SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL ASPECT OF COMBINING FOLK TRADITIONS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PROCESS OF MORAL AND SPIRITUAL EDUCATION OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The article substantiates the relevance of combining folk traditions and digital technologies in the moral and spiritual education of older preschool children under conditions of full-scale war and the state's course toward the digitalization of preschool education. It is shown that the ethnographic and digital dimensions of preschool education are still mostly examined separately in the methodological literature, whereas practice requires their organic, pedagogically sound integration, consistent with the requirements of the Basic Component of Preschool Education, the Concept of Educating Children and Youth in the Digital Space, and the Concept of Digital Hygiene for Preschool Children. The aim of the study is to analyze the theoretical and practical aspects of using digital technologies as a means of actualizing Ukrainian folk traditions and holidays in shaping preschoolers' spiritual and moral values. The essence of preschoolers' moral-spiritual and national-patriotic education is revealed as a precondition for internalizing the values of Goodness, Justice, Conscience, and Honesty, along with the role of folk holidays (Christmas, Easter, Malanka, Ivan Kupala), ritual folklore, and carols in shaping national identity. Specific types of digital content of ethnographic orientation are identified — multimedia presentations of calendar-ritual holidays, animated videos about customs, interactive electronic books of Ukrainian fairy tales, QR-quests, and virtual tours of folk-craft museums — which make tradition vivid and emotionally accessible to older preschoolers. A practical basis of open-access online resources on folk studies is presented («Mala Storinka», the Virtual Museum of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine, the online collection of the National Museum of Decorative Arts of Ukraine). It is proven that digital technologies strengthen the educational potential of folk traditions provided they are applied in a pedagogically balanced, measured way alongside live communication between children and adults. It is substantiated that preparing future educators to competently select ethnographically oriented digital resources is a mandatory component of their professional digital competence. Prospects for further research are outlined: developing and testing a holistic methodology for combining folk traditions with digital technologies, studying how preschoolers perceive different formats of digital ethnographic content, substantiating regulations for using digital tools in line with digital hygiene requirements, and developing professional development programs for educators in this area.