The Nikitins’ method in action: what the children from the famous family have achieved. Nikitin system Methodology of Boris and Elena Nikitin

The game-based process of teaching a child has long established itself among developers of educational materials. Exciting tasks develop a child’s logic, concentration, perseverance, and create a thirst for knowledge. In this article we will take a closer look at one of the popular educational children's games - Nikitin's cubes.

Raising a child “the Nikitin way”

The Nikitins’ large family became known in the 50s of the last century. Their neighbors were surprised that at the age of 3 the children were already familiar with the principles of arithmetic and were hardened in the winter along with adults. Boris and Elena Nikitin laid down the basic principles of pedagogy and explained how to form a child into a harmonious, knowledge-seeking personality. What do their principles of education include?

Independence of development - you cannot constantly take care of a child, force him to do the activities you have chosen, or strive to subjugate all his time.
Freedom of creativity - there is no need to strain your child with lessons, training, or force him to do things “under pressure.” Let the child work as much as he wants and can.
Sports atmosphere - sports equipment should be readily available in the house, and a designated area for sports activities. It becomes a natural environment for children, like a sofa or an outdoor playground. They grow up physically strong and healthy.
Parental participation - one cannot remain indifferent to the child’s success; it is necessary to gently push him to acquire knowledge and praise him, but stick to the golden mean, keeping the first point in mind.

Based on these simple principles, Nikitin's teachers invented educational games - sets of cubes that are suitable for almost all preschool children, with a discount on their physical and mental development.

the game develops logical thinking

Features of the dice game

The essence of the methodology of these intellectual games is the absence of imposing rules. The child is gradually involved in the atmosphere of activity with the help of older brothers and sisters or parents. Then their participation is minimized, and the child studies independently. The kid begins to complete tasks, over time they become more complicated, but he himself must find ways to solve them; hints are unacceptable. If there is no progress, you need to return to easier options. If this method does not help, you need to take a temporary break from the game. This technique develops in the child independence in decision-making, forces him to think logically and look for answers to questions without the help of outsiders. Nikitin's cube games have fundamental principles.

Giving hints is prohibited. Gestures, meaningful looks and words are taboo. This is the only way the baby will learn to act independently.
The child should be given as much time as required to solve the problem. It is forbidden to demand to solve faster or skip the current one.
The finished kit allows for variations. Based on the initial set, the elders themselves can come up with new tasks for the baby.
Praise your child. Let him feel the taste of victory even when performing basic tasks.
Don't let your child get too full of the game. If you see that he is too carried away, it is better to allocate limited time for activities so that interest does not wane.
Do not make offensive remarks, do not insult your child with phrases: “How stupid you are!”, “It’s elementary!”
Try the task yourself before increasing the difficulty level for your child.
Take forced breaks and return to simple options if you notice that the child is not coping. Interest covers the kids in “waves.” If you take a long break, “casually” show the game to guests or invite them to play with a friend.
In a large family, each child should have his own set.
Keep a “success diary.” Note the time taken to complete the task, the number of successes and failures, and keep records of the exercises you personally completed.
The game should be in an accessible but not obvious place. Let the child remember it, but do not mix it with other toys and do not lose it.
The atmosphere of the game is relaxed and easy. If your child craves physical activity, do not interfere with it.
The ready-made set contains a limited selection of tasks. If the child has mastered everything, keep an album in which you will sketch the diagrams you have come up with yourself and give them to the child to complete.
Diversify the game with your own rules. This could be a competition for the speed of folding a pattern or another competitive way of solving problems that will add a touch of freshness to the gaming atmosphere.

The child must think and complete tasks on his own; you should not help him

At what age can you use cubes?

Parents often ask: “At what age should I start classes?” It is impossible to give an exact answer to the question. Some are ready to master the set at 1.5 years old, while others fail to complete the tasks at the age of 3 years. It all depends on the general development of the baby, the atmosphere of upbringing, the characteristics of his health and the ability of specific parents to interest the child in a hobby. Theoretically, you can start working with your child using the cube method starting from six months. If he doesn't get carried away, put the game aside temporarily and try again later. For the little ones, involvement occurs through an interesting story or fairy tale. Fantasize together, come up with “names” for the drawings. From the beginning of classes the difficulty increases. Up to school age, the child is interested in taking developmental tests.

Description of the main types of cubes

Fold the pattern

The simplest game set of 16 identical cubes. The size is small - 3 cm. Their edges are painted in different colors. Their shape is triangle or square. If desired, you can make the set yourself by reading the relevant literature and having minimal creative skills. Suitable for small children from 1.5 years old, as it can immediately interest them with its bright colors. The second name is Nikitin's puzzles. Initially, the child is given the task of laying out a specific pattern from the cubes, then, on the contrary, drawing a picture in which the parts are combined. The inflating stage is to come up with your own version of the ornament and draw it, simultaneously explaining what you want to sketch. Start with 2-4 cubes, gradually increasing the number.

This game captivates almost all children without exception. Imagination and fine motor skills develop, and the frontal lobes responsible for creative thinking are activated. The child masters the skills of analyzing and systematizing material, learns to distinguish relative categories, and learns colors. An additional album for notes and drawings is purchased with the game.

fold the pattern

Fold a square

It is based on a puzzle in which you need to put together a square from several pieces of different colors. It was not served even to some adults, so Nikitin modified it into a simpler one. You can play from 2 years old. On A4 plywood there are 12 cubes inserted into the windows. There are 3 difficulty categories. The initial one is to make 4 simple squares. To do this, the child needs to be shown how one figure is made from several halves. Then he begins to complete tasks on his own. The difficulty level increases gradually. Tasks contribute to the development of logic, the ability to break down the main goal into small ones that contribute to its achievement.

Unicube

The game introduces the baby to three-dimensional space. In the process, he learns to assemble complex three-dimensional figures. The initial level is the simplest geometric ones (parallelepiped, trapezoid), more complex ones are animals, houses. The set contains 27 hexagonal cubes with multi-colored cuts. You can offer to play starting from 1.5 years. A child can be easily taught the classification of color and its perception. For example, propose to build a blue road with a yellow sidewalk and organize competitions in the speedy collection of monochromatic figures. The most difficult tasks are beyond the reach of some adults. This is one of the best trainings for spatial thinking and self-control, which will prepare a child for future mastery of geometry at school.

Cubes for everyone

The set contains 27 identical cubes, connected together in different ways to form 7 figures. One figure consists of 3, the rest of 4 each. They are different in shape and painted in different colors. The manual offers tasks according to which the figures need to be combined into various models, similar to geometric shapes, houses, cars, animals. You are encouraged to come up with your own connections. Young children like to build figures from 2-3 parts, older children - from more. By constantly engaging in such activities, the child activates the thought process. Constructing figures according to the proposed drawing is a simple task, but coming up with your own model is more creative. It lays the foundation for creative thinking and develops imagination. Let your child use his imagination. Let him tell you what this or that model looks like. Write down and sketch interesting and funny associations.

Fractions

The recommended age for starting the game is 3 years. To complete complex tasks, you need knowledge of simple arithmetic. The set includes 3 plywood pieces. Each one has 4 different colored circles. The first is a whole circle, the second is 2 equal halves, the third is 3 parts, the last is divided into 12 parts. By combining them, the child repeats colors, learns the basics of counting, compares shares, and combines. With the help of games, children are taught new words - “quarter”, “half” (depending on the drawings on the board). Older children can be taught mathematically correct names - “one-half”, “three-quarters”. By placing a larger portion of the cubes on top of a smaller one, the child learns to compare the shares. By experimentally laying out parts, the child establishes the “more-less” connection. All concepts learned must be recorded in a journal.

Bricks

Through play, children learn the basics of drawing and develop spatial thinking. The set contains 8 bars made of wood or plastic. There are 30 tasks in the album. Based on the drawings, the child builds models from cubes. Elementary ones are suitable for children aged 4 years, the most complex ones can be solved by school-aged children. The game has three options: fold the figure according to the drawing, transfer the drawing of the figure onto paper and build your own version, depicting its drawing. The set will prepare your child for the school subjects geometry and drawing. It is a kind of “gymnastics for the mind”; it makes even adults try to solve problems.

How to choose a set for your child?

You should not rely on the advice of friends and relatives in this matter. Each child is a unique personality. Take a closer look at what interests him more. If he has already become “addicted” to a certain game, do not force another type on him until he himself shows interest. The main thing is to take into account the child’s age (the complexity of the tasks is proportional to the number of years) and his psychological and physical development. Try taking your child to the store and show him the sets. If he is interested in a specific one, it is better to buy it. Let him complete a basic task, praise your child so that he feels proud and motivated to complete more complex quests.

In the article we introduced you to an important educational game - Nikitin's cubes. If you want your child to develop faster than his peers, to grow up with a thirst for knowledge and independence, to make discoveries every day, buy these sets for him or make them yourself. Follow the pedagogical recommendations during games and you will be proud of your child!

Boris Nikitin came up with many educational games for his children. These games and exercises are truly unique, and so far nothing has been created either in our country or abroad that could surpass Nikitin’s cubes in their didactic capabilities: “Fold the pattern,” “Fold the square,” “Unicube.”

Educational games Nikitin combine one of the basic principles of learning - from simple to complex - with a very important condition for creative activity - doing everything yourself. This union allowed the game to solve several problems related to the development of creative abilities:

1. Educational games can provide food for the development of creative abilities from a very early age.

2. Their stepping stone tasks always create conditions that are ahead of the development of abilities.

3. Rising each time independently to his “ceiling”, the child develops most successfully.

4. Educational games can be very diverse in their content, and besides, like any games, they do not tolerate coercion and create an atmosphere of free and joyful creativity;

5. By playing these games with their children, parents quietly acquire a very important skill - to control themselves, not to interfere with the child’s thinking and making decisions, not to do for him what he can and should do himself.

Game Features

The main difference between Nikitin’s games is that when playing them, the child acts as an active party and he is not taught the ability to perform work according to the proposed template, but develops logical and imaginative thinking, creativity, the ability to recognize and construct an image, and the ability to be independent.

Most games are presented in the form of multifunctional puzzles that provide scope for creativity. You can customize them to suit yourself, your level, your interests. Each game has a set of problems that the child solves with the help of cubes, bricks, squares made of cardboard or plastic, parts of a mechanical designer, etc.

Nikitin's games can be expanded, improved, and new tasks can be invented.

Rules of the game

At first, no one explains to the child the rules of the game, no one shows him how to do it. The kid solves the problem himself from start to finish.

This technique allows the child to independently search for solutions to problems unknown to him and create new ones, which precisely leads to the development of his creative abilities. The adult makes sure that the level of the task is not too easy and not too difficult, and “corrects” and “directs” the child’s actions. And rejoicing will be the reward for a successfully found solution, and an incentive for future victories.

Using Nikitin’s educational games in classes with a child, certain principles must be adhered to (based on the book by B. Nikitin “Steps of creativity or educational games”):

1. The game should bring joy to both the child and the adult. Every baby’s success is a mutual achievement: both yours and his. Rejoice at it - it inspires the baby, it is the key to his future success. Observe how happy children are if they manage to make us laugh or make us happy.

2. Get your child interested in playing, but don’t force him to play, don’t let him play games to the point of satiety. And one more thing... refrain from making offensive comments like: “Oh, you’re a fool!”, “How stupid you are!” etc. Do not offend the child in the game.

3. Educational games - creative games. Children must do all tasks independently. Be patient and do not suggest with a word, a sigh, a gesture, or a look. Give the opportunity to think and do everything yourself and find mistakes too. By rising gradually and coping with more and more difficult tasks, the child develops his creative abilities.

4. To get a feel for the relative difficulty of tasks, be sure to try them yourself before assigning tasks to children. Write down the time it took you to complete a particular task. Learn to do it faster.

5. Be sure to start with feasible tasks or with simpler parts of them. Success at the very beginning is a prerequisite.

6. If a child fails to complete a task, it means you are overestimating his level of development. Take a break, and after a few days, start with easier tasks. It’s even better if the child himself begins to choose tasks based on his capabilities. Don't rush him.

7. If there is more than one child in a family, then everyone needs a set of games; it is best if there are boxes for all those playing.

8. In what order should the games be given? The author would start with the game “Fold the Pattern” or “Montessori Frames and Inserts”. Here the child needs to distinguish colors and shapes. And the general rule is to observe the child’s development, record his progress in a diary and determine when and which of the games to “turn on.” This is a creative task for dad and mom.

9. Children’s hobbies come in “waves”, so when a child’s interest in the game cools down, “forget” about the game for a month or two or even more, and then “accidentally” (show it, for example, to guests or a friend and teach him to play) let the baby remember her. Returning to the game can often feel like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen for a long time. Try to record the successes, shifts, achievements of each of the “waves” of passion for the game.

10. Take care of games, do not put them on par with other toys in terms of accessibility. After all, the forbidden fruit is sweet, and it is better if the child asks for them or offers to play. Let them stand in a visible, but not very accessible place.

11. For the little ones (1.5-3 years old) enliven the game with a fairy tale or story, give “names” (together with the baby, of course) to patterns, models, drawings, figures, invent, fantasize until the child begins to be captivated by the process of overcoming difficulties in solving problems, achieving the desired goal.

12. The more developed a certain quality is in a child, the more eager it is to be manifested. The strong want to fight, the fast want to run and play outdoor games, but the weak don’t like this. A child may “not be interested in playing” for two main reasons: he has poorly developed the qualities needed in the game, or... adults have discouraged him by forcing him to play or causing trouble at the very beginning. Therefore, praise more for successes and in case of failure, encourage the baby.

13. Create a relaxed atmosphere in the game. Don’t restrain your child’s physical activity so that you can jump with delight, do somersaults on the rug, and fly to the ceiling in daddy’s arms.

14. When folding patterns or models using ready-made tasks has already been mastered, move on to inventing new ones. Get a notebook and sketch there (or better yet, if the child does it himself) new tasks, patterns, figures.

15. It’s better to use a stopwatch, but you can also organize competitions on the speed of solving problems by the clock. Rapidly developing children can already defeat adults from the age of 6-7. In this case, you must muster courage and honestly admit your defeat in a knightly manner. It's hard to think of a great reward for a child. Don't think that your credibility will suffer.

16. etc. - these are the rules that you... find yourself to make the game even more exciting.

Briefly about the most popular games of B. Nikitin

Montessori frames and inserts . This game is accessible to the little ones. It consists of 16 frames with inserts in the form of geometric shapes: circle, square, triangle, ellipse (oval), rectangle and so on. The main task is to choose your own insert for this frame. In addition, frames and inserts can be outlined and then shaded.

Fold the pattern. This game consists of 16 wooden cubes, where each side has a certain color. The cubes must be placed in a wooden or cardboard box (its presence is required). Nikitin advises starting to play with them at the age of one and a half years. With such small children, you can lay out paths from cubes: blue, red, yellow. Then the child learns to place the blocks in a box with a certain color facing up. And only after this the baby begins to make simple patterns.

With this set you can study using the books “Miracle - Cubes. Album with tasks for the game “Fold the Pattern” for children 2-5 years old and “Miracle - Cubes - 2.” Album with tasks “Fold the Pattern” for children 4-8 years old.

Fold it into a square. This puzzle game is for children aged two years and older. The game includes 12 multi-colored squares, cut into pieces: two rectangles, two triangles, etc. The child needs to reassemble the squares from the cut pieces.

Unicube. These are universal cubes that introduce the baby to the world of three-dimensional space. "Unicube" consists of 27 small wooden cubes with colored edges. The child needs to put them together into various three-dimensional shapes and compositions according to the proposed patterns. The game is intended for children from 1.5 years old.

Dots. Dots from zero to ten are marked on square multi-colored cards. In addition, there are cards with numbers. First, the child needs to arrange the squares by color, then in order: from 0 to a card with ten dots (or numbers), etc.

Cubes for everyone. The game consists of small cubes, glued together in different ways in the form of 7 figures, different in shape and painted in certain colors. From such figures it is necessary to construct various models, resembling a cube or parallelepiped, houses, cars, animal figures, etc., according to the proposed drawings-tasks. Toddlers can build their models using only 2-3 shapes.

Fractions. The game is intended for children from 3 years old. It is a set of three plywood. On each there are 4 equally sized circles of different colors. The first circle is whole, the second is cut into two equal parts, the third into three, and so on, up to 12 “slices”. With their help, you can repeat the colors, count the inserted pieces, and you can make a multi-colored circle and compare them with each other.

B. Nikitin's educational games are described in more detail in his book, which is called “Intellectual Games”. It also provides tips on how to play with your child.

You can refer to Lena Danilova’s book “A New Look at Nikitin’s Games”, in which she complements and enriches the tasks for Nikitin’s games and helps parents look at his games a little differently. In her book she writes: “The Nikitins’ games can be compared to musical instruments, unique, multi-voiced universal instruments.”

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Let's consider the method of early child rearing - the method of the Nikitin spouses.

Principles of education in Nikitin style

All our principles were developed in practical life, in communication with children. We used them intuitively, unconsciously, pursuing only one goal: not to interfere, but to help development, and not to put pressure on the child in accordance with our own plans, but to observe, compare and, focusing on the child’s well-being and desire, create conditions for further its development. (B. Nikitin)

Breakthrough in education

The name of the Nikitin spouses is heard not only by psychologists, pediatricians and educators. At one time, thanks to the media, the whole country knew about innovative teachers, and Boris Pavlovich’s books became reference books for millions of families in many countries around the world. More than a decade has passed, but Boris Nikitin was and remains the recognized founder of new directions in the science and practice of education, the author of a number of pedagogical discoveries that were ahead of their time and which have yet to be assessed by the scientific and pedagogical community. His works laid down the principles of parental, out-of-school pedagogy, which is especially important now.

Back in 1958, Nikitin, together with his colleagues - young teachers and educators - came up with a proposal to create self-sustaining schools of a new type, where educational problems would be successfully solved simultaneously with students mastering practical production skills, self-government and early vocational guidance. But unfortunately, these initiatives did not find support at that time.

Boris Pavlovich Nikitin was born in 1916 in the North Caucasus into the family of a Kuban Cossack. In 1941 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky, served in fighter aviation. In 1949, he retired and began scientific and pedagogical work at the Research Institute of the Ministry of Labor Reserves, then at the Institute of Theory and History of Pedagogy, the Research Institute of Psychology and the Institute of Labor Training and Career Guidance of the APN.

In 1958, Nikitin organized a group of teachers with the goal of repeating the experience of the famous Anton Semenovich Makarenko. In the same year, he met his future wife Lena Alekseevna, who became his faithful friend and ally.

People first started talking about the Nikitins in the late fifties. Residents of the Bolshevo village near Moscow, not accustomed to innovations, only talked about the “strange” family. Many did not understand how educated Parents could take on the responsibility of raising, strengthening and teaching seven children, contrary to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and the Regional Educational Institution, according to some of their own programs unknown to anyone.

Indeed, it seemed incredible: the Nikitin children, bursting with health, ran barefoot in the snow; performed dizzying gymnastic exercises on homemade apparatus; by the age of three or four they mastered reading and the basics of mathematics; they enthusiastically played homemade logic games invented by Boris Pavlovich and came up with new ones themselves; As soon as they started school, they immediately mastered the programs of senior schoolchildren...

Today the Nikitins are often reproached for the fact that their children, despite their earlier development, did not become either great scientists or outstanding personalities. Like, was it worth breaking the spears? In response, supporters of teachers say that first of all, it is not the Nikitins who should be blamed, but the system, which did not need either child prodigies or simply independent, independently thinking people.

Nikitin was the first - and for a very long time the only one - who wrote not about how the average child develops, but how a child should develop if his parents encourage his activity. The educators found in themselves the strength, wisdom and courage to resist the traditional practice, in which children were assigned a life schedule by year, hour and minute, where they had to study according to strictly defined programs and only under the guidance of teachers. Contrary to established rules, the Nikitins laid the foundations of parental pedagogy at that time.

Nikitin’s own works contain an inexhaustible reservoir of ideas for future integrated pedagogy, physical and intellectual development, education and social adaptation of the child. Back in the 60s of the 20th century, he revealed the enormous didactic possibilities of business, “industrial” games in family preschool education, used home theater methods in solving problems of spiritual and creative education, and gave many other techniques and recommendations.

In the books of the Nikitins, especially the early ones, some things seem controversial, and the teachers themselves, at the end of their lives, revised a number of their ideas. But it was under the influence of these books that thinking parents began to realize that they and only they, and not the kindergarten, not the school or the district clinic, are responsible for the future of their children, that only in the family can the child’s intellectual and creative abilities truly develop, that only home education can make him an independent, self-thinking person.

Today there is no longer a need to remove pictures from wooden cubes in order to remake them in accordance with Nikitin’s method: they can easily be bought in a store. But it is no less important to hear the quiet voice of Boris Pavlovich Nikitin himself, who throughout his life unselfishly preached love and immense respect for children. And if at least something in the pedagogical system begins to change little by little today, we owe it to this man and his family.

Based on personal experience and analysis of documents and published materials, Nikitin accumulated a large amount of factual material on the early development of intelligence and the influence of school on the intellectual indicators of students. As a result of many years of research and observation, the teacher formulated the fundamental “law of the irreversible extinction of opportunities for the effective development of abilities.” At the same time, he not only substantiated the existence of this fundamental phenomenon, but also developed and tested in practice methods for preventing its negative impact on the level of intellectual development of future generations.

In fact, Nikitin was one of the few teachers who always selflessly defended the rights of the child and tirelessly engaged in selfless educational activities. The author's Center for Nikitin Pedagogy, led by him, became for tens of thousands of parents and teachers a place of real revelation, where new opportunities and prospects for family education opened up.

The methods of natural development proposed by Nikitin, as well as educational games, make it possible to reduce the time spent in school for children by a third. The author recommends using the freed up time to teach children practical skills and creative activities. He made sharp, fair criticism of school curricula, pointing out the need to revise up to 70% of their content, and considered plans to increase the duration of schooling short-sighted and destructive, contrary to the nature of the child on the one hand and the interests of the state on the other.

Even today, many people call the Nikitins classics of Soviet pedagogy. Using the example of their own large family, they demonstrated how, by breaking established stereotypes in upbringing, they can help a child become an independent, harmoniously developed personality.

Over the course of forty years of their family life and creativity, the Nikitins continued scientific research and teaching practice in schools, kindergartens and in their own family, raising seven children. I saw very smart "problem solvers" with free and inventive thinking, with a well-developed language. They were ahead of their peers in school programs, some by two and some by four. (N. Amosov)

Conditions for children's independence

The Nikitins' experience confirms: parents should try to surround their children with an environment and a system of relationships that would stimulate a wide variety of creative activities and gradually develop in them exactly what is currently capable of developing most effectively.
In one of his books, Boris Pavlovich wrote: “When our first-born was born, we simply rejoiced at him and loved every free minute to be with him: play, talk, look at him and be surprised by everything. Did he sneeze? Did he frown? Did he smile? But soon curiosity was added to this parental joy. Why does he cry differently?
Why does it become tense when you pick it up with cool hands? Why does he resist putting on the caps? Etc., etc. And the little son grew, and the questions increased. We began to record our observations, giving the baby freedom of action, giving him the opportunity to determine for himself, for example, how much to eat, when to sleep, how long to walk - in a word, we largely trusted nature. We observed and wrote down everything that seemed most interesting to us, and then compared what we wrote down with what we had already managed to read by that time, and discovered the most interesting things.
The baby, it turns out, can do much more than is written about in popular literature. And when another son was born, we began to treat him the way his older brother taught us: we gave him fingers so that he could cling to them with his tiny fingers, and in the first week he could hang on them for several seconds. From the first month they began to keep him over the potty, relieved him of all kinds of scarves and caps and allowed him to lie naked as long as he wanted...”
According to the Nikitins, adults traditionally allow two extremes when communicating with a child. The first is organization, or super-caring care, and continuous activities, entertainment, and games. The child has no time for independent activities.
The second extreme is the abandonment of the child. This means that communication with the baby comes down only to serving him (feeding, drinking, putting him to sleep). This approach leads to so-called “psychological starvation,” delays in emotional and mental development and, ultimately, mental retardation.
The Nikitin system is based primarily on work, naturalness, closeness to nature and creativity. The guys are masters of themselves, their actions and routine. Parents do not force them to do anything; they only help them understand complex life and philosophical problems. Adults push, rather than get ahead of children, and enter into dialogue with them. The main task of education, according to the Nikitins, is the maximum development of the creative abilities of a growing person and his preparation for life.
First principle Education “according to Nikitin”: freedom of creativity for children in the classroom. No special training, exercises, lessons. Children exercise as much as they want, combining sports with all other activities. A child needs to offer something new - an action or knowledge - when he shows interest in it.
Second principle: everything that the baby can do on his own, he should do on his own. You can, for example, when performing some task, work with him, but not for him. Don't give any hints! Only in this case will the child grow up to be independent, inquisitive and proactive.
Third principle: a natural combination of both physical and mental development of the baby. Thanks to this, the technique is well suited specifically for physically weakened children.
And finally, the fourth principle: In the process of learning and development of a child, the most important role is played by joint activities and common work. Girls help their mother with housework, boys help their father, while learning housekeeping skills. In addition, such joint activities are a type of effective communication, for which sometimes there is simply not enough time.
Also, according to Nikitin, the most important stimulus for a child’s development is praise. Therefore, you should remember to praise your child for successes and not focus on failures.
The Nikitins did not initially set out to teach their kids everything and as early as possible. They noticed that children develop earlier those aspects of intelligence for which appropriate “advanced” conditions have been created.
The main discovery on this path was that in such conditions children began to do a lot earlier than they were prescribed according to all standards: by the age of three they began to read, at four they understood the plan and drawing, at five they solved the simplest equations, “traveled” around the world. world map, etc. At the same time, they became more independent, more proactive, more inquisitive, more responsible - also beyond their years. The Nikitins understood: a knowledgeable person is wonderful, but he must creatively comprehend his work, his place in life, and this requires abilities and ability to apply in practice, in work, in any life situation.

Principles of training according to Nikitin

◈ A specific educational program is not imposed on the child. He is immersed in the world of the game, in which he is free to choose his field of activity.

◈ The new game is not explained to the child; he is drawn into it with the help of a fairy tale, imitating his elders, and participating in group games.

◈ Mastering a new game, as a rule, requires the active participation of elders; In the future, the child can study independently.

◈The child is given a number of tasks that gradually become more complex.

◈ The child cannot be given any hints. He must be able to think for himself.

◈ If the child cannot cope with the task, you need to return to easy, already completed tasks or temporarily leave this game.

◈ If a child has reached the limit of his capabilities or has lost interest in the game, it should be postponed for a while. This technique allows the child to independently seek solutions to problems unknown to him, to create new things, that is, it leads to the development of his creative abilities.

The Nikitins are characterized by extreme responsibility, amazing observation and amazing intuition. These qualities allowed and allow them to find the right solutions even where specialist scientists helplessly shrug their shoulders. (I. Arshavsky)

There is one wonderful Japanese proverb that Nikitin followed. It goes like this: “Tell me and I’ll forget.” Show me and I will remember. Let me do it myself and I’ll understand.”

Who are the Nikitins and how did they advise raising children? You will learn about the principles of education, the principles of using educational games, and the games themselves using the Nikitins’ method from the article “The Nikitins’ Methodology and Educational Games.”

Boris Pavlovich Nikitin (1916-1999) and Elena Alekseevna Nikitina (1930-) raised seven children according to their own, non-traditional education system (from which the entire village of Bolshevo near Moscow, where the Nikitin family lived, was shocked). People first started talking about them in the late 50s of the 20th century. Boris and Elena are considered Russian innovative teachers; their educational methods are still used today. It was the Nikitins who laid the foundations of parental pedagogy in the 1960-1970s; they were the first to talk about the need for early development.

How should you raise a child?

The Nikitins emphasized the importance of maintaining physical contact between mother and child for as long as possible. For the full development of a child, the closeness of the mother is as important as various developmental exercises. They recommended putting the baby to the breast immediately after birth, and not taking it away (as was done in the USSR and is sometimes practiced now).

The Nikitins condemned the strict daily routine for a preschooler. After all, a clear routine and compulsory classes can both tire a child and make him dislike classes. They believed that it was necessary to create an environment that would stimulate his desire to learn and explore. Playpens and strollers are a prison for a child, the Nikitins believed.

There are often two extremes of parenting:

Overorganization or overprotective care, continuous activities and games and lack of time for independent development.
Abandonment or parents doing the bare minimum (feeding and putting them to sleep), which can lead to mental retardation.

However, there is a third way in raising a child. The child is the master of his actions and routines. A parent is an assistant who will help you understand a complex problem, without forcing or obliging you to do anything.

Principles of raising Nikitins

Freedom of creativity. There is no need for special classes or training; the child does as much as he wants.
Sports atmosphere in the house + light clothing. Sports equipment should be present at home from early childhood. Children should be hardened from infancy.
Parents' participation in the child's life. It is necessary to create conditions for the development of the child, taking into account the wishes of the child himself, and not focusing on his own interests. Never do for a child what he can do himself.
Favorable conditions. Creation of advanced conditions for development. For example, as soon as the child began to speak, the alphabet and abacus appeared in the toys.
The principle of NUWERS is the irreversible extinction of opportunities for effective development of abilities. It means that there is a certain time and conditions for the development of specific abilities, if they are not developed in time, they will be lost.

Educational games according to the Nikitins' method

Principles to be used during educational games:

There is no specific program; the child himself can choose the field of activity that is closest to him.
Games should not be freely available; the child’s interest must be maintained.
You cannot explain or suggest solutions to a problem. The child must independently come to the correct answer.
You cannot demand a solution to a task. Not every task can be accomplished by a child at a given period of his life.
The solution to the task is a thing that can be touched and seen (drawing, pattern, structure).
The opportunity to engage in creative activities, creating new ones based on existing educational games.
Move from simple to complex.
Participation of adults in games with children. You must show interest, then your child will play with pleasure with you.

Nikitin's educational games are aimed at developing logical and imaginative thinking. They are presented in the form of puzzles aimed at recognizing and completing images.

A game is a set of problems that can be solved with the help of cubes, parts from a construction set, bricks... Problems are given in such a way as to acquaint the child with the existence of different ways of transmitting information. It should also be noted that the tasks are arranged from simple to complex and have a wide range of use (from 2-3 years to adulthood).

These games can be adjusted to suit your level of interest and performance. Different games develop different qualities, which together help the child become smart and inventive.

Intellectual games for the development of logical and imaginative thinking

Frames and inserts(from 10-12 months) – consists of 16 frames with inserts in the form of various geometric shapes. First, you can show and name 3-4 inserts to your child (triangle, square, oval). You can give them to your child for research. Next, the number of figures increases. After familiarizing yourself with all the figures, you can complicate the task. For example, tracing the shapes along the contours of the frames, and then the shapes themselves; draw figures on the count (2 ovals, 3 squares) and others.

Fold the pattern (from 1.5 years) – consists of 16 wooden cubes (edge size 3 cm), where each face has its own color. The cubes must be in the box. First, look at the cubes with your child, name what color the sides of the cubes are, make a plain path, and then make it colored. It is important to finish the lesson before the baby gets tired of it. Promotes the development of spatial imagination, attention, ability to analyze and combine.

Fractions (from 3-5 years) – a set of 3 plywood with a landscape sheet. On each of which there are 4 circles of the same size, but different colors. The first circle is whole, the second is cut into two parts, the third into three, etc. At first you should only play with the first sheet, the simplest one. You can repeat the colors, count the pieces of the circle, try to make a multi-colored circle.

Unicube (from 1.5-3 years) – consists of 27 wooden cubes. Introduce the child into the world of three-dimensional space. The game teaches you to be attentive and careful. There are a total of 60 games for ages from 1.5-3 years to an adult (who cannot play some games).

Fold the square (0t 2 years) – consists of 3 difficulty levels, each with 12 multi-colored squares. The squares are located on plywood and inserted into the windows. For two-year-old children, you can take 4 of the simplest squares and show how a square is made from several parts. The game promotes the development of color perception, the formation of logical thinking, and the assimilation of the concepts of part and whole.

Like any early development method, whether it is a method, or a method, it has its advantages and disadvantages. We will consider the pros and cons of the Nikitins’ method in the table.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Nikitin methods

Play with your children, communicate with them, develop and get to know them!

Did you know about the Nikitins’ technique? Do you use their developments in your games with children?

Let's consider the method of early child rearing - the method of the Nikitin spouses.

Principles of education in Nikitin style

Breakthrough in education

❧ Over the course of forty years of their family life and creativity, the Nikitins continued scientific research and teaching practice in schools, kindergartens and in their own family, raising seven children. I saw very smart "problem solvers" with free and inventive thinking, with a well-developed language. They were ahead of their peers in school programs, some by two and some by four. (N. Amosov)

Conditions for children's independence

In one of his books, Boris Pavlovich wrote: “When our first-born was born, we simply rejoiced at him and loved every free minute to be with him: play, talk, look at him and be surprised by everything. Did he sneeze? Did he frown? Did he smile? But soon curiosity was added to this parental joy. Why does he cry differently?

Why does it become tense when you pick it up with cool hands? Why does he resist putting on the caps? Etc., etc. And the little son grew, and the questions increased. We began to record our observations, giving the baby freedom of action, giving him the opportunity to determine for himself, for example, how much to eat, when to sleep, how long to walk - in a word, we largely trusted nature. We observed and wrote down everything that seemed most interesting to us, and then compared what we wrote down with what we had already managed to read by that time, and discovered the most interesting things.

The baby, it turns out, can do much more than is written about in popular literature. And when another son was born, we began to treat him the way his older brother taught us: we gave him fingers so that he could cling to them with his tiny fingers, and in the first week he could hang on them for several seconds. From the first month they began to keep him over the potty, relieved him of all kinds of scarves and caps and allowed him to lie naked as long as he wanted...”

According to the Nikitins, adults traditionally allow two extremes when communicating with a child. The first is organization, or super-caring care, and continuous activities, entertainment, and games. The child has no time for independent activities.

The second extreme is the abandonment of the child. This means that communication with the baby comes down only to serving him (feeding, drinking, putting him to sleep). This approach leads to so-called “psychological starvation,” delays in emotional and mental development and, ultimately, mental retardation.

The Nikitin system is based primarily on work, naturalness, closeness to nature and creativity. The guys are masters of themselves, their actions and routine. Parents do not force them to do anything; they only help them understand complex life and philosophical problems. Adults push, rather than get ahead of children, and enter into dialogue with them. The main task of education, according to the Nikitins, is the maximum development of the creative abilities of a growing person and his preparation for life.

The first principle of education“according to Nikitin”: freedom of creativity for children in the classroom. No special training, exercises, lessons. Children exercise as much as they want, combining sports with all other activities. A child needs to offer something new - an action or knowledge - when he shows interest in it.

Second principle: everything that a baby can do on his own, he should do on his own. You can, for example, when performing some task, work with him, but not for him. Don't give any hints! Only in this case will the child grow up to be independent, inquisitive and proactive.

Third principle: a natural combination of both physical and mental development of the baby. Thanks to this, the technique is well suited specifically for physically weakened children.

And finally, fourth principle: in the process of learning and development of a child, joint activity and common work play a vital role. Girls help their mother with housework, boys help their father, while learning housekeeping skills. In addition, such joint activities are a type of effective communication, for which sometimes there is simply not enough time.

Also, according to Nikitin, the most important stimulus for a child’s development is praise. Therefore, you should remember to praise your child for successes and not focus on failures.

The Nikitins did not initially set out to teach their kids everything and as early as possible. They noticed that children develop earlier those aspects of intelligence for which appropriate “advanced” conditions have been created.

The main discovery on this path was that in such conditions children began to do a lot earlier than they were prescribed according to all standards: by the age of three they began to read, at four they understood the plan and drawing, at five they solved the simplest equations, “traveled” around the world. world map, etc. At the same time, they became more independent, more proactive, more inquisitive, more responsible - also beyond their years. The Nikitins understood: a knowledgeable person is wonderful, but he must creatively comprehend his work, his place in life, and this requires abilities and ability to apply in practice, in work, in any life situation.