Pedagogy of free time: social and philosophical analysis

The author examines the concept of free time and such features as recreation, development of personality, fulfilling of needs, communication, transfer of experience. The attention is focused to the development of children and youth. In this connection the appearance and becoming of pedagogy of free time are investigated, in particular in Germany and Austria, and training for this area. It is an interesting reflection about sociocultural animation in France, Switzerland and some countries of Latin America. In the article the experience in implementation of «diversity concept» in the USA and Germany is studied. The findings of the research show that critical understanding of leisure needs its philosophical reflection and adequate perception in the context of modern pedagogy, which means empowering efficiency for children and the young, as well as personal development. It is worth considering the emergence and formation of leisure pedagogy and training experience for the sector, gained in various European countries, in order to analyze the problem. Moreover, the practice of leisure activities should be considered as well. The study stresses the fact that sociocultural animation is widely used for education. Certain attempts to recognize the pedagogy of free time as an independent pedagogical discipline have not found sufficient support yet. Thus, it is considered an integral part of social pedagogy