The research objective is to determine the features of directions and structural elements of civic education of the individual.
The statement of basic materials. The article deals with the main directions and structural elements of civic education – achieving physical perfection, strengthening the will and spirit, forming moral and ethical qualities. Need-motivational function, value-normative function, aesthetic function, moral function are distinguished among others as the most necessary for the development of the spiritual sphere of a person in the frame of physical education. The spiritual and moral basis of modern civic education is analyzed, which should be based on cognitive, regulatory and behavioral norms, which include developing the skills to reason, analyze, ask questions and look for answers, think critically and consider the problem comprehensively. The above mentioned skills are formed by means of mental education aimed at the development of the pupils’ intellectual powers, their thinking, and the transfer of the mental work culture. The process of formation and development of critical thinking is considered as one of the innovative pedagogical technologies, which enables the transition of traditional education, which is focused on the acquisition of knowledge, to a new type of humanistic and innovative education, which is focused on the transformation of acquired knowledge, abilities and skills into subject competencies.