Children spend more than a half of their day in a kindergarten and because of that, it is of crucial importance that they are in many different ways involved in and co- creating their living and learning in an institution. Participation stands for children's active involvement in planning and performing activities in a kindergarten. It is a part of several preschool curriculums around the world and it is best represented in the Reggio Emilia approach. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1987) was also an important step towards a different view on a child. It stresses children's rights and it offers them the possibility of collaborating and expressing their opinions in childhood. The methodical approach to open-ended problem solving (open-ended problem solving, Maxim, 1989) is one way of encouraging participation in a kindergarten by means of providing opportunities for children to solve everyday problems as independently as they can, using their own creative suggestions and ideas.
The first part of my diploma thesis introduces the theoretical bases of participation in a kindergarten and key documents on participation, which represent the foundation for working in a kindergarten. The Reggio Emilia approach, in which participation is of key importance, is introduced as well. Participation is also connected to creativity, which is very important in early childhood. With creativity, children become familiar with things and objects, solve problems in different ways and try out different solutions.
The empirical part of the thesis focuses on the children’s participation project. By using the open-ended problem solving (open-ended problem solving, Maksim, 1989), children actively planned the project ‘Otroci soustvarjajo kotičke v igralnici’ (‘Children co-create the playroom’) and took part in it. They were able to realise their wishes, suggestions and ideas about the placement, content and activities of different parts of the playroom.
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