Developmental potential and modalities o using hand-made toys at pre-school level

Abstract

Hand-made toys in this paper are defined as different objects which can be made with children of a pre-school age in a kindergarten within Arts and Crafts activities. Made objects can be used for playing afterwards, having the roles of toys. If these Arts and Crafts activities are planned and realised in a methodologically adequate way, so that children can play, think, explore, and communicate, therefore different cognitive developmental aims are achieved. The aim of the paper is to research and determine positive effects which the processes of hand-made objects/toys and the ways they are used can have on the overall development of children of pre-school age, i.e. to determine their developmental potential and to show their holistic character. For this purpose, there were perspectives defined from which these activities were observed, and which, at the same time represent the pillar for theoretical foundation of this topic: 1) holistic approach to education and education of children of pre-school age, 2) integrative approach to art activities and 3) children's play and the founded connection between them by identifying their mutual features. From the perspective of key aspects of development and positive effects which are present during arts and crafts activities within which the toys can be made, we have shown and analysed the examples of hand-made toys and ways of their use in methodological praxis with the intention to determine in praxis the initial assumptions about the fact that if they are done in a methodologically accurate way, these activities contribute to the entire development of children. Empirical research included the attitudes of pre-school teachers in our kin­dergartens about the significance of hand-made toys and their use as well as the existing praxis and possible problems in their realisation. Results of the research show that pre-school teachers in great extent understand the significance of these processes for all aspects of children's development, but that their involvement, although satisfactory is not in accordance with the significance which pre-school teachers aim at.