The Cognitive Stages for Child Development
The Cognitive Stages for Child Development
The cognitive stages for child development are useful for determining how children think, and how they experience the world, as they grow. The stages were derived from a theory developed by a scientist named Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget was a Swiss psychologist and philosopher who believed in the great importance of the education of children, and was quoted saying: “Only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual.” The cognitive stages for child development are described under four headings.
The Cognitive Stages for Child Development: Four Stages of Normal Development
A teacher’s approach can be adjusted to fit the cognitive stages for child development. For example, in the first stage, or the sensorimotor stage, a child learns by interpreting present, sensory data. This means that the most effective teaching tools will be sensory, and motion-oriented. All four stages can also experience learning delays, when cognitive skills are weak. The cognitive stages for child development are descriptive of children who are cognitively normal, with no weaknesses or deficiencies. However, if your child does not seem to be progressing along the stages the way he or she should, there is hope. Brain training can correct a child’s mental processing abilities and get him back on track. That’s because brain training is geared towards improving cognition – rather than just re-teaching materials that should have been learned in school. If you would like to learn more about brain training, please visit our website or call (719) 264-0808.
The cognitive stages for child development are useful for determining how children think, and how they experience the world, as they grow. The stages were derived from a theory developed by a scientist named Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Piaget was a Swiss psychologist and philosopher who believed in the great importance of the education of children, and was quoted saying: “Only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual.” The cognitive stages for child development are described under four headings.
The Cognitive Stages for Child Development: Four Stages of Normal Development
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Sensorimotor: (birth to about age 2) During this stage, children’s thoughts are derived from the senses, and from movement. They learn by processing information through motor and reflex actions – they learn by watching and interpreting the sensory / motor behavior of themselves and others.
Preoperational: (begins about the time the child starts to talk to about age 7) In this stage, children begin to think about things and events that are not present at that moment – in other words, they begin to form an idea of future and past, though children in this stage still have trouble conceptualizing time, and tend to view the world from a very idealistic, fantasy-based perspective. Children begin to personify objects, believing that the car or the table have emotions, just like they do.
Concrete: (about first grade to early adolescence) The child begins to think in more abstract terms, and to be rational about what they see and experience. They stop having to physically handle things to understand them.
Formal Operations: (adolescence) In this last stage, cognition is in its final form, and the person no longer needs to see or handle objects in order to make rational judgments about them. He is also now able to engage in hypothetical and deductive thinking.
A teacher’s approach can be adjusted to fit the cognitive stages for child development. For example, in the first stage, or the sensorimotor stage, a child learns by interpreting present, sensory data. This means that the most effective teaching tools will be sensory, and motion-oriented. All four stages can also experience learning delays, when cognitive skills are weak. The cognitive stages for child development are descriptive of children who are cognitively normal, with no weaknesses or deficiencies. However, if your child does not seem to be progressing along the stages the way he or she should, there is hope. Brain training can correct a child’s mental processing abilities and get him back on track. That’s because brain training is geared towards improving cognition – rather than just re-teaching materials that should have been learned in school. If you would like to learn more about brain training, please visit our website or call (719) 264-0808.
