Children's early childhood games

Rano djetinjstvo je iznimno bitno, moglo bi se reći i najbitnije razdoblje u razvoju osobe. U djetinjstvu je dijete najosjetljivije ali i najbrže uči i raste kroz različite razvojne stadije koje uključuju njegove kognitivne, tjelesne, emocionalne te socijalne aspekte. Upravo zbog važnosti tog razdoblja dječjeg razvoja, mnogi su stručnjaci istraživali i donosili zaključke i ideje glede njega. Dijete, da bi pravilno raslo i razvijalo se, potrebna mu je obitelj koja će se u njegovim najosjetljivijim godinama brinuti za njega, podržavati ga u rastu i razvoju te mu omogućavati uvjete potrebne za napredak, istraživanje i igru. No, dijete osim u obitelji, danas se sve češće nalazi i u odgojno-obrazovnim ustanovama koje jednako tako skrbe za sve njegove potrebe kada roditelji nisu prisutni. Boraveći u njima, dijete stječe navike, uči i igra se. Upravo je igra, kao bitan element djetinjstva predmet brojnih teorija, rasprava i istraživanja. Postoji velik broj podjela i vrsta igara, a da bi bila najučinkovitija, igra mora biti u fokusu djetetova zanimanja, slobodno odabrana, zabavna, sigurna i ostavljati ugodu. Odgojitelji, kao osobe s kojima se djeca veći dio dana druže za zadatak imaju neprestano pratiti, sudjelovati i podržavati igru, prilagođavati okruženje te ga opremati materijalima kako bi djeca mogla nesmetano i neprestano uživati u toj aktivnosti.Early childhood is extremely important, one could say the most important, period in a person’s development. In childhood, the child is the most sensitive, but also learns the fastest and grows through various developmental stages that include cognitive, physical, emotional, and social aspects. Because of the importance of this period of child development, many experts have researched it and came to conclusions and ideas about it. For a child to grow and develop properly, it needs a family that will take care of it in its most vulnerable years, support it in growth and development and enable the conditions necessary for progress, research, and play. However, apart from the family, the child is increasingly found in educational institutions that equally care for all the needs of the child when the parents aren’t present. While staying in them, the child acquires habits, learns, and plays. Play, as an essential element of childhood, is the subject of numerous theories, discussions, and research. There are many divisions and types of games. To be the most effective, a game must be in the focus of children’s occupations, freely chosen, fun, safe, and enjoyable. Educators, as people with whom children spend most of the day, have the task of constantly monitoring, participating in, and supporting the game, adapting the environment, and equipping it with materials so that children can enjoy this activity without interruption