PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILDREN’S PLAY AND STEM-EDUCATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITION, EMOTION, IMAGINATION, AND CREATIVITY IN CHILDHOOD

Abstract

This study explores the issues related to the role of children’s play in the development of cognition, emotion, imagination, and creativity. It increases the effectiveness of preschoolers’ educational activities by improving their educational environments in order to ensure each child’s creativity and support children’s initiatives, allowing them to be independent and active. Modern experts emphasize the need to support children’s cognitive initiatives in the context of preschool education and family (Veraksa, ). Preparing children for the twenty-fi rst century challenges begins in the early years when they are naturally curious and excited learners, constantly asking questions. The STEM approach in education will make it possible to personalize educational trajectories, to take into account personality characteristics and enable the learners’ creative potential to unfold, laying the foundation for the digital transformation of their education. These activities promote creativity as children question, explore, investigate, and construct meaning through problem-solving and applying previous experiences. All these important skills are employed in the STEM learning paradigm which includes most academic subjects and promotes the development of twenty-fi rst century skills. The study is based on the theoretical foundations of sociocultural studies devoted to the role of children’s play in the development of cognition, emotion, imagination, and creativity in playworlds and educational environments (Vygotsky, ; Elkonin, ; Leontiev, ; Bronfenbrenner, ; Nilsson, Ferholt & Lecusay, ; Smirnova, , ). It presents the ANOVA results and correlation analysis, stating that the quality of preschooler’s education (ECERS-R measurement issue results in Russia) depends on certain indicators of teachers’ professional skills and affects the development of the child’s play activity. The data obtained can serve as reference points for transformation of the preschool education system.