Abstract:

This article presents a study that examines some of the difficulties and challenges that professionals face in carrying out their teaching practice on a daily basis in pre-school institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to reveal the difficulties and challenges faced by pedagogical specialists in the system of preschool education during a pandemic and to highlight the opportunities for overcoming them and optimizing pedagogical interactions in a pandemic. The following hypothesis is raised – if on the basis of the conducted research the difficulties and challenges faced by the pedagogical specialists in carrying out their activity during a pandemic are revealed, then this will give an opportunity to uncover the possibilities for overcoming them and optimizing the pedagogical interactions in a pandemic.

To achieve the goals and prove the hypothesis, the following tasks are set:
- To study the difficulties and challenges related to the implementation of pedagogical interactions in the kindergarten, in accordance with the anti-epidemic measures;
- To study the impact of the epidemiological situation on children`s behavior;
- To explore the possibilities for interaction with parents during a pandemic;
- To explore the possibilities for using new, interactive methods, resources and educational games to optimize pedagogical interactions in kindergarten.

A system of criteria and indicators is used to obtain objective data and to derive some dependencies, which is described in detail in the article. The method used for the realization of the set goals and tasks is the survey. It was attended by pedagogical specialists working in the system of preschool education, from different towns and villages located on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. An analysis of the results of the survey and some main conclusions are presented.

The study highlighted the following challenges and revealed some opportunities to address them, namely:
- The challenge for pedagogical specialists to prepare and present pedagogical situations in online format;
- The challenge to convey and explain the tasks in the educational areas that children have to complete at home with the help of their parents;
- Difficulties related to discipline and concentration during prolonged absence of children;
- The challenge for pedagogical specialists to carry out pedagogical interaction, complying with the anti-epidemic measures;
- Opportunities for using new electronic resources, educational games, interactive methods in planning and implementing pedagogical interactions during a pandemic;
- Opportunities for the implementation of different ways of communication and feedback regarding the work and progress of children in the activities;
- The opportunity for kindergarten institutions to strengthen their positions regarding their educational role for the full physical and mental development of children, for the development of key competencies, social skills, emotional skills, communication skills, empathy, etc.

Keywords:

Preschool education during a pandemic, pedagogical interactions in the kindergarten during a pandemic.