У статті окреслено проблему формування емоційної культури в педагогічному та психологічному аспектах, висвітлено педагогічні можливості театрально-ігрової діяльності у розвитку емоційної культури з урахуванням специфіки відбору педагогічних засобів. Проаналізовано сучасні підходи до формування емоційної культури дітей старшого дошкільного віку, розкрито компоненти емоційного розвитку дитини.
The article analyses current approaches to forming senior preschoolers’ emotional culture and reveals the components of children’s emotional development. The author defines educational opportunities of preschoolers’ harmonious development through the interaction of their major needs based on emotionalsensual sphere and personal culture formation. Special attention is paid to the development of child’s emotional culture as an important component of her/his social competence, forming the personality with a broad outlook and high culture capable of harmonious relations with people and realization of her/his natural potential. Being emotional and sensual by nature, children get knowledge and orientation in the outside world through perception; it’s the necessary condition of personal qualities development, that’s why we should take into account children’s natural abilities. Among the various means of emotional culture development special attention is given to theatrical and game activity which is considered to be a school of emotional culture and communication. Theatrical activity is improvisational, it’s an individual creative process which combines different creative principles (productive, performing, decorating) and children’s ability to perceive specific theatrical art. Such synthesis provides effective pedagogical conditions for the development and improvement of children’s emotional sphere and creativity. The harmonious cohabitation with the environment provides children’s competence in the world of emotions and feelings. Preschoolers’ emotional comfort may be provided just by adults understanding and respecting them. The specificity of selection of pedagogical means of forming children’s emotional culture is promoted by taking into account the peculiarities of senior preschoolers’ development: the desire for independence in their activities, egocentricity of thinking and the need in game interaction. Having made the analysis of the concept of emotional culture, considered the features of children’s personal culture of emotional development and revealed the educational opportunities of theatrical activity in the process of children’s emotional culture formation, the author proves that teacher’s competence on the organization of theatrical games is the first necessary step to professional, systematic and creative work with children.