A METHODOLOGICAL MODEL FOR DEVELOPING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S COGNITIVE AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new possibilities for educational practice, including early childhood education. However, the pedagogical value of AI in preschool settings depends not simply on the availability of technological tools but on how these tools are integrated into developmentally appropriate learning activities. This article examines the methodological potential of AI tools for developing preschool children's cognitive and creative activities and proposes a pedagogical model for their purposeful integration into early childhood education. The study employs theoretical analysis, comparative analysis, synthesis, pedagogical modelling, and methodological design. Previous research on AI in early childhood education indicates that AI-related learning can be associated with cognitive development, creativity, collaborative inquiry, literacy, and other learning outcomes, while also revealing significant challenges related to teacher competence, age appropriateness, ethics, and educational design. Based on the reviewed literature, the article proposes a seven-stage methodological model: pedagogical goal setting, AI-tool selection, creation of a problem-based or creative situation, active child inquiry, production of a creative outcome, discussion and reflection, and pedagogical assessment. The model places the child and teacher rather than the technology at the centre of the educational process. AI is conceptualized as a mediating pedagogical resource that stimulates observation, questioning, comparison, imagination, problem solving, and creative expression. The article argues that effective AI integration in preschool education requires teacher mediation, active child participation, developmentally appropriate content, ethical safeguards, and systematic assessment. The proposed model provides a methodological framework for future empirical research and practical implementation in preschool educational organizations.