Physical education is the main objective of physical education in preschool educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus. This is an integral part of the successful improvement of a diversified personality, both in the field of physical culture and in the connection with other areas of life. In this regard, the issue of increasing the level of formation of physical education knowledge, an integral part of the cognitive component of personal physical education, is currently very relevant in the education system at all its levels. The modern system of preschool and general secondary education in the field of physical education is aimed at creating knowledge and ideas about physical culture among pupils as a part of the general human culture, revealing and developing child’s physical abilities and, in general, increasing pupils’ interest in sports. Currently, new views and theoretical and methodological approaches to the problem of physical education of preschoolers are emerging. Many experts in this field believe that it is possible to form an interest in physical culture in special conditions of kindergarten or out-of-school visits to sports sections. Other researchers see a solution to this problem in increasing the number of physical education classes or in educating the physical culture of the individual in a home environment. However, there is no generally accepted position in this regard. Purpose: to determine the physical needs, motives and values for physical culture of elementary schoolchildren attending day-care centers. Materials and methods: the organization of the study is represented by conducting a diagnostic questionnaire through test tasks developed by the authors, compiled taking into account the age characteristics of older preschool children on the basis of the Preschool Center for the Development of a Child in Chechersk. Results: the results of the study revealed the general level of formation of the cognitive component of personal physical education of older preschool children, as well as the most learned types of five basic physical education knowledge in boys and girls of preschool age: about physical exercise, health, personal hygiene, physical opportunities, the Olympic movement. Girls were found to have a higher overall level of physical education than boys in testing physical capabilities and the Olympic knowledge. Conclusion: without a balanced system of physical education knowledge a child cannot be an active and interested participant in physical education. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, it is very important for a teacher to understand not only the structure and content of this most important component of personal physical culture, to know the mechanisms for its formation, but also to possess the method of its diagnosis. Keywords: cognitive component; senior preschoolers; physical education knowledge; personal physical education; physical culture of the individual; physical education environment; physical education thinking.
The Use of Symbolic Means for Solving Cognitive Tasks in Older Preschoolers
