The notion of a child and childhood in the Ukrainian educational traditions

Abstract

Childhood is a very important period of human life that begins with the birth of a child. Each culture and nation in the world had different attitudes towards education and upbringing of a child. The notion of “childˮ in the Ukrainian culture appears at every element of the societyʼs life. Therefore, the aim of the article is to analyze the peculiarities of the perception of the world of childhood through the prism of folk ideas and culture in Ukraine. The paper reveals the notion of a child and childhood and their place in Ukrainian folk, traditions and culture. It covers the periods from Kyiv Rus to modern times and considers all significant aspects of Ukrainian culture, i.e., paintings, sculpture, prose, traditions and customs, lifestyle, and beliefs. Furthermore, the article presents different examples of the presentation of the notion “childˮ in the spheres of the Ukrainian culture. It is proved that a child was a significant element in the social and cultural life of Ukrainians in different periods. Ukrainian educational tradition paid great attention to the excellent education of children. Thus, the article demonstrates the attitude towards children of different ages mentioned in works by various artists, painters, writers, and sculptors. It is essential to recognize that religion played a crucial role in childrenʼs education by the mid 21st century, which was presented in the culture. Furthermore, the paper present the attitude of the society towards children of different origin i.e. orphans, children with one parent, homeless children etc. Folk pedagogical views on the development and education of children are the material that points to the role assigned to children within the folk culture. Therefore, it is important to research the history and evolution of these views in order to implement the best examples into the educational process. Keywords: childhood, child, education methods, customs and traditions, history of pedagogy.