The influence of didactic games on the development of preschool age children: attitude of preschool education teachers

Abstract

Playing for a child is not only fun, but also one of the main and most important methods of education, which, properly organized, helps to develop various child's qualities. Through play, children gain new knowledge, get to know the world around them, interact and collaborate with other children and adults. Jakimavičienė (2017) highlights the extraordinary significance of play for a child's education and development: the play implements the child's essential needs (independence, movement, communication, cognition), it is important for the child's mental development, and also other activities are developed through play. One of the types of play is didactic games, which have a significant impact on child's development. Hakkarainen et. al. (2015) state that play will always be associated with learning. Often, learning and play seem to be at odds: science is defined as serious and very important work, and play is defined as something free and non-binding. However, as far as learning through the games is concerned, this opposition seems to disappear. When working with children, educating them in the form of play is the most attractive and, as many studies show, very effective. The author argues that play is not the same as learning, but it is the most effective form of learning. According to Genius (1929), play is the school of a child’s life: when a child plays any game, it remains in memory as a certain value. Games are essential in the children's lives and play an important role in their development and upbringing, especially in the pre-school age. During didactic games, children get motivated in organized and creative way, taking into account their abilities and getting to know the world around them. Didactic games influence the general development of a child, encourage speech, enrich vocabulary, communication, develop logical thinking (Petrovska et. al., 2013). Analysing the influence of didactic games on the development of preschool children, the author reviews the theoretical ideas of the significance of play, emphasizing didactic games and their impact on the child's development. The results of an empirical study are also presented – the attitude of parents and teachers about the influence of didactic games on a child's development. The aim of the article is to determine the impact of didactic games on the development of preschool children. In order to reveal the aim of the research, the following goals are formulated: 1. Discussion on the concept, type, organization, and structure of didactic play. 2. Emphasis on the benefits of didactic games for the development of preschool children. 3. Revealing the opinion of teachers about the influence of didactic games on the development of preschool children. The following research methods were used in the preparation of the conference (April 28, 2022) presentation: review of scientific literature; questionnaire; statistical analysis of survey data. The research was conducted in February–May 2021. 104 preschool teachers who work in kindergartens were selected for the survey. The survey was conducted online via webpage www.apklausa.lt. The main results. The research shows that preschool teachers play didactic games with children, and the influence of didactic games on child's development is significant. Didactic games benefit preschool children in many aspects: they help to develop the child's language, fine motor skills, fantasy, memory, self-expression, collaboration skills, perception of space, logical thinking. Through didactic games, pre-schoolers also develop their values, perception of discipline as well as they learn to follow established rules.