Content and Principles of Children's Intellectual Development in the Chinese Preschool System
Authors: Shujuan Bao 
Published: March 2024

The article is devoted to the content and principles of children's intellectual development in the Chinese preschool system. The purpose of the article is to determine the content and principles of intellectual development of a child in the Chinese preschool system. The following research methods were used in the study: observation, interviews, research projects. Results. It was established in the research process that the main goal of preschool development in China is to prepare children for schooling, help them effectively learn the school curriculum and create a personality capable of further learning and self-development: the development of children's desire for knowledge and cognitive interests; development of preschoolers' abilities to independently learn about the world around them; constant involvement of the child in mental work and preparation for life, etc. It has been proven that the Chinese government creates special programs that have the greatest impact on the intellectual development of preschoolers. Sensory development of the child, development of his/her speech skills, learning the basics of arithmetic, development of important social skills - all this is part of the programs that are included in this category. Experts rightly claim that all types of activities carried out by preschoolers contribute to their intellectual development. Based on the analysis of scientists' works, the article defines several indicators of the intellectual development of a preschool child. These indicators include the child's ability to ask questions; behave with other children and adults; perceive and perform tasks; and understand certain things and events in the environment. Special attention is paid to the educators and the level of their training. In particular, it is emphasized that today, in order to ensure high-quality training of teachers for preschool education institutions in the People's Republic of China, they successfully ensured the intellectual development of preschool children, began to combine preschool pedagogy faculties with secondary special schools, opened preschool pedagogy institutes, and provided training for educators at various levels education such as bachelors and masters. Chinese teachers pay attention to the fact that it is necessary to follow a number of principles in order to fulfill the task of intellectual development of a preschool child. These principles are basic, original provisions that serve as the basis for creating the content and methods of working with preschool children. Conclusions. The most important of them are the following: the principle of visibility, the principle of activity, the principle of connection with life, the principle of self-activity, the principle of taking into account age and individual characteristics, the principle of consistency, the principle of individualization and differentiation, and the principle of voluntary learning. The justification of the factors of intellectual development of preschool children is presented. One of the most important is language. An important part of mental education is the development of speech, which includes the development of coherent speech, the development of phonetic culture, and the addition and activation of the dictionary. Chinese teachers consider the process of forming communication skills an important component of the intellectual and social development of a preschool child.