THE USE OF POTTERY ART TO ENHANCE THE COGNITIVE ACTIVITY OF CHILDREN AGED 4–5 WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

The article examines the effectiveness of using pottery (sculpting) to enhance the cognitive activity of preschool children (ages 4–5) with mild intellectual disabilities. The relevance of the study is driven by the need to identify innovative methods for correcting cognitive functions (attention, memory, thinking, and perception) in children with developmental delays. Through theoretical analysis, the sensory-motor nature of working with clay and its influence on the formation of neural connections are substantiated.

The experimental study involved 40 children divided into experimental and control groups. For six months, the experimental group participated in a specialized corrective course in pottery. During the diagnostic phase, psycholinguistic and pedagogical methods such as the Pieron-Ruzer test, "Memorizing 10 Words," and "Fourth Odd One Out" were utilized. Research results demonstrated that in the experimental group, attention and memory indicators increased by 25.7%, thinking operations by 26.7%, and perception levels by 25.2%.

Statistical processing of the data confirmed the high corrective potential of pottery in stimulating cognitive activity. It was established that clay therapy stabilizes the child's emotional state and increases the capacity for intellectual effort. The article concludes with practical recommendations for integrating pottery into the educational process of special education institutions and rehabilitation centers. The findings suggest that pottery serves as a powerful tool for the socialization and cognitive expansion of children with mild intellectual disabilities.