(2016) Science and education, 6, 95-100. Odessa.

Larysa Mostova,
primary school teacher,
Odesa Learning and Education Complex “Gymnasium №2”,
5A, Havanna Str., Odesa, Ukraine 

PROMOTING COGNITIVE ACTIVITY OF YOUNG SCHOOLCHILDREN BY MEANS OF DIDACTIC GAMES

An important objective of elementary school teacher is taking into account the individual characteristics of pupils, creating conditions contributing to effective learning according to the pupils’ level of development and providing further development of abilities and interests of children within the learning process. An important prerequisite for success in the training of younger schoolchildren is cognitive activity, regarded as a personality trait, manifested in its attitude to cognitive activity and providing a state of readiness, the desire for independent activity aimed at the mastering of individual social experience, accumulated knowledge and ways of life of humanity; it also manifests itself as cognitive activity. The progress of pupils’ cognitive activity is contributed by the implementation of game activity in the elementary school educational process, as the game is a natural and attractive activity for young schoolchildren. The emotional factor plays an important role in the regulation of cognitive activity of young schoolchildren, and it can largely ensure the use of didactic games in the learning process. The process of cognitive activity formation by means of didactic games is caused by the growth of a child’s activity; enhanced display of his/her interest in cognition, that is, efficiency of learning is directly dependent on the activity of the child. Didactic games help pupils overcome cognitive difficulties, fear, discomfort, which affects the progress of children and their cognitive activity. The essence of didactic games is to offer the children cognitive tasks in an interesting way, their solution is connected with the mental strain, overcoming difficulties, which contribute to the formation of logical thinking; consequently, children get accustomed to the mental activity. Learning and specifying any kind of educational material in the didactic game, children learn to observe, to compare, to classify objects according to certain criteria, to apply the clear and precise terms, to have coherent speech, to describe the object, name its actions and qualities, be quick-thinking, resourceful, and so on. A teacher’s task is to find maximum pedagogical situations; by their means child’s attitude to active cognitive activity can be realized. He/she must constantly improve the learning process that will enable children effectively and efficiently master the program material. The author offers examples of the use of didactic games at the reading lessons, mathematics, the Ukrainian language in elementary school. 

young schoolchildren, cognitive activity, didactic games.

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