The Different Stages Of Early Learning

Sensorimotor Stage 

The Sensorimotor Stage is a period of cognitive development that extends from birth to around two years. This period involves children learning about their environment through movement, touch, and early actions such as sucking, reaching, and grasping. The child begins to coordinate their senses with motor activities and is able to imitate the behavior of others during this time. This is one of the most important stages in development because it lays the foundation for children’s understanding of objects and events happening in the world independently of their own actions. At this stage, children also learn about reversibility, conservation, and classification. These skills are essential for children to master as they start learning about science and math. They can also use these skills to solve problems and communicate with others. 

Preoperational Stage 

The Preoperational Stage is the second of Jean Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development. This stage occurs between age two and seven and is marked by a child’s ability to form symbolic thoughts. Children are not yet able to use logic (to transform, combine or separate ideas). They are also typically egocentric, meaning they cannot understand how other people see the world. During this phase of cognitive development, children develop their language skills and engage in parallel play. They also learn to manipulate symbols, such as during imaginative play. Children also develop animism, or the belief that inanimate objects are alive and have feelings. This belief can be especially strong during this stage. 

Concrete Operational Stage 

During the Concrete Operational Stage of Early Learning and Development, children develop more logical thinking. This is a transition between the preoperational and formal operational stages of cognitive development, according to Piaget. In this stage, kids can use inductive logic to go from a certain experience to a general principle or idea. This skill is a good indicator that they are moving from a very egocentric point of view to seeing things more abstractly. They also begin to understand conservation, which is the ability to compensate for changes in one quality by changing another. This can help them understand that 10 mL of water in a tall beaker is the same amount as 10 mL of water in a short, wide bowl. Other skills that distinguish this stage from the preoperational stage include reversibility, which allows children to retell an event in more than one order or to follow multi-step instructions. Decentering, which means stepping back and considering how a situation is perceived from several different perspectives, is another important skill. 

Formal Operational Stage 

The Formal Operational Stage is the final stage of cognitive development and is characterized by the ability to formulate hypotheses and systematically test them. This stage is critical to children’s learning and ability to solve complex problems. During this stage, children also develop the ability to make predictions about what could happen in the future. This can help them choose a strategy to win a game, for example. This stage is similar to the concrete operational stage in that it’s related to the process of logical reasoning. However, it is not the same as inductive reasoning, which is limited to what a child can see and hear.