At all times, the development of attention in preschool children has been very important for subsequent successful learning. In modern society, where a child is surrounded by numerous electronic devices from infancy, instilling in him the ability to concentrate on performing a specific task is becoming increasingly difficult. Exercises and games to develop attention in preschoolers are becoming increasingly important.

Voluntary and involuntary

What is attention? This is the ability to concentrate, to control our psyche. Psychologists distinguish the following types of it:

• sensory-perceptual, realized through the senses (visual, olfactory, gustatory, auditory);
• intellectual, characterized by the ability to think;
• motor;
• individual or collective.

According to the degree of a person’s ability to control his body, science defines 3 types:

1. Involuntary - inherent in every individual and is a genetic reaction to an irritating factor, for example, a loud sound, a flash of light.
2. Voluntary - has the character of a conscious manifestation, depending on the desire of the individual and requiring conscious actions.
3. Post-voluntary - based on voluntary attention and is defined as the result of concentration on a certain action or object due to the emergence of conscious interest in it.

There is also a distinction between external attention, which is associated with a person’s study of the environment, and internal attention, which is inextricably linked with the process of human self-knowledge.

Differences between the attention of a child and an adult

Features of the development of attention in preschool age are inextricably linked with the developing psyche. On the one hand, the baby is actively studying the world around him, on the other hand, he is not very willing to agree to dwell on something specific for a long time.
He selectively reacts to events that arouse interest. A growing organism adheres to an orienting reflex.
Involuntary attention predominates in the behavior of a preschool child. The baby easily switches from one action or object to another. He is driven by the main motive “I want.”

The formation of a child’s conscious attention occurs gradually. You should not assume that teaching him to concentrate on a certain task is only a matter for kindergarten or school.

The manifestation of voluntary attention is always associated with the struggle between “want” and “need”. In order for the “should” to become conscious and not imposed, it is important to help the child in a playful way learn to consciously concentrate when communicating with parents during entertaining games, reading, and walks. Further, by being involved in collective activities, the child strengthens the skill of concentration.

Is diagnostics required?

As the child gets older, he gradually learns to maintain attention on an increasing number of objects. Games for preschoolers gradually develop perseverance and concentration. But parents and teachers are not always able to promptly identify problems associated with the formation of attentiveness. Often, adults attribute reluctance to engage in or lack of interest in games not related to active movement to character traits.
Diagnosing the development of attention in preschoolers will help identify the problem. To carry it out, a card file of games and training are widely used, allowing you to check such parameters as:

• observation;
• development of auditory attention;
• the ability to switch from one activity to another.

Each task is completed for a time. At an early age, attention is diagnosed using cards, cubes or toys. For example, tasks could be:

• choose cards that show pets;
• collect in a basket what grows in the garden;
• look at the picture, close your eyes, answer what color the car was;
• Color all round objects blue and all triangular objects green.

Development through observation

Features of the attention of preschool children are associated with the specifics of the stimulus and the duration of its impact. At the age of 4 years, the baby is easily and for a long time distracted by playful moments accompanied by loud sounds. Getting his attention back is always difficult.
At 6-7 years old, such distracting moments no longer arouse such long-term interest.
Features of the development of attention in preschool children must be used wisely. All kids are inquisitive. Daily observation of the life of pets - a rodent, fish, turtle, kitten - develops sustained attention to a specific subject. It’s interesting to find out how the hamster will eat or what toy the puppy will choose.
When inviting guests to the house, the child must understand that he must first help his mother set the table and only after that join in the games with the children.
By gradually getting involved in feasible work activities, completing tasks and enjoying the result (a beautifully molded pie, neatly arranged shoes, felt-tip pens placed in a pencil case), the child develops voluntary attention.
Process research teaches you to draw conclusions by consolidating the results obtained.

Attention is the key to successful studies

The development of attention in older preschoolers should occur in a timely manner. Otherwise, at school it will be very difficult for the child to fit into the daily routine, which requires increased concentration of attention for a long time.
The development of attention in preschool age is laying the foundation for the child’s entire school future. If at the age of 4-5 years he is able to perform certain actions under the guidance of an adult, then by 6-7 years he should be able to independently consciously concentrate his attention on performing certain actions. The older preschooler, who is ready to network at his desk, has clearly expressed self-organization skills. He must be able to follow self-instructions.
It should be remembered that this result is impossible without all the support and help of adults.
The development of attention in children of senior preschool age is inextricably linked with the ability to perform household duties, first under the guidance of parents, and then voluntarily, understanding their necessity and their responsibility. To do this, mom and dad should try to turn any household work involving the baby into an interesting activity.

How to help a preschooler?

Preparing for school is the home stretch from a carefree childhood to a life with a range of everyday obligations and responsibilities. Their school well-being depends on how correctly voluntary attention develops in children of senior preschool age.
Therefore, in the preparatory groups of kindergartens, concentration exercises are required in the classroom. They help the child:

• activate the psychological and physiological processes necessary in the learning process;
• independently analyze and select the necessary information;
• learn to selectively and regularly focus on the same type of activity.

Diagnosis of the attention of preschoolers is simply necessary if they did not attend kindergarten. Preparing for school is too important a period in which the game process no longer prevails. It is extremely important for preschoolers to be able to understand what is required of them and complete tasks. The ability to understand the connections between words and actions is a manifestation of attention.
When identifying problems in the formation of the attention of preschoolers, it is necessary to correct the situation in a timely manner, starting with an examination.

The ability to concentrate is the basis of success

No matter how it sounds, the formation of attentiveness in childhood is the basis of future personal life. The ability to hear people around you and the lack of fear of responsibility for your actions determine a person’s ability to create long-term, strong relationships.
What kind of training his psyche was subjected to in childhood, how many developmental activities there were in preschool and school age - all this involuntarily leaves an imprint on adult life.
The ability to concentrate on the task at hand is the most important characteristic that determines business qualities. That is why exercises for developing attention in preschoolers are so important, especially in older children on the threshold of school. At this age, a child should be able to combine actions with several objects. For example, listen to a fairy tale and put away the toys, or get dressed and recite a rhyme.

Tatiana Kapilevich
The concept and methods of developing attention in preschool children

What is it attention?

Attention- this is the concentration of the subject’s activity at a given moment in time on any real or ideal object.

Attention cannot be considered as an independent mental process.

It characterizes the dynamics of any mental process, ensures selectivity, selectivity of the course of any mental activity, any mental processes (cognitive, emotional, volitional).

There are several forms attention. To them applies:

Touch attention - visual, auditory, tactile, etc.

Motor attention - attention, manifested in motor processes, their awareness and regulation.

Emotional attention attracted to emotionally significant stimuli (has a close connection with memory, with the process of imprinting information).

Intellectual attention- manifests itself in intellectual activity, i.e. - to the subject of reflection, intellectual operations.

Problem attention- one of the most difficult problems in psychology.

Well studied sensory and motor attention. Worse are its emotional and intellectual forms.

Attention has external and internal manifestations.

External ones include: tense posture, concentrated gaze...

Internal - changes in the body (for example, increased heart rate, breathing, release of adrenaline in the blood, etc.)

Attention performs many different functions in human life and activity.

It activates necessary and inhibits currently unnecessary psychological and physiological processes.

Contributes organized and targeted selection of information entering the body in accordance with its current needs.

Provides selective and long-term concentration on one object or activity.

WITH attention the direction and selectivity of cognitive processes are related.

Attention the accuracy and detail of perception, the strength and selectivity of memory, the direction and productivity of mental activity are determined.

There are several types attention. A exactly:

Natural attention given to a person from birth in the form of an innate capabilities selectively respond to external or internal stimuli that contain elements of information novelty.

Socially conditioned attention develops during life as a result of training and upbringing.

Direct attention- it is not controlled by anything other than the object to which it is directed and which corresponds to the actual interests and needs of a person.

Indirect attention regulated using special means (gestures, words, etc.)

Involuntary attention not related to the participation of the will. This is what attention, with which a person is born. It does not require effort to hold for a certain time, to concentrate on something. attention, and arbitrary attention has all these qualities.

free attention necessarily includes volitional regulation and is formed as all mental functions develop. This is a socially mediated kind attention.

Sensual attention associated with emotions and selective functioning of the senses.

Intellectual attention associated with concentration and direction of thought.

About the level attention development says his formation properties:

concentrations; sustainability; distribution and switching.

Concentration is determined by how deep a person is in his work.

Sustainability. Its indicator is the time of concentration on an object and the number of distractions from it.

Switching occurs when moving from one object or activity to another.

Distribution occurs when a person performs several actions simultaneously (For example: recites a poem while moving around the room).

Attention is a condition for the successful implementation of any activity, both external and internal, and its product is its high-quality implementation.

The opposite attention is absent-mindedness. This is a state when a person holds on to nothing thoroughly and for a long time. attention can't, is constantly distracted by strangers, and nothing attracts him to itself for a long time attention, and now gives way to something else.

Development of attention in preschoolers.

The development of attention in preschoolers is associated with that with each subsequent year the organization of life changes children.

They learn new activities (game, work, productive).

The child directs his actions under the influence of an adult (educator, parent, teacher, who increasingly speaks preschooler: "Be attentive» , "Listen attentively» , "Look attentively» .

While fulfilling the adult's demands, the child must manage his attention.

Associated with mastering the means of controlling it.

Initially, these are external means, a pointing gesture, the word of an adult.

In senior preschool age such a means becomes the speech of the child himself, which acquires a planning function ( For example: “I want to see the monkeys first and then the crocodiles.”, says the child on the way to the zoo. He sets a goal "look" and then attentively examines objects of interest).

Thus, development of voluntary attention is closely related not only to speech development, but also with an understanding of the significance of the upcoming activity, awareness of its purpose.

Development of voluntary attention is also associated with the development of norms and rules of behavior, the formation of volitional action ( For example: the child wants to join others in the game children, but you can't. He's on duty today. First you need to help an adult set the table. The child focuses on completing this task.

Gradually he becomes attracted to the process of being on duty; he likes how beautifully he arranges the instruments. And strong-willed efforts to maintain no more attention required.

Important for development of attention of preschoolers has a daily routine. It creates reference points in life children, serves as an external means of its organization; facilitates switching, distribution and concentration attention.

Main role in helping development of attention in children plays, of course, an adult (parent, teacher, etc.)

All along preschool childhood children attracts emotionally rich material.

An adult, remembering this, must create a zone of positive experiences, thereby causing and supporting children's attention.

When learning new material, it is of great importance ways to present it. This should always be taken into account!

Attention children attracts the story of a teacher, educator, parent, which is distinguished by its liveliness and dynamism.

Also for children It is very important to understand what they are being told, what it means.

Great value for attraction and retention children's activity has attention. We must try to make sure that they are not passive listeners and spectators, but also act on their own, i.e. ask questions, become interested, make their own conclusions, etc.

Huge role in the development of attention of preschool children is performed by the game, as the main activity in this age.

In the game develops not only intensity and concentration attention, but also its stability.

Games and exercises that involve mental and physical activity require the child to switch, distribute and concentrate attention.

And of course, adults must remember that an important condition attention is: general cultural level children; expanding their cognitive interests; increasing the range of performances; enrichment with knowledge, skills and abilities; general awareness and breadth of outlook.

V. A. Sukhomlinsky wrote: « Attention a small child is capricious "creature". It seems to me like a timid bird that flies away from the nest as soon as you try to get closer to it. When you finally manage to catch the bird, you can only hold it in your hands or in a cage. Don't expect a bird to sing if it feels like a prisoner. Yes and attention of a small child: if you hold it like a bird, then it is a bad helper for you.”

Based on the above, you can do the following conclusion: Certainly development of attention in preschool children largely depends on us - adults, directly on our participation in this process. Since it requires a lot of patience, a qualified and competent approach, and most importantly, love for children, because this is a painstaking and lengthy task if you want to help.

Tips for parents and educators to help development of attention in preschool children.

1. Include games and exercises in each lesson development of attention, widely presented in the literature for teachers and parents.

2. Include in your activities with your child tasks that require quite a long time. concentration: draw a city, build a complex bridge, listen and retell a fairy tale, etc.

3. Offer your child the following exercise: in a newspaper or old book, cross out all the letters on one of the pages with a pencil "A", trying not to miss them (the task can be gradually complicated by asking the child to cross out all the letters "A", circle all the letters "b", underline all letters "d").

4. Use educational games with clearly defined rules.

5. Regularly include your child in completing tasks according to a pre-developed plan. actions: you can make constructions from construction sets, drawings, ornaments, applications, crafts, the shape of which you specify verbally or using a diagram.

6. Train your child in retelling stories and fairy tales according to a schematic plan drawn up by you.

7. Offer to children: repeat words, numbers, sentences that you said, unfinished phrases that need to be completed, questions that need to be answered, encouraging the child when he copes with the task correctly.

8. Learn to analyze and compare a sample and the results of your own and others’ work, find and correct errors.

9. Learn to switch attention using motor exercises on command or signal adult: jump, stop, walk, etc.

10. Periodic switching from one type of work to another, a multifaceted structure of the lesson, active cognitive activity, the formation of control operations and self-control - this approach will make the lesson interesting for the child, which in itself will be help organize his attention.

One of the questions that concerns many parents is what exercises will help develop attention in children. You may notice that children are rarely focused and concentrated; sometimes it is not easy for them to do one thing, and yet attention is necessary not only for the sake of success in school or play, but also for their own safety.

What is attention?

Attention is a certain psychological process, a person’s ability to concentrate on a necessary action. A child’s success in school largely depends on how well it is developed, so it is very important to start working in preschool age, to create conditions for involuntary attention to develop into a voluntary, volitional ability to concentrate. And the best thing parents can do is to develop the ability to concentrate through play.

The following characteristics of this process can be distinguished.

• Volume. That is, the amount of information that a child can retain in his mind.
• Concentration. A child’s ability to concentrate on something specific.
• Sustainability. The period of time during which it is possible to maintain concentration.
• Distribution. The ability to divide attention into several simultaneously occurring processes.
• Switchability. The ability to quickly transfer concentration from one action to another.

The task of parents is to work with their children so productively that they form and develop all these characteristics.

Attention is one of the processes of the cognitive, that is, cognitive, sphere of a person - along with memory, thinking, perception and imagination. Without concentration, it is impossible to obtain new information in the required volume and remember it, so this process can be confidently called the first stage of cognition. Then, with the help of memory, a person accumulates acquired information. Only with the necessary level of attention will a child be able to learn cognitive processes such as reading, writing, and learning in the future.

Species

There are several types of attention that have their own specificity in preschool children.

First of all, passive (involuntary, or unintentional) attention, that is, focusing on something interesting, unusual without the child’s volitional efforts. In preschool age, this type is the main one: first, children pay attention to something noticeable, then they begin to be interested in what they did not know before, new to themselves.

The next stage of development is the formation of voluntary attention, and it is important to understand that it will not arise on its own from involuntary attention; for this it is necessary to train the child. The active variety is directly related to volitional efforts, so if a child is sick or irritated, his ability to concentrate decreases. Voluntary attention begins to form at the age of 4-5, although the first type still remains dominant throughout preschool childhood.

Concentration standards

Concentration of attention refers to the period of time during which a person is able to maintain concentration on one action. In children, it can have a different duration depending on age, but even the number of years lived is not a fundamental factor. The norm depends on the individual characteristics of the baby. The table shows specific indicators.

Indicators can be either increased or decreased, because attention, like the body and brain, can be trained with special exercises. Regular classes with a preschooler will give parents and the child a good mood, and will also be very useful for improving the ability to concentrate on something and maintain this concentration. It is necessary to develop it so that the child becomes more observant and can easily detect any small details or subtle signs. All this will further help in the learning process, since attention is closely related to memorization.

Formation of attention

Psychologists distinguish 6 stages of attention development in children.

1. Disseminated (from 0 to 1 year). Children can be distracted by any noise or new toy.
2. Fixed (1-2 years). The kid, busy with his business, is so absorbed in it that he does not notice anything around him.
3. Flexible single-channel (2-3 years). He may stop what he is doing when he hears an address to himself, but will return to it very quickly.
4. Established single-channel (3-4 years). Children can switch from one process to another, interrupt their activities, and then return to them again.
5. Two-channel short-term (4-5 years). The child gains the ability to do two things at the same time - for example, play and listen to what his mother tells him. If it is necessary to perform a complex action, he is able to concentrate on it.
6. Emerging two-channel (5-6 years). Can do two things at the same time, which is why attention training should begin at this age.

Knowing these stages will help parents understand their child better.

Techniques for increasing attention

We have seen that developing the ability to concentrate is of particular importance for preschoolers. And parents should train their children using an unobtrusive game form. Let's highlight a few tricks and techniques that you can use.

• Maintaining interest. Using game forms, you can ensure that the child will study with great pleasure and, accordingly, attentively.
• Stick to the duration of your classes. So, when studying numbers with a 4-year-old child, you need to understand that the child is able to hold attention for no more than 20 minutes, so it is better to keep the educational material within this framework.
• Favorite characters and toys will also help you not lose interest, and therefore listen and perceive what the parent is saying.
• Show by example. You can explain to your child that if he is attentive and tries to fulfill his parents’ instructions, then the result (for example, a tower of blocks) will turn out much better than if he worked without concentrating, somehow.
• Reading and attention are interconnected, so to improve the second, you can teach your child the first. While the baby is just getting acquainted with letters, the mother can read interesting fairy tales and stories to him. Afterwards, you definitely need to discuss what you read, asking to retell it, asking questions. This will help you find out how carefully the baby listened.

If the baby has trouble concentrating and is very far from his age norm, then he may have shallow breathing. Inflating balloons, soap bubbles, playing a pipe or a whistle will help correct the situation. In addition, studies have proven that walks in the fresh air and active sports games are very beneficial for children.

Types of exercises for development

The following types of attention tasks can be distinguished for 5–6 year olds.

• • Repetition. The parent draws a series of 2-3 repeating figures on paper, the child’s task is to determine which one should go next and complete the series. Instead of figures, you can build rows of letters.
  • Search for the superfluous. At first, the task is simple: for example, the baby is offered 10 triangles and 1 square or 5 animals and one plant. We are gradually making it more complicated: 5 garden flowers and 1 wildflower are presented.
  • Find the difference. The game is well known to everyone. Two almost identical pictures are laid out in front of the child, his task is to find those details that are slightly different. The level of difficulty also varies depending on preparedness.

• • A variation of the previous task - find two identical ones. The child is offered an illustration that depicts several objects, such as vases, that differ from each other in minor details. The preschooler must carefully examine the models and find two identical ones among them. In the first stages of work, it is better to use pictures with obvious differences; this will help the child gain self-confidence and reinforce his interest. Further tasks become more difficult.
  • Working with pictures. There are special illustrations in which animals, such as tigers or wolves, are presented in a veiled form. You can invite your child to find them all.
  • Correlation of an object and its shadow.

• Coloring by numbers. The parent gives the child a black and white picture that needs to be made in color, while the picture itself is divided into fragments, each of which is marked with its own number. A decoding of the numbers is provided separately (for example, 6 is pink, 5 is red). The child’s task is to carefully color the image without confusing the tones.
• Drawing by numbers. A very good exercise for preschoolers who are familiar with counting to one hundred, and children of primary school age. The child is offered a picture, which for now consists only of dots, next to which a number is indicated. The kid must connect them, moving in order: first find 1, then connect it with 2, and so on.

It is important to remember that training should be built according to the principle “from simple to complex.” If the child does not succeed in something, you should postpone this task and offer him a simpler option.

Examples of simple games

There are a huge number of all kinds of games and tasks that will help your child learn to concentrate and also give him a good mood. The main thing is to conduct them in a positive way; the child should not have the thought that he is being taught something. It’s better if he is sure that mom and dad are playing with him.

Auditory attention

“Edible – Inedible” is a simple but effective game that you can play with one child or several. Mom throws the ball, saying the name of a dish, product or inedible item, such as clothing. The child listens carefully. If he hears the name of food, then he catches the ball, but if something unrelated to cooking sounds, then he needs to hit the ball.

There are many variations, so when a child is tired of food and is bored, you can offer slightly different games.

• "It flies - it doesn't fly." The mother names animals and birds, the child, when he hears the name of a bird, raises his hands, and when he hears the name of an animal, he crouches. Over time, the task becomes more complicated - the adult names the animal and raises his hands, while the child must pay attention and sit down.
• "Harvest". Mom is reading some story, into which she will periodically insert the words “plums” and “cherries,” and not always appropriately. The child must, firstly, hear the signal words themselves, and then perform the action: for “plums”, jump, for “cherries” - stand on one leg. An important feature is that the exercise is done from simple to complex: first, when pronouncing the text, the parent uses his voice to highlight signal words, then pronounces them in a normal rhythm so that the child is more attentive.
• "Catch - don't catch." You will need two small balls - light and dark. A light child should always catch, and a dark child should only catch when his mother silently throws him. If at the same time the command “Catch” is heard, then you cannot catch.
• “Repeat the rhythm.” The mother sets a simple rhythm, beating it with her palms, and the baby must repeat it.
• "Clap." This is also an interesting task, the level of difficulty of which can vary depending on the child’s preparation. The mother gives the instruction: when she claps once, the child stands on his toes, when he claps twice, on his heels, when he claps three times, he squats. The speed of the clapping gradually increases.

All these games are good because they are not tied to a specific place, they can be played almost anywhere, and the child will not have the feeling that he is being taught something, he will have fun and interest.

Series of tasks

The child is given instructions to complete several tasks (you need to start with three, gradually increasing their number), while all tasks are listed at once, so the child will have to remember both the actions themselves and their order. For example:

1. Jump 7 times.
2. Bring the red item.
3. Name a garden flower.

If the child did everything correctly, you should definitely praise him, but if something didn’t work out, correct him, but in a soft, delicate manner. Gradually the number of tasks and their complexity increases; such an exercise will also help improve memory.

Other effective games

It is very important to constantly offer the preschooler something new, so that he gets the impression of a game, and not a useful activity. For example, "Dwarfs and Giants". The idea is simple: mom names an object, it must be either large (mountain, skyscraper, multi-story building, whale, elephant) or small (needle, button, coin, bead). The child listens, when a word from the “big” series is pronounced, that is, “giant,” he stands on his toes and raises his straight arms up, when the “small” one, he crouches.

If there are several children, you can play “Broken Phone”. To do this, all participants sit in a row, the first one whispers a word in the ear of the second child, who passes it on to the third, and so on. The latter listens to the word and pronounces it out loud; if it matches the original version, then the phone works, but if not, it is broken.

“Guess where the woodpecker is.” An adult knocks, imitating the knock of a woodpecker, sometimes loudly (the bird is close), sometimes quietly (far away). The baby’s task is to tell where exactly the woodpecker is located.

Visual attention

There are a large number of exercises that will help improve visual concentration, and you can play in any convenient place - at home, on a walk, on the way to your grandmother. They are simple, do not require any preparation, and are effective.

• Search for an item. The mother describes some object that is in the room (outside), the child must find it with his eyes and name it.
• "Look at me." The child examines his mother, her outfit, hairstyle, and accessories for a few seconds. Then he turns his back to her and answers questions like “what color is my bag”, “am I wearing a lilac jacket”, “do I have a brooch”? The main thing is to formulate questions so that the child has a chance to answer them. You can also complicate the work: the child looks at his mother, tries to remember the details of her costume, after which she changes something in her appearance, for example, takes off her scarf. The baby must remember the previous image and report what changes have happened to him. The game is played on the principle of increasing complexity: at first the change is obvious, then, when it becomes easier to achieve the required concentration of attention, the details are chosen to be less significant. For example, a mother can remove the ring from one finger and put it on the other, or make two changes to her image (of course, the child must be warned about this).
• Working with a picture. Very similar to the previous task. The child is given a picture that he has not seen before. He should try to remember as many details as possible. After this, the illustration is removed and the baby is asked a series of questions.
• Graphic task "Beetle". The parent draws a sheet of paper in advance to make cells. Places a beetle figurine in one of them. Then he gives the task - listening to his prompts, move the insect. For example: two cells to the right - then one down - now three to the left and one up. Then the task becomes more complicated: mom immediately names several moves: cell down - two to the left - three up. The child must follow the direction with his eyes and place the beetle in the last cell. You can't move your finger.
• Another good exercise is “Cross out the letter.” The mother gives the baby a text, as well as a task - to find all the letters in it, for example, L and cross them out. When this works out well, you can make it more complicated: find A and L, cross out L with one line, and cross out A with two.
• “Do it as it was.” The figures are laid out in front of the child in a certain sequence. These can be buttons of different colors and colors, toy dishes, cards with images. The child tries to remember the sequence, then turns away, and the mother swaps some two objects. Turning around, the baby must say where the changes occurred.

Games to develop attention should be carried out regularly, only in this case can a positive effect be expected from them. Among the many exercises, you can choose those that your baby likes most and turn to them.

Every parent thinks about the proper development of their child. It is especially important to develop children of kindergarten age, because their psyche is just beginning to form, and all the instilled skills and habits are reinforced for life. And they influence the fate of the child. During this period of life, children need to not only be taught to read and write, but also to instill in them communication skills and teach them to think correctly. Not the last place should be occupied by the development of attention in preschoolers.

What is attention?

When working with a child, attention is paid not only to the physiological area, but also to the formation of the psyche. When developing attention in preschoolers, decent results can be seen already in the second or third week of regular classes.

What is attention? Why is it so important to develop it? Attention is the ability of consciousness to focus on something specific, while distracting from everything else.

Attention can be directed to an object in the external world or to one’s own thoughts, feelings and experiences. It helps to master intellectual activity and master new subjects. Improves school performance.

Attention includes concepts such as:

• Concentration. This is a person’s ability to concentrate for a certain time on some object or task.
• Volume. Ability to focus on multiple objects simultaneously. Typically, by the age of three, children can focus on two or three objects at once.
• Switchability. Characterized by the speed of movement of attention from one subject to another. Interconnected with human willpower.
• Distributability. The ability to distribute attention between several objects and areas of activity simultaneously.

Attention should be constantly trained, only then will the child be able to perceive an object selectively. Develop the habit of correctly and quickly switching from one subject to another. During concentration, the baby comprehends the object, its properties, and uses his imagination. He thinks what he can do with the selected object.

Preschool age is a period when a child enjoys learning everything new. The development of auditory attention in preschoolers, as well as visual attention, is a process that the child perceives with joy and easily assimilates.

Includes the following areas:

• memory management;
• attention distribution skills;
• ability to concentrate;
• developing and improving mindfulness.

Often, the development of attention in preschoolers occurs in a playful way and is usually liked by children. But if the child does not like the activity, then he should not be forced. You need to wait it out and work out in a few hours or the next day.

Types of attention

There are two types of attention - involuntary and voluntary.

The first type involves performing spontaneous actions. There is no prior conscious intention attached or involved. This type of attention occurs against the background of internal and external stimuli. These include a pungent or unpleasant odor, bright lighting, and strong sound. Internal factors that cause involuntary attention are the feelings and needs of a person, the interests of the individual.

Voluntary attention refers to the social. It begins to form under the influence of adults. The development of voluntary attention in preschoolers is associated with the implementation of certain goals that a parent or teacher sets for the child. As children grow older, they begin to set goals for themselves, making an effort of will to do so. Therefore, it is important to devote a lot of time to developing attention in preschoolers. This will have a positive impact on their future fate and will help them study at school.

Attention disorder

Definitely, time should be devoted to developing attention in preschoolers. Otherwise, it may be disrupted, which leads to a decrease in psychological stability and concentration.

Children with impaired attention do not learn well, do not know how to think and concentrate. Poor orientation on the street. They are unable to act according to instructions and do not perceive speech by ear. For such a child, words do not carry any informative meaning. Impaired attention entails a syndrome of its complete absence.

What are the risks to a child of inattention? First of all, impaired attention causes overwork, social withdrawal, stress and depression. Inattention provokes scandals in the family and difficult recovery from illness. Children with lack of attention are more susceptible than others to spring hypovitaminosis and colds. As a rule, such children spend little time in the fresh air and eat poorly.

Even reduced attention does not allow you to follow the events taking place. The thoughts of such children jump from one object to another, missing the pure awareness of what is happening. Children with this level of attention have difficulty completing new exercises and constantly return to old, already mastered activities. Such a child is unable to concentrate. He quickly loses interest in everything.

Treatment of children with reduced attention should be carried out by a specialist. Prescribe medications. To say what means of developing the attention of preschoolers should be resorted to in this case. Sometimes you don’t even need to make any special efforts. Even exercises to develop attention in preschoolers can sometimes correct this situation.

Symptoms of inattention

When do parents begin to worry and realize that more time should be devoted to developing the attention of a preschooler? This moment comes when adults see that the baby does not know how to concentrate on several objects at all. The child is constantly distracted, it is difficult for him to gather himself and sit still. A lack of attentiveness is also indicated by the inability to concentrate on a specific object or activity. Poor switching from one type of hobby to another also speaks of inattention. Questions also arise when a child cannot perform several types of activities at the same time, cannot concentrate at the request of an adult, and is absent-minded.

There is such a thing as an “attention crisis.” It implies the child’s ability to perceive oral speech not completely, but in parts, over a certain period of time. As a rule, the child is focused only for the first 15 minutes. Then the child's brain turns off for 2-3 minutes. The next batch of information is perceived within 12 minutes, that is, three minutes less, then another “crisis of attention” occurs. Next comes the third “crisis”, the final one. After ten minutes, the child’s brain completely ceases to perceive oral speech. He feels tired and sleepy.

During classes, this feature of some children should be taken into account, and at moments when the brain ceases to perceive information, the child should be switched to another activity. Arrange a physical education session, joke, help the child relieve tension and relax.

Stages of attention development

There is a special approach to developing the attention of a preschool child. Classes should take place in a comfortable environment. It is better to tell the child the content of the upcoming exercises. The baby must have a positive attitude and be prepared for confidential communication.

The development of attention in a child occurs in several stages:

• In the first year of life, babies develop only involuntary attention.
• In the second year, the baby begins to study the outside world more intensively and explores everything around. It is during this period of life that the first rudiments of voluntary attention are laid.
• From the third year of life, children are able to follow simple instructions. They look with their eyes for the object they need.
• In the fourth and fifth years of life, the child is able to act according to verbal instructions. Can purposefully search for an object. Able to analyze the properties of an object. Establish his connection with the outside world.
• At five or six years old, the child begins to improve his desires. To carry them out, he develops certain instructions.
• At the age of seven, volitional desire is fully formed. The amount of information, the ability to concentrate and the stability of attention will change and improve as they grow older.

When developing the attention of a preschool child, you should use special games and exercises that are aimed at improving this area of ​​the human psyche. To prevent the child from getting bored with activities, physical and mental exercises should alternate.

Features of the development of attention in children are that the child becomes obedient at this period of life. Enjoys studying and exploring the outside world. Strives for independence. These children should be allowed to do things themselves. Learn to finish things. Allow the baby to express his desires and thoughts. At this moment, it is important to help your child create his own world on paper or using a construction set. In this way, the child learns to react correctly, empathize and understand people.

The development of voluntary attention in older preschoolers consists of the opportunity to participate in role-playing games. These can be scenes from various fairy tales. Hospital, store or war games. The main thing is to help the child draw up an action plan and distribute roles in the game. Learn to communicate correctly. It is in such games that the baby learns to concentrate his attention.

When creating mathematical activities for children, it should be taken into account that the preschooler is already familiar with simple geometric figures, is able to arrange numbers up to ten in the right order, can distinguish a large object from a small one and compare the number of objects.

Logical classes should teach you to focus on a specific object. This could be finding differences between two pictures, putting together a simple puzzle or a construction set based on a model. You can invite your child to generalize objects according to similar characteristics, retell a fairy tale, list the names of cities and countries, or describe a certain fruit or vegetable. The main thing is that the activity is interesting and can captivate the child for 10 minutes.

Developing a preschooler's attention: games and exercises

Each age of the child has its own nuances. When developing attention in older preschoolers, it should be taken into account that children at this age speak well and are able to construct sentences. They feel intonation, perceive music, reproduce various movements, and also enjoy sculpting, drawing, gluing, making crafts, and helping with housework.

When developing attention in preschoolers, outdoor games should also be involved. Morning exercises, dodgeball and other ball games are useful. They teach you to concentrate on several stimuli at once.

Active physical exercises to develop attention in older preschoolers can be as follows:

• Imitation. Here the children are arranged in a circle. The presenter is in the center and says certain words. For example, when hearing the word “bunny,” children should jump, etc.
• Ear-nose. A specific body part is named and children must grab the organ mentioned.
• Onlookers. Children walk in a circle. As soon as the clap is heard, they must turn over, and the one who gaped is eliminated.

Classes should be held calmly, without excessive activity. Children should not push each other and move quickly to avoid bruises and injuries.

An exercise to develop attention in preschoolers can also be done according to the schemes suggested below:

• "What's missing?" Several objects are placed in front of the child and given time to study them. Then they ask the baby to turn away and remove one toy. The preschooler must name the missing item.
• "Find a toy." You need to hide the toy and then explain where it is. And the child, relying on a verbal description, must find the hidden thing.
• "Differences" The child is shown two similar pictures and asked to find the differences.
• "Days of the week." The days of the week are named at a fast pace, and when the weekend is mentioned, the child should clap his hands.
• Circle the picture. You should draw an image from the dots. The child must connect the dots with a continuous line to create a drawing.

Activities with children to develop attention

Developing the attention of preschoolers should be fun. Exercises should be engaging and enjoyable for the baby. The following activities may be interesting for children:

• The task is to draw a city, a road, a house, a bunny, etc. If the child does not like to draw, then you can ask them to make a figure from plasticine. Some children enjoy gluing or cutting.
• Any piece from an old book or newspaper will do for this task. In it you need to ask the child to cross out a certain letter. For example, the letter "a" or "e". Over time, the task can be complicated by asking one letter to be crossed out and the other underlined.
• You can develop an action plan with your child for the lesson and strictly follow it. Let's say the child will first have drawing, then modeling, and then work assignments around the house.
• Attention is developed by searching for errors in pictures. For example, you can draw apples on a spruce tree, and pine cones on an apple tree.
• You can place several objects in front of the child. Then cover them, and the child must reproduce from memory the things that lay in front of him. It is believed that if a preschool child names 6-7 objects, then this is already good.
• Arrangement of objects. Place several objects on the table, the child will study them. Then you should ask the baby to close his eyes. The order of things should be changed. The child must reproduce from memory the previous arrangement of objects.
• It helps to concentrate by memorizing a verse with the sound stimulus turned on. For example, when the TV is running.
• "Make no mistake." The adult pronounces a set of words, and the child must clap his hands when voicing certain objects. For example, when naming vegetables, transport or clothing.
• A “digital” table gives a good learning result. On a piece of paper, numbers from 1 to 10 or 20 are placed in a chaotic order. The child counts in order, pointing to the numbers.
• "Top-clap." When pronouncing the correct phrases, the child stomps; if he hears an incorrect one, he claps.
• When listening to a fairy tale, an adult knocks the hammer several times. The child must count how many times he heard the hammer sound.
• The child repeats the movements after the adult. Manipulations that the baby should not perform are determined in advance. As soon as the baby repeats the prohibited movement, he loses.

Time must be allocated to develop the memory and attention of a preschooler, otherwise at school the child will encounter difficulties in mastering new subjects, will not be assiduous and will have difficulty learning.

Breathing exercises

Breath control exercises are just as important for developing preschoolers' attention as any other. Why are such exercises carried out? First of all, in order to establish a breathing rhythm and improve self-control functions. Breathing exercises that help develop mindfulness are as follows:

• "Balloon". To perform it you need to relax your stomach. After which the child is asked to inhale and inflate his stomach, simulating the presence of a ball in the stomach. The exercise should be done several times.
• Alternately inhaling air. Having closed the right nostril, they begin to breathe with the left and, conversely, having closed the left nostril, they breathe with the right. This exercise stimulates the hemispheres of the brain.
• Alternately inhale and exhale air through the nose. This exercise is similar to the previous one and differs from it in that you need to inhale air through one nostril and exhale through the other.
• Inhaling air with eyes closed and open. When performing this exercise, the child should open his eyes when inhaling, and close them when exhaling. After several repetitions, inhale with your eyes closed and exhale with your eyes open.

These exercises, like the previous ones, are aimed at developing voluntary attention in preschoolers. The main thing is to do them regularly, then the result will not be long in coming.

Rules for developing mindfulness

There are many techniques aimed at developing attention in preschoolers, and when mastering them, several identical principles apply:

• Gradualism. You should not start training immediately with complex exercises. Graduality is good here, and it is worth adhering to the principle “from simple to complex.”
• Memorizing the rules. The child must not only follow the verbal requirements of adults, but also remember the rules himself. Keep them in mind so that in the future he can complete the task independently, without the supervision of adults.
• Control of your actions. During classes, the child must monitor and control his actions. Build an algorithm for completing the task. Be able to create a sequence of your steps in your head and voice them out loud. The baby must learn to follow instructions.
• No violence. There is no need to force your child to participate in activities. If the baby is not in the mood, then you should work with him at another time. If a child does not like an exercise, then it should be replaced with another. The main thing is that the child enjoys the activities.

Parents should devote a lot of time to developing attention, memory and thinking in preschoolers. Then school will bring joy to the child, and learning will be easy, and overcoming difficulties in acquiring knowledge will not cause negative emotions.

Among mental phenomena, attention occupies a special place: it is not an independent mental process and does not relate to personality properties. At the same time, attention is always included in practical activities and in cognitive processes, through it the interests and orientation of the individual are expressed.

Attention is understood as the direction and concentration of mental activity on a specific object. The first manifestations of attention can be observed already in a newborn during sucking. During preschool age, the properties of attention and its arbitrariness develop. The child learns to control himself and consciously direct his attention to a specific object. At the same time, he uses external means to organize attention, primarily the word and pointing gesture of an adult, i.e. attention becomes indirect.

In preschool childhood, the volume of attention increases, i.e. the number of objects that can be clearly perceived in a relatively short period of time. The stability of attention changes as the ability to maintain focus on an object. One of the indicators of attention stability is the duration of concentration. Distribution of attention indicates that the child can direct and concentrate attention on several objects at the same time.

The development of the properties and types of attention of a preschooler significantly depends on the significance, emotionality, interest of the material for him, and on the nature of the activity that the child performs. Thus, attention indicators increase significantly in role-playing and didactic games. The development of attention is closely related to the development of will and voluntary behavior, the ability to control one’s behavior.

The attention of a preschooler is closely related to perception. Isolating an object from the background, highlighting details, comparing with a standard - all perceptual actions include attention and lead to its development. This can be seen in qualitative changes: stability and focus are increasing. A preschooler can spend a long time drawing, “exploring” the sand, playing Easter cakes or building houses. Under the influence of new requirements in new types of activity, the task arises not to be distracted, to consider in detail, etc., then special actions of attention begin to form, it acquires an arbitrary deliberate character - a new quality.

The following forms of attention are distinguished in preschool children:

Sensory;

Intellectual;

Motor;

The main functions of attention are:

Activation of necessary and inhibition of currently unnecessary mental and physiological processes;

Purposeful, organized selection of incoming information;

Retention, preservation of images of a certain subject content until the goal is achieved;

Ensuring long-term concentration and activity on the same object;

Regulation and control of activities.

Attention, like all other mental processes, has lower and higher forms. The former are represented by involuntary attention, and the latter by voluntary attention. Direct attention is also a lower form of its development than indirect attention.

L.S. tried to trace the history of the development of attention, as well as many other mental functions. Vygotsky in line with his cultural and historical concept of their formation. He wrote that the history of a child’s attention is the history of the development of the organization of his behavior, and that the key to the genetic understanding of a child’s attention should be sought not inside, but outside the child’s personality.

The general sequence of cultural development of attention according to L.S. Vygotsky is as follows: “First, people act towards the child, then he himself interacts with those around him, finally, he begins to act on others and only in the end begins to act on himself... First, the adult directs his attention with words to the things around him and thus develops powerful stimulus-instructions from words; then the child begins to actively participate in this direction and begins to use words and sounds as a means of direction, i.e. draw the attention of adults to the subject of interest"

Involuntary attention is associated with the assimilation of new differentiated knowledge about the types of animals, insects, flowers, features of buildings, etc. All this is first explained and shown by adults, then the child notices it himself, involuntarily. What was explained not only attracts attention in itself, but also serves as a kind of background against which unusual objects become noticeable. Children notice a friend's new clothes, unusual flowers, different brands of cars, new words and phrases. They notice not only what is bright, catchy, loud, but also what is unusual - something that was not in their experience.

Particularly indicative for the development of a child is attention to speech - the story of an adult. Here the physical characteristics of the voice fade into the background, and the content that is understood based on experience becomes significant. However, until the end of preschool childhood, intonation, mystery, and pauses are used to organize children’s attention.

Voluntary attention develops in the course of purposeful activity. The goal of an action as an image of the intended result encourages attention throughout the entire activity. You can see the children's great concentration when experimenting with objects and pouring water. People say that if he’s quiet, it means he’s up to something.

If no ideas arise, the child wanders around the group, keeping a quick glance at one or another playing peer, without trying to concentrate on anything. By stimulating ideas, enriching the subject environment and the possibilities for implementing ideas, it is possible to achieve significant development of the preschooler’s attention.

A new source for the development of voluntary attention is the instructions of an adult in everyday communication and in classes. At the same time, the adult gives not only the goal, but also the ways to achieve it; the order of actions is controlled by the adult and, under the influence of his assessments, turns into the child’s self-control - an act of attention. Switching attention from the object to the methods and order of actions turns it into an extensive process of self-control, as it is characterized by P.Ya. Galperin. This task is feasible for a preschooler if intermediate actions-goals are represented by samples. For example, to cut out a cap, children are guided by drawings of its parts located in the manufacturing sequence. And this helps to maintain attention until the result is obtained.

If the order of actions is given only by verbal instructions, it is more difficult to maintain attention; for many children this is beyond their strength. As a test, ask the child to go into the next room and pick up a pencil on the table under the newspaper. Half of the children will say “There’s no” - they cannot navigate complex verbal instructions. It will be difficult for such children at school.

For older preschoolers, clearly defined tasks, competitive moments, disciplinary requirements, and promises to ask become the basis of their attention. However, they need to “refuel” their attention with bright, unusual, “involuntary” signals.

The child’s attention at the beginning of preschool age reflects his interest in surrounding objects and the actions performed with them. The child is focused until interest wanes. The appearance of a new object immediately causes a shift of attention to it. Therefore, children rarely do the same thing for a long time.

During preschool age, due to the complication of children's activities and their movement in general mental development, attention becomes more focused and stable. So, if younger preschoolers can play the same game for 30–40 minutes, then by the age of 5–6 years the duration of the game increases to 2 hours. This is explained by the fact that the play of six-year-olds reflects more complex actions and relationships between people, and interest in it is maintained by the constant introduction of new situations.

The stability of attention in children is manifested in the duration of its concentration on an object. This property of attention depends on a number of reasons: on the strength of nervous processes, on the nature of the activity, on the attitude to the task, on established habits. When distracted, a person changes the object of attention involuntarily; By switching his attention, he sets a goal to do something or relax. By putting forward new tasks in the process of activity, we transfer attention from one object to another or from one side of it to the other.

Thus, in preschool age, two types of attention are observed: involuntary - from an indicative reaction to strong stimuli to focus on the unusual, dissimilar, significant (depending on subjective experience) and voluntary - from regulation of actions on the part of an adult to self-regulation and self-control in accordance with purpose and accepted methods of action. Both directions have only just emerged in preschool age, but in the future they will lead to the development of the student’s attention. Involuntary attention reaches a high level of development in preschool age. The emergence of new interests and participation in new activities force the child to focus on aspects of reality that previously went unnoticed.

Conclusion on Chapter I

Attention is a complex multi-level phenomenon that gives rise to many disputes in the psychology of cognitive processes. The difficulty of studying attention is determined by the fact that it is in close connection with other mental processes.

Attention is classified according to the object (sensual and intellectual), according to interest (direct, indirect, apperceptive), according to the degree of effort required, the degree of activity of consciousness (passive, involuntary, active, voluntary).

The development of a child in preschool age consists of the preparation of general, basic human knowledge and skills, mental qualities and personality traits that every person needs to live in society. These include mastering speech, using household items, developing orientation in space and time, developing human forms of perception, thinking, imagination, etc., forming the foundations of relationships with other people.

In preschool age, two types of attention are observed: involuntary - from an indicative reaction to strong stimuli to focus on the unusual, dissimilar, significant (depending on subjective experience) and voluntary - from regulation of actions on the part of an adult to self-regulation and self-control in accordance with the goal and accepted ways of action. Both directions have only just emerged in preschool age, but in the future they will lead to the development of the student’s attention. Involuntary attention reaches a high level of development in preschool age. The emergence of new interests and participation in new activities force the child to focus on aspects of reality that previously went unnoticed.

attention psyche preschooler