Наталія Михайлівна Степанова

The article examines the concept of democratic behavior skills as an integral system of personal qualities that help individuals socialize, build partnerships within society, communicate without aggression, pressure, or humiliation, resolve conflicts constructively, establish peaceful relationships, and take responsibility for their decisions. Attention is drawn to the relevance of this issue, as under the current conditions of democratic transformations in Ukrainian society, globalization processes, and information challenges, focusing on the education of young people is a strategic task of the state. Ukrainian society needs citizens who embrace democratic values, are active and responsible, respect the rule of law, think critically, hold strong civic positions, and are culturally educated. It is specified that democratic behavior skills are a component of the model of civic competencies that should be developed from primary school age. By making use of the sensitive developmental periods of younger schoolchildren, educators can lay the foundations of communication and behavioral culture, and related qualities. The educational potential of the integrated course «IEW» is analyzed, with particular emphasis on its social content strand. From Grades 1 to 4, the curriculum includes topics aimed at developing the child’s personality as an active member of society, capable of responsible behavior, partnership and cooperation, respect, tolerance, and empathy. It is emphasized that primary school students do not merely become familiar with concepts such as «citizen», «state», «rights», «responsibilities», and «accountability». Through learner-centered, activity-based approaches, they gain experience in democratic interaction across various activities. Discussions of problematic situations and collective decision-making contribute to the development of democratic behavior skills. It is emphasized that the use of practice-oriented methodologies in teaching the integrated course “I Explore the World” contributes to the development of primary education students’ conscious understanding of social processes and their ability to critically analyze information, which is particularly important for fostering democratic behavior skills. The practical significance of the study lies in the potential to apply the proposed methodological approaches to the educational activities of general secondary and higher education institutions.