unite your buildings with a single plot; teach how to create a building, correlating its size with the size of the toy; encourage the creation of new versions of already familiar buildings; form an idea of geometric shapes, develop spatial thinking. |
3 | 4 | "House" | Learn to build a big house for a farmer; develop imagination and creativity; learn to finish what you start; to form a generalized idea of houses, that they are different (single- and multi-story); arouse in children an emotional attitude towards the building; exercise children in fencing small spaces with cubes, bricks and plates installed vertically and horizontally; practice the ability to make floors; in mastering spatial concepts (in front, behind, below, above, left, right); practice converting buildings into length and width; develop independence in finding design methods; cultivate perseverance and accuracy during work, mutual understanding and mutual assistance. | |
December | 1 | 5 | "Garage for cars" | teach children to prepare the base for the ceiling, to navigate the plane; build a building in accordance with the size of the toys; practice comparing objects by length, height, width; teach children to work together, agreeing on a work plan. |
3 | 6 | "Multi-storey building" | to form generalized knowledge about buildings; establish a relationship: the more floors, the higher the house; learn to build according to a drawing, select building materials independently; promote the development of search activity, encourage children to look for ways to transform buildings (in height, length, width, adjusting with suitable details); exercise in mastering spatial concepts (in front, behind, below, above, left, right); in the practical mastery of the correlation of buildings by size (height, length, width). | |
January | 1 | 7 | "Truck" | Learn to build a familiar structure using a graphic model, correlate its elements with parts of an object; continue to learn to examine a sample, identify parts, determine their spatial location (behind, in front, on top, on, etc.), develop the ability to perceive an object holistically; introduce a new part - a cylinder, give an idea of its properties (in comparison with a block); encourage the transformation of the structure by introducing additional details into it. |
3 | 8 | "Train" | Introduce techniques for connecting bricks with wheels, with each other, and with the main parts of the train; develop fantasy and imagination; clarify children’s ideas about the details of the construction set and their properties; exercise in design, analysis of samples, and transformation of structures according to given conditions; continue to develop the ability to correlate elements of a graphic model with parts of a structure, develop the ability to reflect one’s observations and knowledge about objects in buildings. | |
February | 1 | 9 | "Ships and boats" | Give a general idea of ships; teach design methods; learn to combine parts in shape and color in construction, establish the spatial arrangement of buildings; continue to introduce children to the details of the construction set, practice replacing some parts with others; teach children to discuss, analyze designs, plan their construction with their partner; encourage individuals to independently find individual ways to solve the problem associated with transforming the building. |
3 | 10 | "Streets of our city" | II. Design according to conditions. Continue introducing traffic lights; learn traffic rules; build a roadway and an overpass; activate children’s knowledge, the ability to creatively apply previously acquired constructive skills; learn to place your buildings on a certain site; develop the ability to work in a team. | |
March | 1 | 11 | "Bridge for pedestrians" | Learn to build a bridge, accurately connect building parts, and place them on top of each other; give an idea of bridges, their purpose, introduce different types of bridges (pedestrian, transport), with the elements of their structures (descents, steps, supports, floors); teach children to build simple bridges; develop the ability to examine a sample, make the building stable, practice comparing objects by size (long - short); stimulate children's creativity and independence, promote their speech and play communication. |
3 | 12 | "Bridges for Transport" | consolidate an understanding of the different types of bridges, their purpose, structure; continue to introduce elements of their structures (descents, supports, floors); practice building bridges; develop the ability to create structures according to given conditions; develop the ability to analyze examples of buildings and illustrations; practice comparing objects by size (wide - narrow); develop the ability to independently select the necessary details by size, shape, color, and combine them. | |
April | 1 | 13 | III. Design by design. consolidate the acquired knowledge and constructive skills in children; promote the development of their creativity, independence and organization; teach children to think about the topic of a future building in advance (create a plan) and implement it, achieving their goal. Teach to compare the resulting building with the intended one. | |
3 | 14 | consolidate the acquired knowledge and constructive skills in children; promote the development of their creativity, independence and organization; teach children to think about the topic of a future building in advance (create a plan) and implement it, achieving their goal. Teach to compare the resulting building with the intended one. | ||
May | 1,2 | Diagnostics |
- TV, VCR, stereo system.
- Posters, diagrams, dummies, books, illustrative material, photographs, toys, balls, etc.
№ | Author | Book title, publisher, the year of publishing |
1. | Komarova L.G. | “Building with Legos” “LINK-PRESS” Moscow 2001 |
2. | LussT.V. | “Formation of skills in constructive play activities in children with the help of Legos” Humanitarian Publishing Center VLADOS Moscow 2003 |
3. | Institute of New Technologies | Game aids LOGO-Verlag Moscow Institute of New Technologies |
4. | Feshina E.V. | LEGO construction in kindergarten. |
5. | Author: L.S. Kiseleva, T.A. Danilina, T.S. Lagoda, M.B. Zuikova. – 2nd ed., rev. and additional - arr. | “Project method in the activities of a preschool institution” Arkti Publishing House Moscow 2004 |
6. | them. A.V. Zaporozhets | Basic development program for a preschool child Publishing house "Karapuz" Moscow 1997 |
7. | A.N. Davidchuk | “Development of constructive creativity in preschool children” Moscow “Enlightenment” 1976 |
8. | Edited by M.A. Vasilyeva, V.V. Gerbovaya, T.S. Komarova | Kindergarten education and training program Moscow Mosaic-Synthesis 2005 |
9. | Z.V. Lishtvan | Construction Moscow "Enlightenment" 1981 |
10. | L.A. Paramonova | Children's creative construction Publishing house "Karapuz" Moscow 1999 |
11. | A.N. Davidchuk | Development of constructive creativity in preschoolers Moscow "Enlightenment" 1976 |
A characteristic feature of the life of modern society is the increasing pace of change. We live in a world that is completely different from the one we were born into. And the pace of change continues to accelerate. Currently, society needs socially active, independent and creative people capable of self-development. The state has an urgent need for highly qualified specialists with high intellectual capabilities. Therefore, it is so important, starting from preschool age, to form and develop technical inquisitive thinking, an analytical mind, and to form the personality qualities designated by federal state educational standards. There is a need to search for new technologies and methods for implementation in working with preschoolers.
Psychological and pedagogical research (L.S. Vygotsky, A.V. Zaporozhets, L.A. Wenger, N.N. Poddyakov, L.A. Paramonova, etc.) show that the most effective way to develop children’s inclination to creativity is , the emergence of a creative personality in the technical field is the practical study, design and production of technical objects, the independent creation by children of technical objects that have signs of usefulness or subjective novelty, the development of which occurs in the process of specially organized training.
The possibilities of preschool age in the development of technical creativity are currently underutilized, meanwhile, the training and development of preschool children can be realized in an educational environment with the help of LEGO constructors and robotics.
Today I would like to present to your attention some aspects of my experience in using Lego technologies in educational activities with children with SLD.
A distinctive feature of the new generation standard is the system-activity approach, which involves alternating the child’s practical and mental actions. This approach is easy to implement in the LEGO educational environment, since LEGO constructors allow the child to think, fantasize and act without fear of making mistakes. In addition, by training our fingers, we have a powerful impact on the performance of the cerebral cortex, and, consequently, on the development of speech. This makes it possible to develop both speech and related non-speech activities in children with SLI. In addition, LEGO promotes the formation of such fundamental personality qualities as the ability to concentrate, the ability to cooperate with a partner, and most importantly, a sense of self-confidence. Therefore, the use of LEGO technologies is indispensable in the correctional and developmental work of teachers of compensatory groups for children with STD.
In addition, the relevance of LEGO technology and design is significant in light of the implementation of the Federal State Educational Standard, since:
- are an excellent means for the intellectual development of preschool children, ensuring the integration of educational areas (cognitive development, speech development, social and communicative development, artistic and aesthetic development, physical development);
- allow you to combine education, upbringing and development of preschoolers in game mode (learning and learning through play);
- form cognitive activity, promote the education of a socially active personality, develop communication and co-creation skills;
- combine play with research and experimental activities, provide the child with the opportunity to experiment and create his own world, where there are no boundaries.
Previously, our group used Lego construction sets, but only in children’s independent activities. The idea to make light construction a guided process rather than a spontaneous one arose several years ago, after participating in the International Scientific and Practical Conference “Innovative Solutions in Education: From School to Industry,” where I became acquainted with the work experience of Russian and international practitioners from the United States, Morgan Hines and Denmark Hanne Ravn, and also took part in a master class by certified LEGO trainer Alexey Kuzmin on the topic “Practical experience in using LEGO educational solutions in a preschool educational institution.”
In September 2015, our group had the opportunity to introduce Lego technologies into the practice of working with children, since LEGO educational construction sets were purchased for the kindergarten. Having studied theoretical and practical materials, I came to the conclusion that through the use of lightweight construction kits, it is possible to effectively solve the educational problems of the basic general education program implemented in kindergarten.
I have developed an additional education program “The Amazing World of LEGO”. Games, a series of activities, and cards for assembling models have been selected. The expedition website and teaching aids by E.V. Feshina helped me with this. “Lego construction in kindergarten”, Luss T.V. “Formation of skills in constructive play activities in children using LEGO.” The program I developed offers the use of LEGO constructors as a method for teaching preschoolers design, modeling, and the development of scientific and technical creativity.
Pedagogical feasibility
The pedagogical feasibility of the program is determined by the development of children’s design abilities through practical skills. A number of special tasks for observation, comparison, conjecture, and fantasy serve to achieve this.
Basic principles of organizing activities:
- a personality-oriented approach (appealing to the child’s experience, providing children with broad independence, encouraging their initiative),
- conformity with nature (taking into account the age and individual characteristics of children),
- cooperation,
- accessibility and visibility,
- consistency and systematicity of training and education,
- “from simple to complex” (one topic is presented with an increasing degree of complexity).
The purpose of the work was as follows:
creating favorable conditions for the development of initial design skills and creative abilities in children with SLD through the introduction of LEGO technologies into the educational process.
To develop creativity and systematize children’s knowledge, the following tasks are set:
- develop preschoolers’ interest in modeling and design, stimulate children’s technical creativity;
- to form spatial thinking, the ability to analyze an object, highlight its characteristic features, main functional parts, establish a connection between their purpose and structure;
- develop the ability to design according to a model, drawing, given diagram, according to plan;
- develop children's cognitive activity, imagination, fantasy and creative initiative;
- to form the prerequisites for educational activities: the ability and desire to work, carry out tasks in accordance with instructions and the set goal, bring the work started to completion, plan future work;
- improve children’s communication skills when working in pairs, teams, and sharing responsibilities;
- develop fine motor skills of the hands, stimulating general speech development and intellectual abilities;
- education of a person capable of independently setting tasks and finding original ways to solve them.
I work on Lego construction in direct and joint educational activities with children. The topics of direct educational activities are developed in accordance with the calendar and thematic plan of the group. Additional education classes are held with a subgroup of children of up to 8-10 people, once a week.
Mastering Lego constructors is carried out sequentially from simple to complex.
First stage of work:
- at first we simply examined the details of the construction set: size, shape, color, what they were made of, at this stage the games helped: “Wonderful bag”, “Find the same part as on the card”, “Guess where such a part is”, “Arrange the parts in places”, etc.
- tested experimentally for strength and buoyancy.
- Together with the children, we determined the name of each shape (cube, brick, boot, beak, plate, skirt, head), and based on their fantasies, we developed a LEGO dictionary. At this stage, you can offer games: “What does it look like?”, “Name the details”
- got acquainted with the methods of connecting cubes (stacked, overlapped, stepped).
Second stage: Construction was carried out using a visual model from a large construction set from a small number of parts (3-5), followed by an increase in parts, where they learned to analyze the sample and relate their actions to it (for example: “Gates”, “Fences”, “Houses” etc.).
Third stage: Design according to diagrams. I used a sample on the cards that are available in the “Build a Story” construction kits. The children analyzed the sample shown on the card, selected the necessary parts and reproduced the construction.
At the next stage, I complicated the types of proposed buildings by enlarging the details and drawing up diagrams using various types of construction kit.
In my classes I use basic types of construction, such as:
1. Design from a model - when there is a ready-made model of what needs to be built (for example, an image or diagram of a house). Design based on a model, which is based on imitative activity, is an important educational stage where it is possible to solve problems that ensure the transition of children to independent search activities of a creative nature.
2. Design based on a model - a model is offered as a sample, in which the outlines of its individual elements are hidden from the child. Children must reproduce this model from the construction set they have. Thus, the child is offered a certain task, but is not given a way to solve it. Model-based design is a more complex type of model-based design.
3. Design according to conditions - there is no sample, no drawing-scheme, only the conditions that the building must meet are set (for example, a house for a dog should be small, and for a horse - large, build a bridge for pedestrians and cars, etc.) .
4. Design using simple drawings and visual diagrams. The external and individual functional features of real objects are recreated from designer parts. Opportunities are created for the development of internal forms of visual modeling.
5. Design by design assumes that the child himself, without any external restrictions, will create an image of the future structure and embody it in the material that is at his disposal. This type of construction develops the child’s creative abilities better than others.
When working with children I use mainly playful, story-based and integrated forms of educational activities:
- Creating joint buildings
- Conversations
- Variety of games
- Making items for games, educational and research activities
- Creating Layouts
- Project activities
- Cognitive and research activities
- Experimentation
- Exhibition design
- Productive activity.
I use a variety of methods and techniques to teach children LEGO construction.
Methods | Techniques |
Visual | Examination of finished buildings in class, demonstration of fastening methods, techniques for selecting parts by size, shape, color, methods of holding them in the hand or on the table. |
Information-receptive | Examination of LEGO parts, which involves connecting various analyzers (visual and tactile) to get acquainted with the form, determining the spatial relationships between them (on, under, left, right). Joint activity of teacher and child. |
Reproductive | Reproduction of knowledge and methods of activity (form: collecting models and structures based on a sample, conversation, analogue exercises) |
Practical | Children use in practice the knowledge they have acquired and the work techniques they have seen. |
Verbal | Brief description and explanation of actions, support and demonstration of samples, different variants of models. |
Problem | Statement of the problem and search for a solution. Creative use of ready-made tasks (items), their independent transformation. |
Game | Using the plot of games to organize children's activities, characters to play out the plot, a surprise moment, didactic games to develop attention, thinking, and memory. |
Partial search | Solving problem problems with the help of a teacher. |
When organizing Lego construction classes, I adhere to the following algorithm for completing the model:
1. Greeting. Creating a problem situation - entering a game (plot) situation using our LEGO - friend “Legoshi”.
2. Demonstration and examination of paintings depicting an object for construction.
3. Observation of natural objects.
4. Sensory examination of parts to get acquainted with shape, color and determine the spatial relationships between parts, or presentations in which intellectual tasks are presented (Games “The Fourth Wheel”).
5. Demonstration of variable connections of parts.
6. Explaining the sequence of execution or watching presentations, videos with stories on the topic, which show the moments of assembling the structure.
7. Study, if necessary, diagrams and drawings.
8. In accordance with the plan and theme, making crafts from parts.
9. Analysis and evaluation.
10. Playing out - using buildings to organize games in joint and independent activities
Before performing the model, finger gymnastics must be performed, as well as physical education, which are selected taking into account the topic of joint activity.
LEGO constructors are used in games of various types:
– diagnostics (free constructive play activity allows not only to quickly establish contact between the teacher and children, but also to more fully reveal some of the child’s characteristics from the point of view of the formation of the emotional-volitional and motor spheres, identify the child’s speech capabilities, and establish the level of communication);
– didactic games (using them for conducting exercises for the purpose of developing and correcting speech and mental processes in children, developing interest in learning, and developing communicative function);
– during the theatrical play, the child has the opportunity to create his own hero and endow his character with the qualities he wants. Games create conditions for the development of speech, creativity and have a beneficial effect on the emotional sphere. Through the heroes of a fairy tale, made with their own hands, it is easier for a child to reveal his individual characteristics.
LEGO sets have proven themselves all over the world as educational products that meet the highest requirements for hygiene, aesthetics, strength and durability. Due to their pedagogical versatility, they turn out to be the most preferred visual aids and educational toys. Play is the most important companion of childhood. LEGO allows you to learn by playing and learning through play.
When using LEGO technologies, I can note some of their advantages over other innovative constructive and playful techniques used to correct the speech development of preschool children:
- A child can play with crafts made from LEGO construction sets and touch them without the risk of spoiling them. The constructor is safe: there is no risk of cutting yourself or swallowing toxic chemicals, such as glue. The child’s hands remain clean, and the crafts can be put away quickly and easily.
- When using a LEGO constructor, a child can create colorful and attractive designs, regardless of his or her skills. He experiences a mental state of success.
- The LEGO constructor does not evoke a negative attitude in the child, and all correctional and developmental work is perceived by him as a game.
- Since the construction set can be placed not only on the table, but also on the floor, on the carpet, and even on the wall, the child does not need to maintain a static sitting position during classes, which is especially important for somatically weakened children.
- When working with LEGO, it’s good to practice grammatical structures: agreement of numerals with nouns (how many windows are there in your house? How many berries are on the bush?).
- When creating buildings according to a certain storyline, children learn to correctly correlate “right”, “left”, “behind”, “in front”, “under”, “above”, distinguish between the concepts “between this and that”, etc. ., thereby forming an understanding of the spatial relationships between objects.
- Working on lexical topics with the help of a LEGO constructor, which has a wide range of sets, allows children with SLI to memorize new words using tactile and visual analyzers. The best way for such children to accumulate vocabulary is through what they see and understand.
- Designing animal figures helps children learn to identify parts of a whole and practice case endings (a kitten without what? - without a tail). Compiling parts of different animals helps develop understanding of the formation of complex words (the game “Magic Zoo” where the head of a crocodile and the body of a tiger are combined to form a crocotiger).
- Retelling the story not according to the plot picture, but according to the three-dimensional image of the scenery from the construction set, helps the child to better understand the plot, which makes the retelling more detailed and logical. At the same time, work on coherent speech is carried out in order of increasing complexity, with a gradual decrease in clarity.
- LEGO constructors allow you to take into account the gender characteristics of children. Thanks to this, during the game there is an assimilation of the content of the female and male personality model, the formation of a system of needs, interests, value orientations and certain modes of behavior characteristic of one or another gender.
- Since correctional work is carried out not only on the “external” speech defect of the child, but also on his communication skills, as well as on changes in personal characteristics, one of the most effective methods for restoring communication in the process of dialogue is the LEGO game (dramatization games, plot -role-playing games).
I believe that working on speech development using LEGO technologies makes the correctional and developmental process more effective. Children perceive classes as a game that does not cause negativity in them, but teaches them to be attentive, persevering, and accurately following instructions. This helps to better assimilate the necessary material.
Lightweight construction is successfully integrated with all educational areas.
Integration of educational areas through Lego construction.
Educational area | Scope of application of Lego construction, in accordance with the target guidelines of the Federal State Educational Standard for Educational Education. |
Social and communicative development | Creation of joint buildings, united by one idea, one project. development of communication and interaction of the child with adults and peers; formation of readiness for joint activities with peers; formation of positive attitudes towards various types of work and creativity. |
Cognitive development | Technical design is the embodiment of a plan from Lego parts. formation of primary ideas:
|
Speech development. | Corrective and developmental work of a speech therapist teacher, educator Many learning tasks are solved: - a grammatically correct structure of speech is formed, - vocabulary expands; -communication skills and coherent speech develop; -improves the ability to generalize and draw conclusions. |
Artistic and aesthetic development | Creative design - creating a plan from Lego parts. implementation of independent creative activity of children - constructive and model. |
Physical development | Coordination of movement, gross and fine motor skills of both hands. |
LEGO - the constructor is used during GCD in FEMP with the aim of consolidating and developing the skills of forward and backward counting, comparing numbers, and geometric shapes; the ability to navigate on a plane, the ability to classify by characteristics (“Find the missing figure”, “Turrets”, “Multi-colored paths”, “Continue the number series”, “Where is more?”, etc.); can be used as a conventional measure when comparing objects by length, width, weight.
In addition, LEGO is used in experimental activities as the material from which the construction set is made (“What is it made of?”, “Find the same one,” “How are they similar and how are they different?”, “Tell me about the properties of the object,” etc.).
With the help of LEGO, children convey in buildings the knowledge and impressions they have gained from activities, excursions, observations and walks. The resulting designs are combined into a thematic structure “Bird Yard”, “Zoo”, “Transport”, “Miracles in the Forest”, “My City”, “Animals of Africa”, etc., which are subsequently used not only in educational activities, but also in children’s independent play activities and contribute to the development of communication skills.
Thus, the use of Lego constructors contributes to:
- Development of fine motor skills of the hands.
- Development and improvement of higher mental functions (memory, attention, thinking, ability to compare, analyze, classify, generalize.
- The ability to fantasize and think creatively.
- Correction of speech development deficiencies.
- Development of sensory concepts (about counting, proportion, shape, symmetry, strength and stability of the structure).
- Formation of the skill of creating various designs according to a drawing, diagram, conditions, verbal instructions and united by a common theme.
- Uniting the children's team, developing a feeling of sympathy for each other, the ability to communicate, organize joint games, respect one's own and other people's work.
During educational activities, children become builders, architects and creators; while playing, they come up with and implement their ideas.
An important role in work in this area is played by the interested attitude of parents. At the initial stage of work on the use of LEGO construction sets in the cognitive development of preschool children, 40% of families had a construction set, but did not use it as developmental material. To reveal to parents the possibilities of LEGO, I use a variety of forms of work:
- parent meeting, at which I introduced parents to this area of work, talked about the types of Lego construction sets, and what educational problems I plan to solve when using it in the classroom and in joint activities.
- consultations (on constructive, creative activities of children, what a child should know and be able to do at a certain age, how to develop children’s creativity, what visual materials and construction sets are best to purchase).
- exhibitions of children's works.
- workshops, master classes.
Thanks to this work, 100% of parents purchased LEGO construction sets of various sizes for their children and note that such work gives boys and girls the opportunity to show their creative abilities, brings real pleasure and brings invaluable benefits in preparing children for school.
My observations suggest that the use of Lego technology is effective and efficient. At the moment, we can state: children show high performance throughout the lesson, work with pleasure both in mini-groups and individually, take the initiative into their own hands, show creativity in decision-making (for example, if there is no part of a suitable color or shape , replace it with another), are not afraid to make mistakes when completing tasks.
Systematic classes with children, as well as the active use of construction sets in independent activities, showed that children began to actively use construction sets in their games. They learned to depict environmental objects and use them in games. We began to understand the diagrams and firmly connect the parts.
Parents say that at home their children show interest in various construction kits; they can work with concentration for a long time without being distracted. Children remember what they do in class and then talk about it in detail at home, play out the stories and situations that they worked on in class using LEGO. All this speaks of the relevance and understandability of these activities for the children themselves, and their high play value.
Analyzing this work from the perspective of the Federal State Educational Standard for preschool education, I state that this technology helps to ensure all targets at the stage of completion of preschool education, namely:
- the child shows initiative and independence in various types of activities: play, communication, construction, etc.; is able to choose his own occupation, participants in joint activities
- the child has a positive attitude towards the world, actively interacts with peers and adults, and participates in joint games
- the child has a developed imagination, which is realized in various types of activities and, above all, in play; masters different forms and types of play, distinguishes between conditional and real situations
- the child has a fairly good command of oral speech, can use speech to express his thoughts, feelings and desires, construct a speech utterance in a communication situation
- The child has developed gross and fine motor skills
- the child is capable of volitional efforts, can follow social norms of behavior and rules in various types of activities, in relationships with adults and peers
- the child shows curiosity; capable of making his own decisions, relying on his knowledge and skills in various activities.
Thus, I believe that this innovative Lego technology can be successfully used not only with children with STD, but also in groups with a general developmental focus.
In the future, my work plans include continuing to run a Lego construction club with children aged 6-7 years, using Lego constructors (smaller parts). As well as adjusting the work program for children in the seventh year of life to master the basic general education program of preschool education in the compensatory group for children with severe speech impairments, taking into account the introduction of Lego technology across all educational areas.
MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF
Educational technology LEGO - construction in a preschool educational institution.Educator, MDOU Kindergarten No. 126, Borzi, Trans-Baikal Territory Bazhenova E.V.
Our modern children live in an era of active information, computerization and robotics. Technical achievements surround us everywhere and penetrate into all spheres of human life, arousing children's interest in modern technology.
Construction has always been present in preschool educational institutions, but if earlier priorities were placed on constructing thinking and developing fine motor skills, now, in accordance with new standards, a new approach is needed.
Our kindergarten implements an additional educational program “LEGO Technology – Construction” . This is an opportunity for a child in kindergarten to introduce as many preschool children as possible to technical creativity.
LEGO construction is a new educational technology. It is a relatively new area of training, education and development of children. The use of construction in extracurricular activities in preschool educational institutions allows you to increase the motivation of children and organize their research and creative work.
Using construction sets - LEGO is a wonderful tool for the intellectual development of children. As part of educational activities, preschoolers become builders, creators and architects. While playing, they come up with and implement their ideas. With the help of the constructor, children are given the opportunity during the game to acquire qualities such as: Independence, curiosity, activity, skills of productive cooperation, mutual understanding, increased self-esteem, the formation of logical thinking, the ability to use diagrams, the ability to relieve emotional and muscle tension, research-technical orientation of education which is based on information technology.
Today, in the era of technological advances, the market offers a large number of interesting construction kits, but not all of them meet educational criteria. What criteria must the designer meet?
- The designer must offer as many design options as the teacher and the child can come up with; he must not limit the imagination.
- A construction set should be part of a line of construction sets that provide the ability to work sequentially with each set, depending on the age of the children and the design tasks.
- The designer should have the idea of complication, which is usually provided by the constituent elements, details of the designer, which make the design diverse and, in the long term, complex.
- To carry a full semantic load and knowledge, which is expressed in the meaningful creation and reproduction by children of models of reality objects from construction set parts.
A designer that meets these criteria is able to perform a serious task associated with the full and harmonious development of a child.
Constructive activity occupies an important place in preschool education and is a complex cognitive process, resulting in the intellectual development of children.
From all of the above it follows that each person has his own path of development and improvement, based on conditions. The task of education comes down to creating these conditions and an educational environment, and through it the surrounding world. And the role of the educator is to competently and skillfully organize an educational environment in which to correctly direct the child to knowledge and creativity.
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