Children learn work habits through technical activities, becoming familiar with objects, their names, and how to handle various devices and tools, which will benefit them in life. Technical activities are not particularly popular among preschool teachers.
The main purpose of this thesis is to encourage preschool teachers to implement technical activities across all age groups, especially to demonstrate that technical activities in the first age group are beneficial for a child's development.
The theoretical part describes the development and learning of preschool children. It outlines the factors of development, motor development, and gross and fine motor skills. We analyzed the curriculum for kindergartens regarding technical content. The creative work process is described with its individual phases, along with the preparation process for technical activities. We also dedicated some words to safe work practices.
The empirical part presents the results of a survey questionnaire, which was used to determine the preference of professionals in kindergartens for technical education and the implementation of technical activities in kindergartens. 116 teachers took part in the survey and gave their opinions.
We found that educational professionals consider technical education very important for a child's development. In their groups, they conduct technical activities once a month, which is quite frequent. The most common technical activities include games with various blocks (disassembling and assembling) and activities where children explore different materials.
They most often use unstructured/semi-structured natural materials (branches, leaves, sand, bark) and least often construction materials (plaster, ceramics, artificial glass). Our survey revealed that a majority of preschool teachers support implementing technical activities in the first age group. Activities deemed suitable for children of the 1st age group include assembling/disassembling lego bricks or unstructured materials, games for exploring materials and various objects, play with children’s tools, and familiarization with paper (tearing, crumpling, gluing). When planning technical activities, preschool teachers consider children's interest and motivation essential, ensuring that the child is creative, satisfied, participates in the activity, and gains new knowledge. Activities must be appropriate for the child's development and age.
For children aged 1 to 2 years, we prepared and implemented technical activities in the kindergarten. Through these activities, children became familiar with various materials and created their own products. During the activities, they engaged with the materials in their own ways and created from them. They were very motivated and creative. When looking at their products, they were very happy and proud that they had made them themselves.
With this thesis, we aim to demonstrate that technical education can also be interesting for younger children, showing that with minor adjustments, they can learn a lot and strengthen their motor development.
|
