Speech enrichment activities for children in kindergarten

Abstract

Project-based learning is not a new educational approach in the history of pedagogy. Early childhood knowledge is the most enduring, which obliges educators and parents to be active and committed. Through purposeful pedagogical influence, adolescents develop social and communication skills with direct parental support. In the long run, these skills are crucial to the well-being of each individual and society as a whole. This article is focused on vocabulary enrichment and analyzes a pedagogical experiment which involved six-year-old children and utilized a project-based learning method. The children are assessed on two indicators: the formation of correct communication skills on the topic of autumn plants and the formation of skills of identification, comparison, classification, ordering and description of autumn plants, their parts and the changes that different fruits and vegetables undergo in autumn. The tasks are essentially associative thinking, informing, presenting information, and teamwork skills. The research project integrates several educational areas such as the Bulgarian language and literature, math, art and the environment. At this age, the emphasis in teaching Bulgarian is on the creation and development of verbal abilities and speech activity. Mathematical skills are related to the recognition of simple geometric shapes. Art is an area in which children form competencies to create shapes of different sizes, etc. from different materials. The goal is to develop a positive attitude toward teamwork on life-related projects, as teamwork is a precursor to building communication and social skills. Thus, teamwork creates and strengthens self-confidence in the child, and this is an important condition for his future well-being: it increases his motivation to learn, and supports and develops the student’s strengths. The results confirm the assumption that the project method is an effective and efficient way to form communicative competence in kindergarten children.