ECONOMICS AND CHILDREN

Giorgi Katamadze E-mail: giorgi.katamadze@bsu.edu.ge Assistant professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2602-6861   Lela Tavdgiridze E-mail: lela.tavdgiridze@bsu.edu.ge Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8108-8718   Maia Bolkvadze E-mail: maia.bokvadze@bsu.edu.ge Doctor of Philology, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Batumi, Georgia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4041-5871   Abstract. Economic awareness is the primary foundation for the human factor’s participation in the rapid and irreversible processes of the modern world, which should be formed from the very early childhood education. Economic awareness and interest in connected topics began to emerge around the time that the concepts of "economic awareness," "economic culture," "economic education," and so on were first introduced into scientific literature. According to the hypothesis of this study, children can develop economic awareness through the use of children's literature, including fairy tales. In general, the following three components are especially essential when considering the development of economic consciousness among children: Determination of the appropriate age of children; Identification of educational resources; Development of the methodology for forming economic awareness. In this study the theoretical framework for the research was developed based on Georgian and foreign scientific literature, as well as existing studies in the field of education; the research object was defined; and a mixed methodology of socioeconomic and humanities research was used to analyze the fairy tales and reach conclusions relevant to the research objectives. The work is based on research conducted in private and public kindergartens across Georgia, with both educators and children participating. Furthermore, interviews with early education experts at several Georgian higher education institutions were conducted and the research findings provided. Keywords: economics, children, formation of economic awareness, early childhood education, fairytales JEL Classification: A20; A21; I25; I26; P4;