Characteristics of the development of creative thinking in early childhood

Modern pedagogical thought regarding the integrity of thinking in a self-developing personality implies not only the development of logically sound thinking among young schoolchildren, but also the formation of heuristic, paradoxical, creative, and innovative thinking skills. The historical background of the issue and the analysis of contemporary pedagogical theory and practice on the subject show that, to date, pedagogical science has sufficiently addressed topics such as the formation of mental activity techniques in students alongside universal and creative skills; the relationship between theoretical knowledge and theoretical thinking; the development of productive (creative) thinking; the gradual formation of mental operations and the foundations for orientation in educational activities. However, pedagogical science has not adequately explored the didactic potential of integrating classroom and extracurricular activities in the development of intellectual and creative competencies of young schoolchildren. The problem lacks both theoretical justification and a clear definition of how it can be practically implemented in primary education. Based on the above, we identify a key contradiction in modern education: the necessity to improve the process of developing intellectual and creative competencies in young learners versus the insufficient theoretical and methodological groundwork for organizing this process. The scientific novelty of this article lies in identifying the features of intellectual and creative competencies in young schoolchildren including their ability and readiness to perform heuristic mental operations learned through imitation, their capacity for independent thinking, the originality with which they comprehend educational tasks and the transformation of integrated instructional and extracurricular activities into a productive mode of thinking and creativity that supports personality development. This article presents and theoretically substantiates a structural-functional model for the formation of intellectual and creative competencies in young learners through integrated instructional and extracurricular activities. The model defines the goals, content, and didactic tools of this process and lays the foundation for the application of innovative technologies in teaching. The author also identifies the pedagogical conditions that influence the development of intellectual and creative competencies during integrated learning and extracurricular activities of young schoolchildren. These conditions are supported by the following factors: a) the creation of a creative developmental environment based on the integration of instructional and extracurricular activities with methodological work involving primary school teachers to ensure the effectiveness of the development process; b) the establishment of a favorable creative atmosphere in the classroom through the use of the full potential of integrated learning and extracurricular activities; c) the sequential structuring of stages in the development of intellectual and creative competencies to ensure continuity in the presentation of learning materials. Today, researchers from various scientific fields are engaged in studying the problem of creative thinking. The multidimensional nature of the problem and the variety of conceptual approaches bring forth many unresolved questions. One such unresolved issue is the specific characteristics of creative thinking development at different stages of childhood. Considering the topic of this article and the issues outlined above, a more in-depth investigation of the matter is clearly necessary.