THE EXPRESSION OF PRESCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN'S METAPHORICAL THINKING IN PLAY

Play in childhood and especially in preschool age occupies an important place in a child's life because it is named by scientists and practitioners as a child's main and favourite activity. Play helps a child to develop many competences, cognitive skills, stimulates communication and knowing better oneself and the world. Therefore, play can be considered as the most universal method of children's education. The analysis of scientific literature and the results of the research allow stating that play in preschool age plays an important role in the processes of children's versatile development. Children's ability to think metaphorically develops gradually, in the most elementary forms and at first manifests itself in children's play. One of more complicated forms of metaphorical thinking - creation of imaginary situations of play - not only develops children's metaphorical thinking but also lays the basis for the formation of abstract thinking already in preschool age. Children's metaphorical thinking has been revealed to the greatest extent in creative role plays and free plays where children, while getting new experience, relate it to what is familiar to them and to what is still unfamiliar to them.