Summary of a neuropsychological lesson with children 6-7 years old

Today, you can increasingly hear that children have certain deviations in mental development (too active, or, conversely, slow, cannot concentrate, irritable, excitable, etc.). Neuropsychological exercises for children can help correct this behavior. What are they and how to do them?

What kind of exercises are these?

Neuropsychology is a relatively young field that combines knowledge of psychology, neuroscience and psychophysiology. The subject of neuropsychology is the study of connections between the functioning of the brain and ongoing mental processes. We mainly study processes that occur with disturbances due to diseases or injuries.

Accordingly, neuropsychological gymnastics are special sets of exercises that help correct certain psychophysiological disorders.

Such complexes are indicated for children with the following problems:

birth injuries;
decreased or increased muscle tone;
frequent illnesses;
the child did not crawl until he was one year old;
walked with support on his toes;
started speaking late;
has a history of mental retardation, mental retardation, ADHD or similar diagnoses;
irritable, hot-tempered, conflicted;
hyperactive (or very slow);
gets tired quickly, has trouble falling asleep;
poorly understands the speech of adults addressed to him;
writes illegibly;
omits or replaces some letters with others in a letter, or writes them in a mirror image;
has difficulty mastering school material;
when reading, he “swallows” endings and thinks out words;
has difficulty comparing, generalizing, remembering;
has problems with fine motor skills;
constantly moves tongue or legs while writing or drawing;
cannot sit still for 15 minutes;
absent-minded, inattentive;
does not finish what he starts;
distracted, unable to concentrate for long periods of time;
cannot switch from an incorrect way of performing a given task to the correct one;
spends a long time doing homework;
awkward and clumsy.

How can they help the child?

In a general sense, neuropsychological studies with children help develop their ability to voluntarily plan their actions, as well as regulate and control them. They allow you to increase your concentration, distribute it productively, and learn to manage your mental processes.

There are several types of exercises aimed at solving different problems in the development of psychomotor coordination. The main ones are the following:

Breathing exercises. They help restore normal breathing both at rest and in combination with various movements. This promotes proper oxygen supply to organs and tissues, equalizes muscle tone, and reduces the level of excitability.
Oculomotor exercises. They allow you to expand visual perception and help reduce synkinesis (reflex movements accompanying the movement of another part of the body or limb).
Movement exercises and stretches. They stabilize tone, help normalize motor coordination, help regulate autonomic disorders, and master the space of your body and the surrounding space.
Exercises to develop cognitive skills. Improves the child’s cognitive activity (attention, memory, logic, concentration).
Articulation exercises. Helps solve pronunciation problems.

Such exercises are effective for both preschoolers and school-age children. At the same time, they are selected taking into account specific problems.

Article:

These exercises are aimed at developing in children the ability to voluntarily (purposefully) plan, regulate and control their actions.
They also improve concentration and distribution of attention. They are recommended for children who are prone to impulsive, random reactions, have difficulty learning instructions and rules, are often distracted and do not maintain attention, get “stuck” and cannot switch from the wrong way to complete a task to the right one. One of the important ways to combat such problems is to develop the child’s speech regulation of his actions. With the help of speaking out loud, children cope better with impulsiveness, stay on task, and more easily notice and control their mistakes. Most of our exercises include an element of speech regulation of one’s actions.

Each exercise is designed as a game and is designed to arouse the child's interest. You should not overload your child with exercises. This may cause him to have a protest reaction and reluctance to continue studying. It is better to combine several exercises in a 15-20 minute lesson, promptly switching the child from one task to another, alternating active and “sedentary” games. It is also important to start at a level that is accessible to the child, so that he does not feel that he basically cannot cope with it. Our exercises are designed in such a way that you can start with something simple and gradually move on to something more complex.

Each exercise is designed for a certain age, before which it makes no sense to start it. This age is specified in the comments to the exercises.

To maintain interest in activities, it is very important to encourage the child. If you just point out his shortcomings, he will quickly lose the desire to study. Until the age of 5-6 years, it is very important to praise a child in any game (“Well done,” “You’re doing great”). From 5-6 years old, children need more fair treatment and may perceive inadequate praise as deception. Therefore, at this age it is important to change the wording of encouragement (“Today you did better than yesterday”, “I see that you tried, and this is the most important thing”). Exercise “River-bank”

This great game was spotted at children's parties with the participation of mass entertainers. Subsequently, it was modified for the purpose of neuropsychological correction. It can be carried out both with a group of children and with one child.

For this game you will need a string that will lie on the floor and indicate the “coastline”. The edge of the carpet or any other distinct boundary can play the same role.

Participants stand “on the shore” (on one side of the rope). On the other side the river “flows”.

The presenter invites the participants to follow his commands. When he says “river!” – jump into the river when he says “bank!” - To the shore.

The first part of the game is training. The leader commands, calling in random order “river”, “bank”, and looks to see if the child was able to develop a selective reaction to different instructions. If everything is in order at the training stage, we move on to the main ones.

Option 1. The leader continues to command where to jump and jumps along with the participants. At some point, he begins to give commands in a clear order of alternation (river, bank, river, bank, etc.). When the participants get used to this rhythm and begin to jump automatically here and there, the leader suddenly breaks the order and commands, for example: “River! Shore! River! River! Children who have difficulty switching especially often fall for this trick. They easily fall into a certain rhythm, but then cannot change their tactics in time and continue to act in the old way.

If the child regularly makes mistakes when making such a switch, ask him not to rush into action, but first say out loud what needs to be done, and only then jump. Thus, we “insert” his speech between the instruction (command) and its execution. Narrating your actions is a very important skill for coping with impulsiveness and difficulties in switching. In this exercise it is quite possible to develop this ability.

Option 2 (for advanced users). When the child is completely comfortable with the first version of the game and can complete the task without errors, you can move on to the version that develops selectivity of attention. The presenter informs the child that now he will “deceive his eyes” - say everything correctly, but do it incorrectly. After this, the usual version of the game begins, when the first few commands correspond to what the leader does. At some point, the presenter makes a “mistake”, for example, saying: “Shore!” - and jumps into the river. The child must “turn off” his eyes and follow only what comes through his ears.

This is very difficult for impulsive children. In this case, the child’s speech also saves the situation. He must repeat the leader’s instructions and only then jump. In the same way, the presenter can “deceive the ears” - do everything right, but say it wrong. This is also a difficult task, since here the child needs to go against what the adult says and strictly adhere to the original instructions (repeat actions, not commands).

Comment: this exercise allows you to teach a child to cope with impulsivity, switching difficulties, develops selectivity of reactions and attention and speech regulation of activities. The exercise can be performed with a group of children or with one child. It is most effective to use with children over 5 years old, but before this age you can also try the simplest versions of this game. The frequency of its implementation is 5 minutes a day. So that the child does not get too tired of the same thing, you can offer different options for movements. For example, instead of jumping “into the river” and “on the bank”, invite the child to squat and stand with his arms raised up, depicting “mushrooms” and “Christmas trees”. You can come up with some movements yourself. Here it is almost not important what to do, the main thing is how. Exercise "Robot Mom"

It is very useful for children with attention deficit and difficulties in voluntary regulation of activity to teach adults something, to explain how something should be done. At the same time, it is important that the child speaks as much as possible and shows as little as possible. If you think carefully, we are very often content with the “gestural speech” of our children, which sometimes covers up the difficulties of verbal organization of behavior. Imagine that mom suddenly forgot how to do the most basic things, for example, pour juice into a glass or make a sandwich. And it’s even better if she doesn’t see anything and can do everything only by touch. To do this, she needs a “guide” who would tell her where to go and what to do. A child can become this guide.

Option 1. Ask your child to teach you something that he knows, but only with the help of words. For example, make a sandwich. At the same time, the task of parents is to do literally everything that the child says. If he thinks that to create a sandwich it is enough to take bread and put sausage on it, then take a loaf of bread and put a loaf of sausage on top. Don't forget to ask your child if everything turned out the way he planned, or if he forgot to tell you about something else. It is very important for a child to see a clear result of his planning. This feedback will help him gradually refine his instructions, which will indicate improvement in his planning abilities.

Option 2. Invite your child to play one “drawing” game. Give him a blank sheet of paper and take another for yourself. Let him, on his sheet of paper, so that you cannot see, depict something consisting of simple geometric shapes (circles, triangles, squares). Warn him that later he will need to tell you his picture, without showing it, so that you can repeat it exactly on your sheet of paper. Advise him to draw something not too complicated first.

Option 3. Invite your child to blindfold you and then, with the help of instructions, help you get to some object without hitting any chairs that are placed in the room. His instructions should look something like this: “two steps forward, step right, three steps forward, five steps left, raise your right hand forward, higher, to the right, take it!” You can come up with some options for valuable instructions that he could give you.

Option 4. The well-known “graphic dictation”. The child draws a figure or object on a checkered piece of paper, tracing the contours of the cells (diagonal lines cannot be used). After this, he must “dictate” it to an adult so that he can do the same. Each individual instruction concerns only one step, not exceeding the size of one cell. The instructions that the child makes are approximately the following: “up, left, left, down, down, right, right, up” (hint: it should be a two-by-two square).

Comment: These exercises are suitable for children over 5 years old. They can be performed individually with a child or in pairs. In the latter case, children will be able to assign tasks to each other. An active “leap” in the development of planning abilities occurs by the age of 9-10, but this does not mean that such things should not be done before. The sooner a child learns the basics of speech planning, the better for him. The task develops the ability to plan one’s actions using speech. The last two options can also develop spatial concepts (right-left relationships). In regular exercise, you can use different variations of the exercise for a few minutes a day. At the same time, in everyday life it is also important to ask the child more often to explain his thoughts, to “pretend” not to understand (but, of course, without driving the child into hysterics). Exercise "Guess"

One of the difficulties that children with ADHD experience is analyzing the situation: identifying its essential features, detailed orientation in the conditions and drawing the correct conclusion taking into account the analysis. Children with attention deficit often “fly past” what is important. That is why it is important to train them to search for important, significant details.

Each object of the external world is built into complex systems of relationships with other objects and phenomena. This embedding occurs due to its properties. Our thinking is largely organized in such a way that we look for what we need based on certain characteristics. For example, if we need to hammer a nail and we don't have a hammer, we will look for something that is hard, strong, flat and heavy enough. An object that does not have all the properties (for example, a book, or a piece of foam, or a stone ball) will not work. To find what we need, we must first determine a set of necessary features and only then look for what corresponds to it. Based on such operations, we draw conclusions and make decisions.

In order to direct the child’s attention to the essential features of objects, you can perform simple exercises.

Option 1. For this exercise you will need a set of cards with images of different objects. The more varied the better. Subject lotto materials are suitable for this.

Place 30-40 cards in front of the child.

Instructions: “I will now wish for one of the objects shown on the cards. Try to guess what I wished for in no more than 20 attempts. To do this, ask me questions that can only be answered “yes” or “no.” If it is difficult for a child to understand what is being said, tell him: “Imagine that I made a wish for this pencil. What questions could you ask to make a guess? For example, “does this write?” or “is this long?”, etc.

Some children try to guess by listing all the objects in a row. In this case, it is necessary to show them that this is not an effective method, and invite them to ask questions about the properties of these objects. You can even give him a hint: prepare a card with points about which it makes sense to ask questions: shape (“is it round?”), color (“is it red?”), size (“is it long?”), weight (“is it light?” ?”), function (“is this what they eat from?”), material (“is it made of wood?”), details (“does this have a handle?”).

Comment: This game is intended for children over 6 years old. It can be played with one child or with a small group. Then they should ask questions in turns. If the game is too difficult, encourage children to put aside those items that do not fit. For example, if the question “is it round?” The answer was “no”, you can remove all round objects from the table. However, you gradually need to switch to the original version. If difficulties arise, you can also reduce the number of cards, but then gradually increase the set.

Option 2. For this exercise you will need a small set of 6-8 cards depicting objects that have a common property. For example, these could be round or red objects, or, for example, objects from the same class (dishes, clothes, etc.). Ask your child to talk about one of these items without saying its name, so that the other person can guess what it is about. At the same time, the adult should try whenever possible to name the wrong object if it also fits the properties listed by the child. Thus, the child will receive feedback - “you didn’t name everything, something is missing.”

Comment: this game can be played with children from 4 years old to 7-8 years old. Later this may seem uninteresting to the child. With younger children, it is important not to get carried away by the role of dull parents. They might get tired of it.

This game can be played without pictures. Then the task for an adult becomes more difficult. It is important to limit the child's ideas to a certain class, for example, “make a wish on some wild animal,” or “make a wish on something made of dishes.” If you simply ask to make a wish for an object, a child of 5-7 years old can think of snow, a circus, a geometric figure, in general, anything that, in general, does not correspond to the adult concept of “object.”

Option 3. This is a game familiar to many adults. One thinks of something, the other must guess it using the same questions that must be answered “yes” or “no.” If the central player, to whom he made a wish, gives a negative answer to the question, he must also provide an explanation. For example, to the question “is it round?”, the answer is not just “no”, but “no, it’s not a ball.” This adds confusion and fun to the game. However, the essence remains the same: it is necessary to cover all possible properties of objects and, by gradually cutting them off, arrive at the correct solution. This task is also complicated by the fact that if in the first option there is a limited set of options before your eyes, then here there is an infinite number of them.

Comment: This game is best played with children at least 9 years old. It is also quite interesting for adults. It is often played by hikers on the train and in general by people who are forced to somehow while away a long time. For corrective purposes, you can remind players what classes of properties exist (see option 1).

These tasks develop the child’s ability to identify and retain significant signs of a situation, cutting off the unnecessary, and make a decision based on a full set of necessary conditions. You can play these games every day. Oral forms that do not require pictures are convenient to use on the way somewhere, in transport, for example. The more the child analyzes, the better. It is important to select tasks so that he does not feel that he cannot cope with them in principle, so that not only he, but also the adult can guess. In a word, so that interest in the game is preserved and maintained, so that the task does not turn into an “obligation”.

Examples of exercises for different ages

Neuropsychological exercises for children can be used as early as 3–4 years of age, when the child has learned to listen and follow commands.

Movement exercises for 3–4 years old

Claps. When an adult claps, the child begins to move (walk, run, jump). At the next clap, it should freeze. Hearing the clap again, resume movement, etc. The game ends when the adult starts counting to 10. At the count of 10, the baby needs to calm down, walk quietly and sit down.
Snake. An adult arranges several chairs in the form of a tunnel. The child needs to crawl under chairs (on his stomach or on his back).
Freeze and die. The baby moves to cheerful music until he hears the command “freeze.” He must fulfill it. At the command “die” the movement resumes.
Path. The child needs to move along the cord lying on the floor, placing his feet tightly together (heel to toe), trying to maintain balance.

Breathing exercises:

What does a flower smell like? An adult places an image or toy in the form of a flower in front of a child sitting on a chair, inviting him to smell it: take a slow, deep breath through the nose (with his mouth closed) and exhale noisily through his open mouth. Repeat up to 5 times.
Candle. The child slowly inhales through his nose and exhales smoothly through slightly parted lips, directing a stream of air towards the candle flame so that it deflects. As the exercise is mastered, the candle is moved further, explaining to the baby that his tummy will tense up more.

Exercises for 4 – 5 years old

River and shore.

The exercise is useful for children with difficulties switching between actions. You will need a border on the floor (rope or line). On one side of the border there is a river, on the other there is a coast. On the command “river” the baby needs to jump into the “river”, on the command “bank” - onto the “bank”. After some time, when the child gets used to automatically jumping back and forth, the commands become inconsistent (for example, “river” several times and “bank” once, and vice versa). If the baby is constantly confused, he is asked to first say what needs to be done, and only then perform the desired action. This helps to cope with excessive impulsiveness and switch.

A more complex version of the game is when the leader pronounces one command, and sometimes he himself “makes a mistake” and carries out another. Or, on the contrary: he jumps in the right direction, but gives the wrong command. A child cannot make mistakes. He must trust not his eyes, but his ears (or vice versa). It's complicated. Speaking out the actions will also help here. You can play for about 5 minutes.

If a child gets tired of monotonous movements over time, they can be replaced. For example, sit down and stand up, depicting grass and pine trees.

Dutee-ball.

Two players stand at the edges of the table. A ping pong ball is placed on the table. The players’ task is to “blow out” the ball into the opponent’s goal. In this case, you need to blow at the same time.

Exercises for 5–7 years old

Robot mom.

This game helps the child improve his planning skills using speech and compare them with the result.

Mom can’t do anything on her own; she is a robot that follows the child’s commands. And his task is to be a good guide and give as precise instructions as possible. For example, he should help the mother make a sandwich, explaining step by step what needs to be done and why (at the end, you must ask whether the baby was expecting the result, or whether he gave the wrong command somewhere).

You can help mom walk from one room to another with her eyes closed and take some thing there so as not to touch any object on the way (some can be placed specially). Such a game, among other things, develops spatial concepts (right-left, above-below).

Option with drawing: the child draws on a blank sheet of paper a certain image consisting of simple geometric shapes. Then he needs to describe this drawing in such a way that his mother can repeat it, following this description, without seeing the original.
Option with graphic dictation: on a checkered sheet of paper, the child draws a figure, tracing the contours of the cells (without diagonals). Then he needs to “dictate” the drawing to his mother so that she can repeat it exactly (how many cells down, how much to the left or right to step back or connect).

Breeze.

The child exhales slowly. At the same time, he must interrupt the flow of air with his finger in order to get the sound of the wind, the whistle of a bird, or the war cry of an Indian.

Exercises for 6 – 9 years old

Exercises for children of primary school age are more complex, due to mental capabilities and educational requirements.

Guess what.

Allows the child to learn to identify essential features of objects for their generalization, exclusion or logical conclusion.

The child is offered a set of 30–40 cards. An adult makes a guess about one of the objects and invites the player to guess it in 20 attempts (or less) by asking leading questions. They should be such that only “yes” or “no” can be answered. Trying to guess by going through all the images of the cards one by one is impossible.

If it is too difficult for the child at first, you can invite him to put aside cards that do not correspond to the hidden word (for example, to the question “is it red?” If the answer is “no,” you can put all the red ones aside). But over time, you need to come to the original option - do not touch the cards.

The most complex versions of this game are those without relying on cards, that is, on a visual image. For example, a child makes a wish for any object from a certain class (furniture, food, transport, clothing). He must then describe the item in such a way that the other player can understand what he is talking about. Or the adult makes a guess, and the child guesses by asking questions.

Exercises for any age

Track it.

Helps improve visual attention. The baby lies on his back, his head is motionless. An adult moves a bright object in front of his eyes (to the sides, up, down, diagonally, bringing it closer and further away from his face). The task is to follow the object with your eyes without losing focus on it. Done within a minute. If the child wears glasses, they must first be removed. If he is in epi-readiness, the exercise is performed with caution.

Sound sign.

Develops auditory attention. Completes in about a minute. The child closes his eyes. As soon as he hears the indicated sound, he must give the established sign (point in this direction with his tongue, finger, hand). The main thing is not to open your eyes.

Ball.

Abdominal breathing is practiced, which enhances gas exchange in the body and creates the effect of a massage of internal organs. Teaches the child self-regulation. The baby is lying on his back. He is shown how to inhale and exhale with his stomach (inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth). Then he is asked to inhale and exhale until a certain count (first on an equal count, for example, 3 and 3, then inhale, for example, on 3, exhale on 5). Exercise is contraindicated in epi status.

There are many neuropsychological classes: complexes for children of different ages, complexes aimed at correcting certain problems and promoting adaptation to learning. It is impossible to say that such exercises are a miracle pill. Most often they are used in complex correction programs, including work with a psychologist, speech therapist, observation by a neurologist or psychiatrist, and taking certain medications. But if the complex is chosen correctly and classes are held regularly, the effect can be quite noticeable.

Speed reading, mnemonics and coordination: 6 exercises for developing children's brains

"I can! I managed! I completed it the fastest! I'm a champion! These attitudes are the most direct and fastest route to success in education. Pride from achievements, healthy pleasure from efforts and results are the best incentive. Neuropsychology techniques will help give your child a head start in this sprint.

Mela newsletter

We send our interesting and very useful newsletter twice a week: on Tuesday and Friday

Neuropsychology is a young branch of psychology, the science of the connection between brain activity and mental phenomena. In the field of learning, using simple and accessible techniques, neuropsychology helps to “teach” the brain to work in a certain way: faster and with better results. Complex teaching methods with neuropsychological techniques are especially effective: they develop mental processes, form learning skills, and motivate.

Neuropsychological techniques help both in the full correction of learning difficulties and in the development of the intellectual potential of children.

Let's navigate the information

We live in a world that is rapidly accelerating every year. Fortunately, the speed of thinking and reaction, the ability to quickly understand, remember and analyze can be trained. Games are best for this. Here are some play exercises for children aged 5 years and older.

Schulte table

Schulte table is a table of randomly placed numbers and letters. Exercises with it develop peripheral vision, memory and speed of information processing.

Example of a Schulte table

Looking at the dot in the center of the table, name all the numbers in order. Do not run your eyes over the cells, use peripheral vision. Increase the execution speed from 30 seconds to 8-10 seconds.

Game “Drawing with two hands”

Trace the outline of the animal figurine with both hands at once. You can trace with your fingers, or you can use pencils or pens. The exercise trains interhemispheric interaction and improves the dynamics of cognitive processes.

Assignment from the book “Writing Without Errors: Developing Absolute Literacy”

We practice reading and writing

According to research, more than 40% of primary schoolchildren have difficulties in learning and mastering the school curriculum. In the vast majority of cases, academic failure is not associated with developmental delays or other organic reasons. Once faced with difficulties, the child does not receive the tools to solve them: the entire class moves on with the program, and “incomprehensibility” grows like a snowball. Games are once again coming to the aid of parents and teachers.

Game "Text behind the curtain"

We read the text and cover what we read with a “curtain” (sheet of paper). It needs to be done quickly enough so that it feels like the text is about to close. With each lesson, we increase the speed of the “curtain” a little. The exercise helps to get rid of regression—re-reading the same text.

Game "Labyrinth"

The child should look for the path in the maze only with his eyes, without pointing with a pencil or finger. Labyrinths help to focus and maintain attention, train memory, and develop spatial orientation. As a result, the child easily “scans” texts, finds answers to questions, and highlights the main idea.

Maze example

Coordination exercises

This kind of inconsistency often occurs: the brain works faster than the hand, which leads to mistakes, unwritten words or rearrangements of letters and syllables. The handwriting becomes illegible, or, on the contrary, the writing is very slow, although accurate. It's all about weak interhemispheric connections, low levels of self-control and arbitrariness of movements due to delayed development of the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. This feature can be corrected with similar exercises.

Graphic Association Game

To remember a word, you need to draw it and highlight the “problem” letter in the drawing. The method of graphic associations allows you to memorize words not only by ear, but also by connecting motor skills, visual image and association. Children love to draw and they really like this method.

We say “KALAKOLCHIK”, but we write “KOLOKOLCHIK”. How can a child learn this? Offer to draw a bell and find the letter “O” in the drawing.

Any pictures where you can look for the necessary letters or draw them yourself will do.

Developing speed reading and literacy

Guzel Abdulova, teacher, author of books on speed reading:

“Sometimes, to improve a child’s results in school, it’s enough to teach him speed reading. Many people believe that speed reading is the ability to move your eyes fluently through a text and read as quickly as possible. But speed reading is more about quick thinking. Once we understand what is being said, we can highlight the main points and answer the questions.”

Speed reading develops speed of thinking, memory, intelligence, literacy, perseverance, and attention. The angle of vision expands and the vocabulary is enriched. The faster, better and more consciously a child reads, the greater heights in learning he is able to achieve. Speed reading will help you learn new things more easily, spend less time on homework and more time on other interesting activities.

Guzel Abdulova

The famous “innate literacy” can also be developed. The system of game educational exercises “Write without errors: developing absolute literacy” from Gyuzel Abdulova will help you remember the rules and exceptions of the Russian language not through boring cramming, but with the help of exciting exercises. Using the method of associations, consonances, mnemonic tricks and other neuropsychology techniques from the book, you can increase the literacy of any child to almost 100%.

Remote education has proven that for modern children overloaded with information, only game-based learning methods are truly effective. When the usual algorithms and long-term cliches do not produce sustainable results, it’s time to involve neuropsychological techniques and games as assistants.

Elena Gorlova, primary school teacher at Wunderpark International School:

“Reading efficiency, meaningfulness, and understanding of what students read is what every teacher strives for. Children often find it difficult to maintain attention on long texts: then techniques come to the rescue to help them read faster and understand more.

Gyuzel Abdulova’s task games, Schulte table, “Fly” game, “running words”, frame with windows, role-playing, dramatization and other exercises help to interest the child, create a fun, friendly atmosphere during classes and achieve success faster.”