PIAGET AND THE YOUNG MIND: CHILD DEVELOPMENT STAGES

April 26 2011

The early years of life are full of colors, sounds, experiences and experiments. Children learn
through their senses along with interactions with others. Jean Piaget, a Swiss born biologist and
psychologist, felt that every interaction establishes cognitive structure in children. Sure makes
you think twice about using that cookie as a bribe for some good behavior, right?
PIAGET AND THE CHILD DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL
Piaget came to his conclusions after spending time observing children while they were learning
and playing. His research in the 1920s was groundbreaking in the understanding of the workings
of young minds. His ideas offered insight to adults as to the developmental stages of children
creating opportunities to enhance learning in the classroom and adult interactions with children.
His renowned child developmental model is based on the idea that the developing child builds
structures or maps in response to understanding physical and cognitive experiences within her
environment. His theory identifies four stages a child experience:

1. Sensorimotor stage: from birth to 2 years of age. During this stage the child is internally
motivated to interact physically with her environment, building an understanding of
reality and how it works. A child at this age is not aware of object permanence yet, which
means she has not figured out that when something is out of sight it is still in existence.
2. Preoperational stage: 2 to 7 years of age. The child is yet to understand abstract reasoning
and thinking and still needs concrete physical situations. This means using bribes to
achieve desired behaviors may have negative consequences later in development, as the
child does not understand the reasoning behind the process just the result.
3. Concrete operational stage: 7 to 11 years of age. By this time the child has gained
important knowledge through physical interactions with her environment and is starting
to conceptualize and create logical structures from her experiences. The child is able to
understand abstract reasoning and is ready for advanced learning concepts such as
arithmetic.
4. Formal operational stage: 11 years of age and beyond. The child is now able to fully
function as an adult as far as conceptual reasoning and understanding. She is ready for
challenges and new experiences that will encourage her brain and understanding of the
world around her.
ENCOURAGING THE PIAGET MODEL
Through these stages, there are several ways adults can positively influence learning through
Piagets concepts. Either within the classroom or in the home, the child greatly benefits from
additional support and encouragement. By taking a look at each stage of learning and actions that
the child begins to master, the adult can find ways to offer positive reinforcement.

Sensorimotor During this stage, the child is limited by her abilities. Basic characteristics
include grasping, reaching, and reflexive behaviors. Adults can motivate a baby of this age to
grasp by putting small toys outside of her reach or hanging a mobile over her crib. Reading with
the child encourages language through listening to inflections and watching movements of the
face. As a baby ages playing simple games such as peek-a-boo or hiding an object just outside
a childs reach encourages the understanding of object permanence and cognitive development.
Preocupational Speech is one of the main advancements during this stage, with language
taking up a large part of development. Along with figuring out the world through experimenting
and asking lots and lots of questions, the child is also working out moral dilemmas and becoming
less egocentric. This means that wonderful lack of object permanence will soon be gone, causing
the child to become attached to a special blanket, toy, or parent which can lead to extreme
melt-downs.
This is a great time to play board games with simple rules or offer experiences for the child with
basic steps. Taking turns and following directions may be challenging at this age, but the more
experience the child has leads to greater cognitive development.
Concrete operational A child is ready for challenges at this stage. This means her cognitive
development is motivated for advanced tasks that encourage multiple ways of thought, multitasking, and logical sequencing. Other models are essential to her cognitive development, with
teachers, friends, and other adults encouraging her learning and evolution. Offering opportunities
for advanced learning through educational or recreational activities is a way to hone skills and
encourage individuality. If a child is excelling in the arts, encouraging classes in an area of
interest is beneficial to her development and self-esteem.

Formal operational Abstract thought has fully developed and the child is now ready to take on
adult concepts and is able to demonstrate knowledge through proper use of symbols and abstract
concepts. This does not mean the child is a fully functioning adult, but that her brain is honed to
take on greater tasks and learning. This is a time for conversation and debate along with doing.
The childs thinking is less focused on concrete reality and is able to take on conceptual
thoughts. Spending time talking through foreign concepts and problems encourages development
and build cognitive growth.
Piagets model is one that offers insight and understanding of child
development, which benefits teachers and parents alike. Encouraging kids during these stages
provides much needed support and nurturing.
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