PSYCHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES OF THE MORAL SPHERE DEVELOPMENT IN PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD

The article actualizes the problem of the moral sphere development in preschool childhood. The aim of the article is to reveal the psychological peculiarities and pedagogical conditions of the moral sphere development of preschool children. The analysis of approaches to defining the “moral sphere” concept has been carried out. The views of foreign and domestic scientists on the moral development of the preschooler’s personality have been highlighted. The article reveals the moral sphere structure of preschoolers: information (cognitive) component – the ideas about personal moral qualities; assimilation of moral concepts, standards, norms, and rules; emotional and motivational (affective) component – moral feelings, social and moral emotions, moral motives, moral evaluation and self-evaluation; behavioral (practical) component – moral actions, habits and actions, i.e., the actual implementation of moral norms and requirements. The content of the moral sphere components has been clarified. The author highlights the requirements of the Basic component of preschool education regarding the preschoolers’ personal competence: emotional and value attitude, formation of knowledge and skills within the educational program “Child’s personality”. Psychological peculiarities and signs of the development levels of the preschool children’s moral sphere have been outlined. The criteria (moral consciousness, moral attitudes, moral behavior, and moral experiences) and the indicators of the children’s moral development have been offered. The author determines psychological and pedagogical conditions of the moral sphere formation of preschoolers: raising the culture of teachers and parents within the moral sphere as the surrounding microenvironment of preschoolers in the family and preschool education institution; activation of a child in the moral experience assimilation; providing psychological and pedagogical support for the moral sphere development of the preschooler’s personality. Keywords: moral sphere; moral development; Basic component of preschool education; moral consciousness; moral attitudes; moral behaviour; criteria and indicators of the children’s moral development; psychological and pedagogical conditions of the moral sphere development of preschool children.