Overcoming the shyness of children of the sixth year of life through the art therapy "Semitsvetik" (methodological guide). Thesis: Correction of emotional complexes through drawing in children of preschool and primary school age

Diagnostic technique"Picture of a person" helps to assess the level of mental development of children, determine the child's motives, his compensations, anxieties and conflicts. To do this, you only need to invite the subject to depict the character on the landscape sheet.

Description of the projective drawing technique by K. Machover

The basis of the "Drawing of a Man" technique was testing by Florence Goodenough, it was on its basis that Karin Mahover developed a pictorial method for assessing the personality and mental development of a patient in 1946. The figure of a person, which must be depicted by the subject, is nothing more than a projection of the motives, anxieties, compensations of this or that individual.

The study is associated with the correlation of the image of a person with different values:

self-image;
the child's attitude towards others;
projecting onto the image of your ideal;
reflection of habitual actions.

The ease of application of the technique, which is suitable for working even with very young children (from three years old), has made this diagnostic one of the most popular among teachers and psychologists. Testing is carried out with preschoolers and younger students, but it is not forbidden to use diagnostics to study the characteristics of older children. school age.

The procedure for conducting diagnostics "Drawing of a person"

The drawing is done by the subject with a simple pencil on a regular A4 sheet of vertical arrangement (it is acceptable to use smaller paper). The child can turn the sheet over and place it horizontally, the researcher should notice this, but do not correct the actions of the test person. The pencil should be offered not very hard, the optimal hardness is M and 2M.

It is not forbidden for children to use an eraser, but this attribute should be selected as hard, then all the erased lines will be distinguishable on the sheet, which will be useful to the teacher when interpreting the drawing.

Having prepared necessary materials and tools, the child is given precise instructions: "Please draw the person you want." When clarification questions arise, they should not be ignored, but it is also undesirable to explain in detail. It is best to evade a direct answer, giving the installation: "Draw anyone." If the subject is very small, then you can “chew” the instruction a little: “Draw the uncle as best as possible.” If the child does not want to be included in the process, it is necessary to gently advise him to at least start, to convince him that it is interesting and exciting. For children who doubt their abilities, the following verbal construction is suitable: “Start drawing, and we'll see what you can do. I'm interested in any drawings.

A suitable option for analysis is a full-length image of a person, and not his portrait or bust version. In a situation with drawing a “non-growth” character, you need to give the child another chance by offering a blank sheet of paper and indicating that the figure should be represented as a whole.

After the child completes the task, you need to discuss the image with him for more information about the object. You can ask the examinee:

What kind of person did he draw (kind, evil, funny, and so on)?
What does the character in question like/dislike?
What does he do and what does he dream about?
What is the person's profession?

You can also talk on the following topics (in relation to the depicted character):

place of residence;
having friends;
character;
age;
health.

Useful information for the researcher will be the subject's story about how he feels about the drawn person, who the child thought about when he worked on the task, whether this character is familiar to him.

Discussion of the resulting drawing is a mandatory testing stage

Processing and interpretation of the test result

Age features

There are nuances that must be taken into account when analyzing the picture, so as not to take the age characteristics of the child as a deviation from the norm:

For five-year-old children, the use of double contours when drawing limbs is typical; the place of attachment of the arms, as a rule, is the middle of the body. By the age of six, children are already consciously drawing the limbs in the upper part of the torso with ordinary lines.
At five years old, a baby can ignore minor details such as hair, eyebrows, nails, eyelashes, and so on. Children begin to supplement the image of a person with them in six years old, and girls more often "write out" elements of the face.
At older preschool age, children form the concepts of vertical and horizontal, so the drawn character no longer hovering in an inclination, like in small children, but takes a clear position.
Children of primary school age (7-9 years old) move from sketchy drawing to more detailed and realistic drawing (or there is a balance between these two ways of depicting). The older the child becomes, the less primitive the drawing should become.

Size and position

General composition analysis

To exclude signs of psychological pathology, you need to pay attention to the main points in the image of a person. In evaluating each item, the researcher should add one point for each match, and then add up the results. The minimum indicators that indicate that the child has no deviations are as follows:

for a baby 4–5 years old - 10 points;
6 - 14;
7th - 18;
schoolchild 8 years old - 22;
9 - 26;
A ten-year-old or older student - 30 points or more.

There are some details added to the drawn person that can be considered an additional bonus when assessing the mental development of a child - an elderly person has a cane, a soldier has a weapon, a schoolchild has a satchel, a skater has skates, and so on. These elements should correspond to the created image and not get out of the “theme” (a gun in the hands of a cute princess is inappropriate, a grandmother has a hockey stick, etc.).

Some unfavorable moments in the development of a child’s personality can be seen by a good specialist if in a drawing of a person:

hands are depicted with missing fingers;
brushes are drawn in the form of stumps or mittens;
eyes are not drawn;
in the profile image of a person there are two eyes, and in the full face - one;
there are no hints of a person's belonging to one sex or another;
the character is shown without clothes;
there are obvious violations of the proportions of the body.

The fact of drawing and erasing the entire figure of a person or its individual fragments also speaks of negative moments in the life of a child.

File: Features of the drawn figure, according to which the assessment is made

Body parts

The head has practically replaced the body - this may be evidence of a weakened intellect

The head reflects the area of social contacts, self-control. If much attention is paid to this part and the forehead (the child carefully and for a long time drew them), then this may be an indicator of adaptive distress in the social environment. The absence of the frontal part speaks of ignoring the mental sphere. The relationship between the physical and the spiritual is reflected in the figure in the proportions between the body and the head. Pressure on the psyche, headaches, weakening of the intellect are manifested in the image of a hypertrophied head. If it is larger than the body, this means the child's desire to compensate for something missing.

About impatience for other people, about superficial relationships with loved ones, the fact when a child draws a head later than all other parts of a person speaks.

The early sexual maturation of girls can be "read" if the drawn person is endowed with an unnecessarily lush and beautiful hairstyle, long curls that fall over the shoulders. The emphasis of boys on the hair can be regarded as a manifestation of masculinity.
Facial features, drawn weakly and without clear lines, indicate the presence of conflicts with others, the desire to avoid these problems. As a rule, such children are very unfriendly towards others, constantly expecting a dirty trick from the outside. Hostility and aggression can be literally traced in the character's face - wide eyes, tightly closed upper and lower lips, an open mouth, coupled with an unpleasant grin. Healthy self-respect, attentive attitude to one's person (within the norm) give out carefully drawn features. If the test subject paints over his face, then this is an indicator of the loss of his "I", the lack of self-identification. An unfavorable sign is drawing the muzzle of an animal, a frozen robot mask.
If a lot of attention is paid to the chin, this means fear of responsibility, indecision of the child. He can correct several times, erase this part, use too thick lines for its image. All this testifies to the search for compensation of volitional qualities.
The interpretation of the eyebrows can be correlated with the decoding of the image of the scalp: thick, disheveled - a rude, obstinate character, intemperance, impulsiveness of the author of the drawing; neat, smoothed - a symbol of calmness, increased attention to oneself; raised - arrogance and arrogance.
If the ears are drawn very well, then this is a reflection of a stubborn disposition, inability to listen to others, or, on the contrary, dependence on the opinions of others, an overly attentive attitude to comments.
Wide-open eyes indicate that the author of such a drawing is inquisitive; small - the child "looks" deep into himself, he is secretive and concentrated on his own experiences. The test subject tries to isolate himself from everything if the person's eyes are closed in the picture. Empty eye sockets or lack of pupils indicate that the author is arrogant. The desire to please others is easy to recognize by very beautiful eyes, drawn with symmetry. A lot of useful things can be seen in the gaze of the character: direct - openness and sociability; slanted look - suspiciousness, suspiciousness; staring - a reflection of aggression.
An open mouth (especially with drawn teeth) is a clear sign that a child has aggressive moods. They are not always direct, in some cases this may indicate a need for protection. The selection of the mouth serves as a signal of depression, inability to act independently. The subject will project the internal stress by depicting this part of the face in one line.
Children who are used to controlling themselves will draw a long neck, straight test participants will draw a short one. If the baby "forgot" about this part of the body, then it is safe to say that the child is intellectually immature.
A sociable kid will definitely draw hands “ready” for hugs, widely separated and slightly moved away from the outline of the figure. A closed child will "hide" the character's limbs behind his back or in his pockets. Sometimes communication problems are indicated by hands pressed to the body or hanging along the body. Limbs bent or awkwardly extended to the sides are an indicator of shallow contacts with the world. If they are plastic and flexible, then this is a sign of sociability. The absence of palms indicates disbelief in one's abilities, a feeling of inferiority. Long painted fingers with nails or hands clenched into fists speak of an aggressive mood. The malice of the child is also expressed in raised or painted over limbs, fingers in the form of claws of a bird of prey. The absence of hands can be interpreted in different ways: in preschoolers as timidity, intellectual immaturity, in children of primary school age - a sense of guilt towards adults for their aggression and hostility. Too long limbs are drawn by the subjects with a desire to contact with others. When the test-taker draws the muscles on his arms, this symbolizes his “admiration” for the authority of strength. Thin limbs are depicted by children who adequately assess their physical condition.
When a frail kid draws an athletic body, in this way he tries to compensate for his not very physically developed torso. If a child with a normal physique depicts this, then this is a manifestation of his inner strength, a well-developed ego. A weak body drawn by a strong patient speaks of past experiences. Some children pay attention to drawing the navel: if the child does this preschool age, then this signals his egocentrism; this part of the body is brought out by a junior schoolboy - one can judge him as an infantile individual seeking to go into his "shell". The shape of the body is rectangular, with an abundance of sharp corners - a symbol of masculinity, expressiveness, excess energy of the author of the drawing; a smoothed contour is an indicator of calmness, poise. A very unfavorable phenomenon, indicating mental deviations, is the drawing of the insides.
The image of short, weak or shaded legs is characteristic of children who are insecure, weak, with decadent moods. This is also indicated by the absence of stops. Proportional and well-drawn legs characterize the author as a person with a stable psyche. Children who feel insecure often depict small feet without proper support, as if floating in space. This speaks of their lack of formation as a person.
The significance of the image of the genitals will be noted by each testing specialist. For children, this is quite unusual. Due to shyness, for example, girls can draw closed hands in the lower abdomen, covering the intimate parts of the body. Until the age of twelve (the period of latent sexuality), the subjects do not openly depict the penis or vulva. The reasons that prompted the child to draw the genitals may be due to hernia surgery, circumcision, harassment, early puberty, or increased interest in the relevant organs. As a rule, psychologists associate the image of these body parts with behavioral deviations from the norm - aggression, phobias.

The drawn person of the opposite sex speaks about the confusion, the uncertainty of one's own sexual role. Or, alternatively, it may indicate a strong attachment and even dependence on a parent of the opposite sex.

Clothing and accessories

The emergence of questions about the appropriateness in the figure of wardrobe items indicates that the child has experiences associated with the body. Excessive attention to details in clothing indicates that the subject is important to his own appearance. Such children outwardly are quite sociable, but this is more often associated with a desire to hear approval, praise, and not to communicate.

Drawing buttons in the form of painting and pressing can be a sign of infantility, dependence, and even inadequacy. The same qualities are inherent in children who draw pockets in clothes.

A tie is a characteristic sign of sexuality, as a rule, it is more often present in the drawings of boys. Usually this attribute is drawn by children during puberty.

The details depicted next to the figure of a person should not escape the attention of specialists. Children who are good at making contacts draw the sun (often with rays, a smile). The hatching of this element is atypical, this sign, as well as rain clouds, may be evidence that there is some kind of misfortune or anxiety in the baby's life.

This person was drawn by a preschool child

Analyzing this figure, we can draw the following conclusions:

The subject is intellectually developed, a well-drawn head speaks of this.
The boy who portrayed this character is quite masculine (as far as one can be at his age), since the hairy part of the head is clearly highlighted.
The painted facial features speak of readiness for communication, positivity and openness: the eyes are large, but not enlarged, the mouth smiles.
The ears are depicted, but hidden behind the hair - this means that the boy is adequate and with due attention to the comments.
The desire for new knowledge, curiosity is evidenced by the eyes circled several times.
A long neck indicates that the subject is in control of his emotions. His bodily and rational principles are in harmony.
An open disposition can be judged by the arms spread apart, as if prepared to receive other people in their arms.
But unfortunately, this child is not always confident in his abilities (the symbol of this is small palms in the picture), although this can be attributed to the age of the baby. Shaded legs also speak of disbelief in one's abilities.
The boy is very energetic - this can be seen from the physique in the form of a triangle.

The “Drawing of a Person” technique allows you to understand the psychological state of the test person, the features of his relationship with others, and also to identify possible problems. Analysis of the result will help the teacher or psychologist to adjust the work with the child in order to help get rid of what prevents him from developing normally.

Professor Ilyin's new manual sets out in detail all the main questions of the psychology of fear. The topic is covered as fully as possible. Particular attention is paid to the diverse varieties and manifestations of fear. At the end of the book are detailed list literature, full list phobias, as well as numerous methods of studying fear.

The book is aimed at teachers, students, as well as representatives various specialties- psychologists, teachers, doctors, sports coaches, employees of law enforcement agencies, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Approved by the Educational and Methodological Association in the direction of "Pedagogical Education" of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation as study guide for higher educational institutions leading training in the direction 44.03.01 / 44.04.01 "Pedagogical education".

Instruction. This questionnaire contains a series of statements about certain thoughts, feelings and ideas regarding certain events in your life that are more or less inherent in you and manifest to one degree or another. In each case, you must answer to what extent, with what frequency the corresponding thoughts, feelings and ideas relate to you: a) extremely rarely, b) sometimes, c) very often.

You don't have to think long about the answers. There are no right or wrong answers in this questionnaire. Much more interested in your personal opinion.

Questionnaire text

1. At meetings and in companies, I prefer to stay away.

2. I am an insecure person.

3. It seems to me that some people do not notice or avoid me, I do not know why.

4. I get a little lost when I suddenly find myself in the spotlight.

5. It seems to me that few people really respect me.

6. When the time comes for the implementation of what I planned and expected in advance, I feel unable to do it.

7. I am happy to join a big company, for example, meet friends in the evening, go to a dance, take part in an interesting social event.

8. I experience a feeling of sudden fear or vague anxiety, without knowing why.

9. Most of my thoughts about myself are self-blaming.

10. It's hard for me to keep up a conversation with a person I've just met.

11. In various public situations, I experience excitement, similar to that experienced by a person before going on stage.

12. I certainly have fewer friends than most people.

13. I consider myself a very sociable (open) person.

14. I am constantly worried about something.

15. It happened that I sharply hated myself.

16. I have enough ability and energy to bring my plans to life.

17. I am timid.

18. Deep down, I consider myself a weakling.

19. I am modest.

20. I definitely lack self-confidence.

21. I willingly obey.

22. I am too shy.

23. Even being in society, I feel lonely.

24. I had such moments when I realized that I have something to despise.

25. I am meek.

26. Sometimes I have a premonition that some kind of punishment awaits me, even if I have not done anything wrong.

27. I sometimes feel as if I did something wrong or bad.

28. Being in a small group of people, I am content to keep aloof and for the most part let others do the talking.

29. When I am unfairly criticized for something I am not guilty of, I still feel a little guilty.

30. I am a bashful person.

Key to the questionnaire. Assign 2 points for category “a” answers to questions No. 7, 13, 16; For all other answers in this category, assign 0 points. Assign 1 point for each answer in category "b". Assign 0 points for category “c” answers to questions No. 7, 13, 16; For all other answers in this category, assign 2 points.

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table of contentsnie

Introduction

Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of the problem of shyness and isolation in children

1.1 Definition and causes of shyness

1.2 Manifestations and consequences of shyness and isolation in children

1.3 Diagnosis of shyness and withdrawal in children

Chapter 1 Conclusions

Chapter 2

2.1 Prevention of childhood shyness and withdrawal

2.2 Group methods of working with shy and withdrawn children

Chapter 2 Conclusions

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

In our work, we will consider problem psychoprophylactic work of a teacher-psychologist with shy and withdrawn children. Relevance The topic is due to the fact that the problem of shyness has its roots in childhood and prevents children from enjoying communication with peers, making friends and receiving their support. They try not to be noticed, not to take the initiative, and most importantly, they do not feel like full-fledged people because of all kinds of complexes.

Shyness can manifest itself in a child from an early age. From the point of view of psychology, this is the most complex phenomenon, which is based on many personal problems and characteristics. But on the outer level, shyness is mainly manifested in communication. It is difficult for the child to contact with others, to be in the center of the company, to talk when a large number of people are listening to him, to speak in front of others. The very thought that now he will attract attention to himself is unpleasant to him.

In school, shyness can be the root of many problems. During classes, where communication is based not on the teacher's monologue, but on two-way contact, the child himself often has to act as the active side. AT primary school classes rarely take the form of a lecture or written work. All subjects to one degree or another involve oral presentations of children, and for humanitarian subjects this is the main form of communication between a teacher and children.

The shyness of the child in the learning process, on the one hand, can serve as an obstacle to the qualitative assimilation of the material: shyness, being high emotional stress, blocks various thought processes, negatively affects memory.

On the other hand, shyness is detrimental to the psycho-emotional health of the child: for a shy child, speaking in front of a class is stressful, which, in turn, can lead to school fears in the child.

It is necessary to start taking measures to prevent the development of shyness in children as early as possible. Ways to deal with shyness depend, first of all, on the degree of its manifestation in a child and are different in a particular case.

The work of foreign psychologists D. Brett, M.E. Burno, F. Zimbardo, Russian psychologists L.I. Bozhovich, I.S. Kona, A.A. Reana etc.

Target of our work: to study the psychoprophylactic work of a teacher-psychologist with shy and withdrawn children.

To achieve our goal, we must decide the following hadachi:

1. Explore the definition and causes of shyness;

2. Consider the manifestations and consequences of shyness and isolation in children;

3. Determine the diagnosis of shyness and isolation in children;

4. To study ways to prevent children's shyness and isolation;

5. Analyze group methods of working with shy and withdrawn children;

Structure of our work: introduction, 2 chapters, consisting of three paragraphs, conclusions for each chapter, conclusion, list of references.

Practical significance work is that we will comprehensively consider this problem. We will consider the theoretical aspects of the phenomenon of shyness, offer the necessary diagnostic minimum, ways to solve the problem: psychoprophylaxis and psychocorrection, psychological and pedagogical recommendations for teachers and parents of shy and withdrawn children. This work can help psychologists, educational psychologists, teachers, educators, social educators, parents of shy and withdrawn children, etc.

shyness isolation childish psychological

Chapter 1.Theoretical aspectsProblems

1.1 Definition andcauses of shyness

There is no exact definition of shyness. Shyness is a complex complex condition that manifests itself in various forms. It can be mild discomfort, and inexplicable fear, and even deep neurosis.

Shyness- a character trait that manifests itself in embarrassment, anxiety, indecision, difficulties in communication caused by thoughts about one's inferiority and a negative attitude towards oneself by interlocutors.

According to the psychologist F. Zimbardo, “to be shy means to be afraid of people, especially those people who, for one reason or another, negatively affect our emotions: strangers (it is not known what can be expected from them); bosses (they have power); representatives of the opposite sex (they bring to mind thoughts of a possible rapprochement) ".

M.E. Burno writes that “shyness is often associated with such character traits as timidity, conscientiousness, indecision, awkwardness, slowness, self-doubt, anxiety, a tendency to doubt, fear, melancholy, suspiciousness, shyness, experiencing one’s unnaturalness.

All this together makes up a feeling, an experience, an inferiority complex, due to which a person seeks to stay away from responsible activities, business, practical communication with people and at the same time is distinguished by vulnerable pride, suffers from the fact that he does so little in his life, is so insignificant in compared with natural, resolute people.

According to D. Brett, “shyness is a phenomenon that is much more common than many people think, especially shy people. Studies show that about 40% of teenagers and adults consider themselves shy.

Among schoolchildren, shyness is more common than among adults, as many adults manage to overcome their childhood illness. In adolescence, shyness occurs more in girls than in boys, because the desire to be visible at school and to be attractive to members of the opposite sex is more strongly embedded in our girls than in boys. True, this does not mean that women are more often shy than men. This ratio may vary depending on the country or cultural stratum of society.

Distinguish between an internally shy person and an externally shy person. Outwardly shy people are unsociable or uncommunicative and lack social skills. This affects their relationships with other people, which in turn exacerbates painful self-esteem and leads to the fact that a person withdraws into himself. Externally shy people often occupy a lower position in society than they deserve and rarely become leaders.

Compared to outwardly shy introverts, shy extroverts are in a better position. They have more developed social skills, well-learned communication skills. They know what to do to please others, to be recognized, to advance in their position. If internally shy people are talented, then they often go on to a brilliant career. True, it costs them a lot of emotional costs.

Representatives of different psychological trends looked at the causes of shyness in different ways.

-Ttheory of innate shyness

Adherents of this theory believe that since shyness is an innate quality, nothing can change the state of affairs. Psychologist R. Cattell in his 16-factor personality questionnaire identified the H scale with two opposite personality traits - courage-self-confidence and timidity-sensitivity to threat. Low scores for this factor indicate a hypersensitive nervous system, an acute reaction to any threat, timidity, uncertainty in one's behavior, strength, and restraint of feelings. People with such indicators are tormented by a sense of their own inferiority, that is, they are shy people.

- Theory of behaviorism

Behaviorists proceed from the fact that the human psyche affects the forms of behavior, and behavior is a reaction to incentives. external environment. They believe that shyness occurs when people fail to master social communication skills. But if you create a certain educational environment, then everything can be corrected, since shyness is a reaction of fear to social incentives. It is worth changing the forms of communication, making them “correct”, and any tightness will disappear.

- Psychoanalytic theory

Shyness is regarded as a reaction to the unsatisfied primary needs of the instinct. It is associated with deviations in the development of the personality due to a violation of the harmony between instinct, adaptation to reality and the mind that protects moral standards. In addition, shyness is an external manifestation of a deep unconscious conflict. Psychoanalytic reasoning is based on examples of pathological shyness that really needs to be treated.

- A concept.Adler

A. Adler is a representative of individual psychology. It was he who introduced the term "inferiority complex". The psychologist believed that all children experience an inferiority complex due to physical imperfection, lack of opportunities and strength. This can hinder their development. Each child chooses his life style due to his character and his ideas about himself and the world as a whole. Adler believed that a person will never become neurotic if he cooperates with people. And those who are not capable of cooperation turn out to be lonely beings and losers. Children can become different reasons(organic inferiority, frequent illnesses), which makes them compete with others. Such a fate can be prepared for spoiled children who lack self-confidence, since everything will be done for them, and, finally, outcast children who have no experience of cooperation, since they did not observe this phenomenon in their own family, fall into this company. These three categories of children withdraw into themselves, do not interact with society, and therefore are doomed to defeat. Adler introduced the concept of "insecure behavior", due to the fear of criticism, the fear of saying "no", the fear of contact, the fear of insisting on one's own, caution. Children with "insecure behavior" are dependent, dependent, passive, that is, shy.

AT recent times shyness came to be referred to as "high reactivity". Often in highly reactive children, shyness appears as an instinctive behavior aimed at protecting against physiological and emotional overload. In this case, two variants of instinctive behavior are possible. The first one is that a child, dissatisfied with something, chooses an “avoidance strategy” (a type of psychological defense) and becomes shy. The second - the child is included in the rivalry and becomes self-confident.

It is customary to single out natural and social factors that form shyness. To natural factors refers to the temperament due to the type nervous system. Overwhelming majority shy people refers to the type of melancholic and phlegmatic. However, there are also shy choleric and sanguine people.

To social factors refer to the type of family education. There is a very close relationship between the type of child rearing and characteristics mental development. The most typical manifestations of improper upbringing:

Neprandyatie. There is no emotional contact between parents and children. The child is shod, dressed and fed, but his parents are not interested in his soul. As a result of such upbringing, one can raise either an aggressive child, or a downtrodden one, or a timid one.

overprotection. Parents too "correctly" educate the child, program his every step. The child is forced to chronically restrain his impulses and desires. The child may protest against such a situation, which results in aggressiveness, or he may submit, become closed, fenced off, and, as a result, shy.

Anxious and suspicious type of education. They tremble over the child, take care of it beyond measure, and this is fertile ground for the development of indecision, timidity, painful self-doubt.

As a result of the distortion of family education, as a rule, children grow up with emotional disorders of polar types - aggressive or shy.

In the context of the development of human emotions and feelings, shyness is considered either as a synonym for feelings of fear (D. Baldwin, K. Gross), or as an expression of guilt or shame (V. Zenkovsky, D. Izard, V. Stern). At the same time, all psychologists note the connection of shyness with the characteristics of the child's self-awareness and the attitude towards people associated with it: self-doubt, negative self-esteem, distrust of others.

Thus, we can say that shyness is a very common and versatile quality of a person's personality. It can be considered either a minor difficulty or a major problem.

The causes of shyness are as diverse as its definition. The main source of shyness is fear of people. The foundation of shyness, of course, is laid in childhood. Its appearance largely depends on the upbringing of parents, educational institutions and the social environment. True, there are people who, being not shy, suddenly, under the influence of any events, become shy.

1.2 Manifestations and consequences of shynessand isolation in children

The manifestations of shyness are very diverse: from physiological symptoms to internal conflicts and disturbances in thought processes. The behavior of a shy person deprives him of the most important and necessary thing in life - this is social and interpersonal communication. And this leads to isolation and loneliness, while increasing self-control and a tendency to introspection.

Any emotional disturbances in activity can be more clearly manifested either in the psychomotor, or in the intellectual, or in the vegetative sphere. Violation of these areas determines three mainx type of shyness, such as:

External behavior of a person, signaling shyness;

Physiological symptoms;

Internal sensations and vulnerability of intellectual functions.

Main signs characterizing the behavior of a shy person are: unwillingness to engage in conversation, difficult or even impossible eye contact, evaluates his voice as too soft, avoiding people, lack of initiative. Such behavior impedes social communication and interpersonal contacts, which are necessary for all people without exception.

Because shy people repeatedly fail to express themselves, they are less able than others to create their own inner world. All this leads to isolation of a person. Withdrawal is an unwillingness to talk until you are pushed to it, a tendency to remain silent, an inability to speak freely. But isolation is not just a desire to avoid talking, but a more general and deeper problem.

This is not just a problem of lack of communication skills, but the result of a misconception about the nature of human relationships. Closure- this is a consequence of external shyness, expressed in social and educational maladaptation, leading to violations of the somatic, psycho-emotional and social health of the individual.

On the physiological level shy people experience the following sensations: the pulse quickens, the heart beats strongly, sweat comes out, and there is a feeling of emptiness in the stomach. A distinctive physical symptom of shyness is a reddening of the face that cannot be hidden. These symptoms can appear in anyone with a strong emotional shock, however, non-shy people treat these reactions as a mild inconvenience, and shy people tend to focus on their physical sensations. Sometimes they don't even wait until they're in a situation where they feel embarrassed or embarrassed. They experience these symptoms in advance and, thinking only of the bad, decide not to engage in conversation, not to learn dancing, etc. .

From internal sensations a shy person can be distinguished by embarrassment and awkwardness. Often people blush embarrassment- a short-term acute loss of respect for oneself, which one has to experience from time to time. Confusion leads to general attention to some cases from private life, when someone informs other people about us, unexpected praise when they are caught doing an activity not intended for prying eyes. The state of embarrassment is caused by the consciousness of one's own inadequacy. Most shy people learn to avoid situations in which they might feel embarrassed and separate themselves more and more from others by focusing on their shortcomings.

There are people who are shy even when they are alone. They blush and feel embarrassed, reliving their previous mistakes or worrying about how they will behave in the future.

The most remarkable property of a shy person is awkwardness. Awkwardness is the outward manifestation of excessive preoccupation with one's own internal state. Self-knowledge, the desire to comprehend oneself underlie many theories of the harmonious development of personality. Awkwardness can manifest itself both in public and alone with oneself. Embarrassment in public is reflected in a person's concern about the impression made on others. He is often worried about: “Do they like me”, “What do they think of me”, etc.

As a rule, shyness manifests itself in childhood. Many parents face the shyness of their children when they go to visit with their child or come to visit them at home. The child is shy, clings to his mother, does not answer questions from adults. Sometimes children are embarrassed to approach a group of peers playing, they do not dare to join their game. This is one circle of situations in which childish shyness manifests itself. In fact, there are many more such situations and often they end up in kindergarten and school, where the child has to communicate with different teachers, answer in class, perform at holidays. In these situations, the child cannot find protection from his mother, and is forced to cope with his problem himself.

Observations show that shyness that arose in early childhood usually persists throughout the entire primary school age. But it is especially clearly manifested in the fifth year of life. It is at this age that children develop the need for a respectful attitude towards them from an adult.

Complaints about shyness, shyness of preschool children arise even in connection with their preparation for school, that is, at about 6 years of age. Low level the development of communication, isolation, difficulties in contacts with other people and adults, peers - prevent the child from joining in collective activities, becoming a full member of the group in kindergarten or in the school class.

The child reacts sharply to remarks, is offended by a joke, irony in his address, during this period he especially needs the praise and approval of an adult.

Adults need to behave especially carefully and delicately towards a shy child. To help the child overcome shyness, to form the necessary ways of communication for him: to involve him in joint games and collective activities is the common task of the teacher and parents. However, in the senior preschool and primary school age, it may be too late to start it. By the time a shy child enters school, a certain style of behavior, a peculiar behavior in society, is already taking shape, he is already aware of this shortcoming. However, awareness of one's shyness not only does not help, but, on the contrary, prevents the child from overcoming it, since characteristic feature of such children is a pronounced lack of self-confidence and an underestimated level of claims. The child is unable to overcome his shyness, because he does not believe in his own strength, and the fact that he fixes his attention on these traits of his character and behavior fetters him even more. Only adults can help a shy child, and the sooner they start doing this, the better.

Criteria for shyness in primary school children:

Emotional discomfort that the child experiences when meeting and communicating with strangers, and sometimes with strangers (low voice, inability to look directly into the eyes, silence, stuttering, incoherent speech, posing);

Fear of responsible actions (avoidance of responsible actions, avoiding the situation);

Selectivity in contact with people, preference for communication with close and well-known adults and refusal or difficulty in communicating with strangers.

Due to the fact that children of this warehouse are very vulnerable, they should be treated especially gently. Raising the voice, shouting, prodding, pulling, frequent prohibitions, censures and punishments can lead to the appearance of neurotic disorders in a child.

Vulnerable in a shy child is the area of feelings. He is not inclined to a vivid manifestation of his emotions, and when the need arises for this, he becomes shy and withdraws into himself. The child simultaneously experiences a desire to behave at ease and a fear of spontaneous expression of feelings.

A shy child is characterized by the desire to protect the space of his personality from outside interference. He seeks to withdraw into himself, to dissolve among others, to become invisible, the very thought that now he will attract attention to himself is unpleasant for him. In schoolchildren, shyness is accompanied by increased anxiety, suspiciousness, self-doubt, and timidity. In 10-20% of cases, these guys have fears of the dark, loneliness, they feel constrained in the presence of strangers, they are silent, closed. Meanwhile, they quite often have great abilities, easily master computer technology, love to read, draw, but giftedness and even expressed talents are blocked by a complex of self-doubt, internal tension when communicating with peers and adults. And as a result, they lose to less capable, but more nimble peers.

Some believe that shyness is more characteristic of girls, but this is far from the case. On the different stages age development, 20-25% of boys suffer from shyness - about the same as girls. Thus, the main difficulties in communicating a shy child with other people lie in the sphere of his attitude to other people.

It is traditionally believed that shy children have low self-esteem (a person's assessment of his own, psychological qualities and behavior, achievements and failures, advantages and disadvantages), that they think badly about themselves. However, this is not quite true. As a rule, a shy child considers himself very good, the best, that is, his attitude towards himself as a person is the most positive. His problem lies elsewhere. It seems to him that others treat him worse than he treats himself. As a shy child ages, there is a tendency for a gap in how they evaluate themselves and others. Children continue to rate themselves highly, but from the point of view of adults, parents and educators, their assessment is getting lower and lower.

Doubt about other people's positive attitude towards oneself brings disharmony into the child's sense of self, makes him suffer from doubts about the value of his "I". Congenital sensitivity to social influences contributes to the formation of a special type of personality of a shy child. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that everything that the child does is checked through the attitude of others.

Anxiety about his "I" often obscures the content of his activity for him. The child is focused not so much on what he does, but on how adults will evaluate him: personal motives always act as the main ones for him, obscuring both cognitive and business ones, which makes it difficult for both the activity itself and communication.

Shyness has negative consequences not only in social terms, but also negatively affects thought processes. Shyness exposes a person to a state that is characterized by an exacerbation of self-consciousness and specific features of self-perception. A person seems to himself small, helpless, constrained, emotionally upset, stupid, worthless, etc.

Shyness is accompanied by a temporary inability to think logically and effectively, and often a feeling of failure, defeat. After self-control turns on and anxiety rises, shy people pay less and less attention to incoming information. Memory deteriorates, perception is distorted.

Shyness can result in depression. Shy people direct all their aggression, which has not found a way out, inwards at themselves, hence the feeling of their inferiority, uselessness and worthlessness. All this leads to depression.

Consequences of shyness:

Creates difficulties when meeting new people and acquaintances, does not bring joy from potentially positive experiences;

It does not allow to declare one's rights, to express one's opinions and judgments;

Shyness limits the possibility of a positive assessment of personal qualities by other people;

Contributes to the development of isolation and excessive concern with their own reactions;

Interferes with clarity of thought and effectiveness of communication;

Shyness is usually accompanied by feelings such as depression, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness.

At first glance, shyness has only negative consequences for the individual. However, a closer examination shows that such a superficial assessment of the meaning of shyness is not entirely accurate. Shyness does some vitalfunctions for an individual, such as:

Focuses attention on the person or on a certain aspect of the person and makes them the subject of evaluation;

Promotes mental "playing" difficult situations, which leads to the strengthening of the "I" and a decrease in the vulnerability of the individual;

The fact that shyness is generally caused by the words and actions of others guarantees a certain degree of sensitivity to the feelings and evaluations of others, especially those with whom we have emotional contact and whose opinions we value;

Causes more than other emotions, awareness of one's own body. Increased sensitivity to one's body can be expressed in a more thorough implementation of hygiene rules, in actions aimed at improving appearance, which contributes to increased sociability, etc.;

Shyness increases self-criticism and a temporary sense of powerlessness. This contributes to the formation of a more adequate "I-concept". A person who is objectively aware of himself becomes more self-critical, fixing attention on himself makes the individual aware of his own internal contradictions. In addition, a person begins to better understand how he looks in the eyes of others;

Strengthened confrontation with the experience of shyness can facilitate the development of self-reliance, individuality and mutual love.

"Restrained", "serious", "unpretentious", "modest" - such positive ratings are usually given to shy people. Moreover, in a refined form, their mannerisms can be seen as "refined" and "profane". Shyness puts a person in a favorable light: he gives the impression of a person who is prudent, serious, analyzing his actions. It protects the inner life from constant intrusion and allows you to taste the joys of complete loneliness. Shy people do not offend their neighbors and do not hurt them, as powerful people often do.

Despite the fact that you can “grow out of shyness”, you should not hope and wait passively, and not everyone gets rid of shyness as they grow up. But even if positive changes have taken place, an unpleasant aftertaste from past failures and acute experiences remains in the memory of these people.

If you do not allow the development of shyness in younger age, then for children this problem will not become a mental illness in adolescence.

1.3 Diagnosis of shyness and withdrawal in children

It can be assumed that the opinion about low self-esteem in shy children is erroneous. Experimental studies indicate that shy children rate themselves highly enough. The problem is their tendency to believe that others treat them badly, much worse than themselves. This is the personality trait of shy children: the child checks each of his actions through the opinions of others, his attention is focused more on how adults will evaluate his actions. However, there are often shy children who have authoritarian parents who impose unnecessarily great expectations on your child. Thus, the child develops a "complex of inadequacy", and he is more and more convinced of his insolvency. Hence the refusal to act. Raising a child in the style of "Cinderella" contributes to the development of his psychological defense, which consists in the fact that the child ceases to show initiative in communication and activity, behaves quietly and imperceptibly, does not make unnecessary movements so as not to "cause fire on himself."

Shyness is often found in the only children in the family who, for one reason or another, had a limited social circle.

Shyness is also found in children brought up in single-parent families by single mothers. The increased anxiety of such mothers, who constantly try to control their children, contributes to the fact that children gradually lose confidence in the world and the people around them. The mother, who has survived the insult and wants to protect the child from this child, presents the surroundings to the baby as bad and evil. Such an attitude, depending on the personality characteristics of the child, develops either aggressiveness or shyness.

Therefore, we can assume that the main reason for the painful shyness of children of preschool and primary school age is an inadequate style of upbringing in the family. In adolescence, the main reasons lie in the rejection of one’s own physical body, one’s appearance, the lack of friendly relations with peers, ridicule and humiliation on their part, the intrapersonal conflict of “I-real” and “I-ideal”, a discrepancy between the level of self-esteem and the level of claims, inability to express your feelings.

Anxiety is included in the symptom complex of shyness. According to E.K. Lyutova and G.B. Monina, “anxiety develops in children when they have an internal conflict provoked by the excessive demands of adults, their desire to put the child in a position dependent on themselves, the lack of a unified system of requirements, the presence of anxiety in adults themselves. The mechanism of anxiety lies in the fact that the child is in constant expectation of troubles, problems and conflicts, he does not expect anything good from others.

The work of a psychologist directly with shy children should be carried out in several directions: psychodiagnostics, psychoprophylaxis, psychocorrection, psychological counseling and etc.

The diagnostic stage, like all the others, should include work with parents, with the child, and with teachers (see Table 1).

Table 1

Diagnostic program to identify the causes of shyness in children


	1. "Ladder" O. Khukhlaeva; 2. Family drawing; 3. Test "Kinetic family pattern" (KRS) R. Burns and S. Kaufman; 4. Method "Choose the right person" (test for assessing the level of anxiety) R. Temml, M. Dorki, V. Amen
Parents	1. Questionnaire "Analysis of family relationships" (DIA) E.G. Eidemiller; 2. Test for assessing the level of anxiety A.I. Zakharov; 3. Questionnaire "Criteria for determining anxiety in a child" P. Baker and M. Alvord; 4. Questionnaire for identifying anxiety in a child G.P. Lavrentieva and T.M. Titarenko
teachers	1. Questionnaire "Criteria for determining anxiety in a child" P. Baker and M. Alvord; 2. Questionnaire for identifying anxiety in a child G.P. Lavrentieva and T.M. Titarenko

The main difficulty in working with shy children is to establish contact with them, to develop trusting relationships. In this case, there is no need to rush, it is necessary that the child gets used to the psychologist.

At first, the specialist should systematically come to the group, conduct observations, talk with the teacher, conduct games and participate in them. When the child can more or less freely contact the psychologist, individual work can begin in the office. Most likely, the child will not want to complete the tasks. Then you can offer to play, draw, i.e. do what he wants and try to include tasks in the context of the game or, in extreme cases, postpone them.

During this period, it is advisable to use projective techniques, including conversations on drawings. Also in individual work, you can use the elements doll therapy.

Gradually, you can include the child in subgroupwork- through the organization of joint activities, joint games. It is necessary to choose such assignments or tasks with which the child is sure to cope. Creating situations of success will help develop self-confidence. It is imperative to celebrate his success by saying it out loud. But do not focus on the child, as this will only confuse him. Therefore, it is better to help him indirectly, without pressure. An instruction or your request can be motivated by the fact that an adult cannot cope without his help.

Shy children bond much more easily with younger children than with peers or adults. This moment can also be used to develop the child's self-confidence, to develop a positive self-perception.

A request addressed to a shy child should contain specific tasks. It is important that it be expressed in a calm, soft voice, contain an address by name and be accompanied by a gentle touch. When communicating with shy children, it is necessary to exclude loud, harsh intonations, appeals in the form of orders, humiliating or critical statements. The main thing is tact and patience.

An effective way to expand a shy child's behavioral repertoire is to attracting an assistant from peers, which is characterized by high sociability, goodwill and will be able to involve a shy child in the game, in joint activities. But it also needs to be prepared: to have a conversation, to play typical situations, etc.

Chapter 1 Conclusions

Having considered chapter 1 “Theoretical aspects of the problem of shyness and isolation in children”, we learned the following concepts: shyness, isolation, embarrassment, awkwardness, etc., and revealed the essence of the following issues: the definition and causes of shyness; manifestations and consequences of shyness and isolation in children; diagnosis of shyness and isolation in children. After analyzing these questions, we made the following conclusions:

1. Shyness is a complex complex condition that manifests itself in various forms. It can be mild discomfort, and inexplicable fear, and even deep neurosis. Shyness is a character trait that manifests itself in embarrassment, anxiety, indecision, difficulties in communication caused by thoughts about one's inferiority and negative attitude of interlocutors;

2. Manifestations of shyness are very diverse: from physiological symptoms to internal conflicts and disturbances in thought processes. Any emotional disturbances in activity can be more clearly manifested either in the psychomotor, or in the intellectual, or in the vegetative sphere. The behavior of a shy person deprives him of the most important and necessary thing in life - this is social and interpersonal communication. And this leads to isolation and loneliness, while increasing self-control and a tendency to introspection;

3. In individual work with a child, you can use projective techniques, including conversations based on drawings, elements of puppet therapy. Gradually, you can include the child in subgroup work - through the organization of joint activities, joint games - this will contribute to the development of self-confidence.

Chapter 2problemsshyness and withdrawal in children

2.1 Prevention of child shynessand isolation

Preventing shyness is not easy, but it is still possible if:

1) Once again not to demonstrate the tendency of parents to worry and doubt;

2) Do not impose on children such rules and obligations that they are not able to fulfill;

4) Try to be an example of confident, flexible and contact behavior more often;

5) Do not create problems where you can do without them, and, above all, do not dramatize existing difficulties in communication;

6) Do not be overly principled, maximalist and uncompromisingly minded, as well as intolerant, irreconcilable in judgments and assessments;

7) Be capable of change, not withdraw into yourself and strive for a variety of contacts with people around you.

Many fears in adolescence are developments of earlier fears and anxieties. Therefore, the earlier work is begun to overcome and prevent fears, the greater the likelihood of their absence in adolescence, where there is a real danger of the formation of anxious, suspicious, inhibited character traits.

If psychological (parental) and psychotherapeutic (professional) help is provided at preschool or primary school age, one can still count on a more or less tangible effect of preventing the development of psychasthenic character traits.

The main tasks of parents:

Develop a positive self-image in children;

Build self-confidence and adequate self-esteem;

Raise your child's self-esteem.

Inattention or insufficient attention of parents to children means the loss of the most important educational factor - communication. In such cases, parents are unable to penetrate into the inner world of children, to correctly understand their needs and interests. The resulting secrecy and isolation of children, on the one hand, the inability of parents to penetrate their world, on the other, contribute to the loss of contacts between them, give rise to alienation.

The most effective measure to prevent shyness is the consistent purposeful formation of the child's communication skills and the ability to act together with others, adults and children. Most of Responsibility lies with the educator, since his personality is a powerful factor in the development of the child's personality, his function is to familiarize himself with the cultural heritage, the social experience of generations, his role is to clearly demonstrate behavior patterns, social norms, values.

At the initial stage (especially if the child reacts painfully to strangers - screams, cries, runs away or freezes near the mother, avoiding looking at the stranger and especially meeting his eyes), the circle of passive communication should be gradually expanded.

You don’t need to immediately invite a stranger to your home without the need, but you can start talking in the presence of a child with someone stranger or unfamiliar on a walk.

In this case, you must first warn the child about what you are going to do. Do not worry that a one and a half year old baby will not understand everything. He will feel the even, calm state of the mother, intonation, soothing gestures - stroking, patting, he will see a gentle look, and anxiety will decrease. Having warned the baby, you can, together with him, holding his hand, approach the person you have chosen and ask him a simple question: find out what time it is, how to get to the nearest street, when the store opens, etc. .

For further development communication skills, the most suitable place is a playground in the yard or in the park, where the child already knows its “geography” and equipment well. A playground with a partly constant, partly changing composition of “visitors” is the best place where you can teach a child not to be afraid of people, communicate with them, talk, and engage in simple games.

On the playground, the child easily moves to active communication, first with the help of his mother. Gradually, under the guidance of an adult, the child develops the ability to understand another person, to coordinate his actions with him, to subordinate them to a common goal. The child becomes more sociable, acquires the skills of joint activities.

Parents of a shy child should expand the circle of his acquaintances, invite friends more often, take the child to visit familiar people. In addition, it is necessary to expand the routes of walking.

In connection with the systematic introduction of the child to society, he gradually forms a calm and adequate attitude towards strangers, adults and children, develops the necessary communication skills, and improves his speech.

Unfortunately, some parents try to save the child from any contact with strangers, do not let them near other children, isolate them from society, and therefore do not allow the ability to live among people to develop. It is especially bad when the mother of the child herself is distinguished by a closed, uncommunicative character, increased suspiciousness, and anxiety. Surrounding the child with painfully heightened attention, she conveys her anxiety and uncertainty to him. Such an emotional atmosphere is extremely harmful for young children and can lead not only to shyness, but also to more serious disorders, up to neurotic reactions.

However, such a direct dependence of the child's shyness on the tense emotional situation in the family occurs only in approximately 30% of cases. The remaining 70% of shy children grow up in families with the opposite type of upbringing, where the child is treated with increased severity, exactingness, and they do not recognize compromises. In such a family, children grow up in an atmosphere of constant prohibitions, orders, pulls, they are often punished and rarely praised, almost never caressed. As a result, contrary to the attitudes of parents who are convinced that they are doing everything to ensure that the child becomes strong, persistent, self-confident, he grows up downtrodden, shy, submissive and often cowardly. The low level of development of communication in a child, combined with anxiety and pronounced self-doubt, is a prerequisite for shyness to become a defining trait of a child's character by the age of 6.

Based on the main "pain points" of a shy child, the most important thing is raise a child's self-esteemenka in the part related to perception of other people's attitudes towards oneself. It is necessary to analyze the attitude of adults (teachers and parents) towards the child, to look at situations through the eyes of the child.

Maybe he lacks the expression of love, praise and support. After all, shy children give parents less trouble than mischievous and naughty ones. Therefore, less attention is paid, while it is precisely such children who need it to a greater extent. An adult must cultivate the ability to be attentive to the child, not only when he asks for help or support, but also when, at first glance, he does not need it.

The next task is to help the child increase self-esteem in specific activities, support his self-confidence. When doing something together with the child, parents need to express the conviction that he will always cope with the task, and if not, then it does not matter, and he can always be helped and he will overcome all difficulties. If it is clear that the child is focused on evaluation and this slows down his actions, it is necessary to distract him from the evaluation side of the activity. Game techniques and humor will help here, you can talk on behalf of a fictional character, play a scene. It will defuse tension, distract from oneself, give courage.

It should be remembered that shy children are often very cautious and afraid of everything new. They are more committed than their peers to following the rules, afraid to break them.

In shy children, an internal prohibition is formed to a greater extent on acts and actions that are condemned by adults, and this can inhibit their initiative and activity. The flexible behavior of adults will help get rid of the fear of punishment, from excessive stiffness. There is no need to be afraid that the child will cease to be disciplined. Restrictions are not always beneficial for development. On the contrary, excessive restrictions often turn out to be the cause of childhood neuroses.

It is equally important to help the child learn to freely and freely express their emotions, desires, feelings. Shy children often act shy, especially when others are staring at them. Specially organized games will help to relieve internal tension and feel free. emancipation emotional sphere, pantomime games contribute well to better mastering the language of emotions, for example, such as “Guess the emotion”, “Where we were, we will not say, but what we did, we will show”, “Who came to us”, “Dolls are dancing”, “Fants ", etc. It is desirable that several adults and children participate in these games.

Often the parents of shy children try to explain to them that there is no need to be afraid of people, they persuade them to speak to the guests, read a poem or sing a song. Such direct impact ineffective. The child shrinks all over, cannot utter a word, hides and begins to fear the situation of publicity even more. A much more effective method of combating shyness is fantasy games, in which various characters are endowed with the features of the child himself, and situations are close to those that especially excite him, cause anxiety or fear. Imagination games can take the form of a story about a girl or a boy who lives in the same circumstances as a child, gets into different life collisions and finds a way out of them. By listening to or writing a story about another child, attributing their experiences to him, children become more open to talking about themselves.

Thus, the sensitive and attentive attitude of parents and teachers to shy children will allow them to overcome their shyness, to form a basic trust in the world, in the people around them.

2.2 Group methods for dealing with shy peopleand closedchildren

Group method of work with shy kids The best way achieve the desired result. It allows you to model various situations associated with contact with other people, with the opportunity to express themselves in public, in a relatively safe environment, and thereby gain positive experience and correct self-esteem.

Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of shy children. And this is a serious reason to talk about it and work on it. Games and exercises that are tailored to the characteristics of shy children and carried out in a group can be of great help to such children.

The game "Director" will allow a shy child to manage other children, take responsibility, be in a situation where it is necessary to improvise and constantly communicate with others. In this case, you can take any short fairy tale, fable or poem to stage a mini-performance, leaving the choice to the “director” himself. He also distributes roles among peers. Thus, the performance becomes his brainchild.

During the game "Exhibition" each of the children represents himself as a photographer who has opened an author's exhibition of photographs. During the game, the children list photographs (preferably at least three), which supposedly depict important events or people for the author. From the named photographs, the child chooses the most interesting or significant for him and describes it in detail: what is shown in the photograph and why this particular episode interested the “author”. During this game, each child should talk about important moments for him. An important condition for this is the attention of "visitors of the exhibition", who have the right to ask questions if they wish.

Thus, the child gets the opportunity for quite a long time to be in the spotlight. To get rid of shyness in children, this is simply necessary.

Another game is "Speaker". Here, the shy child is also the center of attention for other children. In order to strengthen the situation being played out, you can build an impromptu tribune for the "speaker". The game consists in the fact that within a few minutes the child must speak with an impromptu story on a chosen topic. Topics can be as follows: "Family", "School", "Shop", "Circus", "Park", etc.

Of course, it is difficult for shy children to behave in such an uncharacteristic way without a “mask”. Therefore, at the first stages of working with them, the “mask” can be an image of an animal, a plant, or an image inanimate nature. So, depicting elephants in the game "Butterflies and Elephants", children slowly move around the room, communicate with the same "elephants", and then, turning into "butterflies", they continue to communicate, but their movements are already fast and light. Thus, in the "mask" of animals, children are more willing to interact with each other, showing ingenuity. This game has another positive side - the nature of communication can be given. In this regard, it is possible to develop the way of communication that children do not use or rarely use. For example, you can invite them to communicate only with "eyes" or touches.

In the Thunderstorm game, each child transforms into a cloud, easily moving around the room. With the words "a storm is coming," the children gather in the center of the room. And after the command: "Lightning flashed!" - they shout in chorus: “Babah!”. The game gives you the opportunity to feel like a member of the group, gives courage, confidence. The proposed image helps to overcome internal prohibitions on contacts, a loud cry.

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