Children’s experimentation as a means of developing the cognitive interest of preschoolers

Abstract. The article discusses the concept of cognitive interest, the stages of development of cognitive interest during preschool childhood. The influence of the competent realization of the need for a new impression on the formation of cognitive interest of older preschoolers is indicated, and the possibilities of monitoring and guiding the development of their cognitive interest are also considered. The role of the teacher in the formation and maintenance of the cognitive interest of preschoolers is indicated, as well as the importance of the competent organization of their joint activities. The positive changes occurring in the child’s personality under the influence of cognitive interest are considered, namely, an increase in the level of perception, imagination, emotional and logical memory, the ability to observe and draw conclusions. The article outlines the main trends in the formation of cognitive interest during preschool age. The definitions of child experimentation and its possibilities in the formation of cognitive interest in older preschoolers are considered. The advantages of the experimentation method are described, the concrete steps of the implementation of this method, the effectiveness of which has been tested in the practice of kindergarten No. 1 in Kaliningrad. Examples of groups of experiments are given, the conduct of which will not require special expenses and the preparedness of teachers of a preschool educational organization. The results of a kindergarten study of the influence of experimentation on the cognitive interest of pupils of older groups are also listed.

Keywords: children’s experimentation, cognitive interest, preschool age, modeling, experience.