STORY-ROLE PLAY AS A MECHANISM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND VOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Liu ChenYu

The article presents a theoretical and methodological analysis of story-role play as the leading mechanism for the formation of emotional regulation and voluntary behavior in preschool age amid a changing sociocultural reality characterized by the digitalization of childhood and the transformation of forms of communication between the child and adults and peers. The understanding of play as a space for the internalization of social norms and meanings is elaborated, in which the affective attitude toward the role serves as an energetic resource for overcoming impulsivity and aligning "I want" with the normative "I must." It is demonstrated that the dual-plane nature of play action and the maintenance of a pretend situation facilitate the transition from situational determination of behavior by the object environment to action management based on an internal plan, thereby forming prerequisites for volitional control. The analysis examines the role of the role position as a condensed rule, the mechanism of motive subordination, and the development of emotional decentration in collective play through the necessity of coordinating intentions and anticipating a partner's reactions. The risks of reducing expanded play and replacing it with early intellectualization or the consumption of ready-made content are discussed; these are linked to deficits in self-regulation and difficulties in school adaptation. The significance of verbal mediation, reflection, symbolic processing of conflicts, and imagination as interconnected components of regulatory development is substantiated, along with the productive position of the adult who supports the child's initiative and the cultural richness of play.

Keywords:story-role play, emotional regulation, voluntary behavior, internalization of social norms, preschool age.