The article discusses the problem of training primary school teachers regarding reforming primary education in Ukraine on the basis of competency-based approach. The principles of organisation of education process consist in forming interdisciplinary (multicultural) knowledge and skills as well as the ability to function effectively in the conditions of global changes. The major issues of primary education to be taken into account in teacher preparation are: teaching children to use the acquired knowledge in life and correspondence of education content and methods to students' age peculiarities. The competences to be formed in children fall into two categories: key competences (communicative, math, technology, information, interpersonal, intercultural, social, etc.) which provide the ability to use the obtained knowledge in problem-solving; subject competences being reflected in education curricula. The article presents the basic principles of developing motivation and self-motivation which are the basis of competence approach: subject competences (what we teach) should be formed on the basis of key competences (why we teach). The ideas of educational freedom and responsibility of teachers are discussed in the article.