The educational objective of the Russian "Development" curriculum for children ages 3-7 is the development of creative and intellectual abilities. Theoretical foundations for the curriculum include the works of Vygotsky, Venger, Leontev, and Zaporozhets, which offer ideas such as: (1) child development is the unity of affective and cognitive structures; (2) cognitive development occurs through child-motivated activities; and (3) developing child abilities in preschool-age children requires the amplification of preschool characteristics of development. The "Development" curriculum allows children to master specific cultural tools and actions by engaging in learning activities. These activities are organized around lessons in areas such as: speech development, art, play, and construction. Lessons give children the opportunity to use visual tools such as models, schemes, and symbols. Measurements of level of cognitive ability showed that children exposed to the "Development" curriculum had certain greater cognitive gains than those learning from the standard state curriculum. (JW)