Discover the stages of cognitive development according to Piaget and how they influence education. Learn about sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages and gain insight into Piaget's theories and their impact on learning and play in the classroom.

In the early 1900s, a Swiss psychologist named Jean Piaget created theories of cognitive development based on his observations of children.

Piaget’s theories were groundbreaking for the world of education at that time. To this day, Piagetian theories continue to influence curriculum design and implementation.

Piaget introduced the theory that children learn and develop through experimenting and interacting with the world around them. His theories of cognitive development reinforce the idea that children learn through play.

This blog post will take a close look at Jean Piaget and his theories on cognitive development in children.

If you would like to read about how Piaget’s theories of cognitive development have influenced our modern play pedagogies and discover ways you can apply Piaget’s theory in your classroom, you will like to check out this blog post too: Piaget and Play Based Learning.

Who was Piaget?

Jean Piaget (1896–1980) was a psychological constructivist. He believed children take an active role in the learning process. Piaget observed children continuously constructing knowledge and mental models (schemas) of understanding based on their experiences.

Constructivism theorists like Piaget say that as children interact with the world around them

• they reflect on their prior experiences

• they continually construct and add new knowledge

• they build upon existing knowledge

• and they adapt their previously held ideas to accommodate new information.

Piaget's theories about learning suggest educators should focus on creating engaging learning environments which provide opportunities for children to experiment and interact with the world around them. Educators need to provide interactive, hands-on learning experiences where children can construct new knowledge and mental models of understanding. When considering Piaget’s constructivist theory, learning through play becomes essential for children to meet their cognitive developmental milestones.

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes 4 stages of development.

1. Sensorimotor stage: birth to 2 years

2. Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7

3. Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11

4. Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up

Piaget suggested these stages occur in this order and children will not skip a stage but progressively move through each one. He observed visible changes in children as they pass through each stage. The Piagetian stages are like a staircase. Each stage builds on the stage before it.

Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years

The name of the first stage gives you a clue about how children learn in their first two years of life. From birth, babies use their senses to learn about their world. Exploratory play through the senses is the primary type of play you will see at this stage.

The cognitive development that happens in this first stage of development is amazing. Babies develop physically as they learn how to crawl and walk. They also learn a lot about language. As this stage has so many milestones, Piaget broke it down into several substages.

Piaget observed babies from around 6 months onwards started to organise their knowledge conceptually. At first babies might not understand a specific toy, but as they look, feel, and touch it, they start to form a concept of the toy in their minds.

Young children in this stage also begin to remember their experiences with specific toys. Piaget called this understanding object permanence. The realisation that the toy still exists, even if it cannot be seen, is a major milestone in the sensorimotor stage.

Object permanence shows the differences in the thought processes between babies and toddlers. When toddlers develop object permanence and learn that objects are separate and distinct to themselves, they begin to attach names and words to the objects.

Piaget’s Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7

In this stage, Piaget noticed children continue to build on their concepts of how an object is represented. They begin to think symbolically and can use symbolic words and pictures to represent objects. The development of language began in the sensorimotor stage, but the growth of language is one of the major milestones of the preoperational stage of development.

Children at this stage are egocentric. They find it very difficult to understand or see things from the perspective of others. Although their language and thinking is developing, they still think about things in very concrete terms.

The way children in the preoperational stage represent objects has no adult logic behind it. Piaget noticed children in this stage use imaginative play to represent objects. They continued to build upon their conceptual knowledge through pretending and dramatic play.

Have you ever wondered why dramatic play is so popular in the early childhood classroom? According to Piaget, children from ages two to seven (preschool to grade two) will developmentally benefit from opportunities to take part in dramatic play and imaginative learning experiences. He suggests that through dramatic play, children in this stage will begin to demonstrate metacognition. Metacognition (dual thinking) develops as children simultaneously think about and reflect on their realistic and imaginative experiences.

Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11

In Piaget’s concrete operational stage, children start to represent objects and ideas in a more logical way. For this reason, children in the concrete operational stage often have more success with traditional methods of schooling.

Children in this stage are developing logical thoughts about an object, but only if they can manipulate it. Hands-on games with rules are extremely effective learning tools to use with children in this stage of development. The logical type of thinking noticeable in this stage of cognitive development is the thinking needed to systematically solve a problem.

Piaget noticed children could use concrete objects to effectively develop systematic rules or ideas, but they were not yet capable of thinking abstractly. In this stage, for example, children understand the mathematical rule of conservation: if nothing is added or taken away, then the amount stays the same.

The first skill that distinguishes concrete operational thinking from preoperational thinking is reversibility. Reversibility is the ability to manipulate the order of a process. A child in the preoperational stage can describe an experience, but only a child in the concrete operational stage could retell an experience chronologically or out of order. Children in the concrete operational stage can also follow multi-step instructions, whereas children in the preoperational stage would require prompts or reminders to do this.

The next skill distinguishing concrete operational thinking from preoperational thinking is decentering. Decentering means children can step back and analyse a situation in more than one way. Children in the concrete operational stage can see a problem from another perspective.

This skill begins in the preoperational stage when children are taking part in dramatic play. However, Piaget noticed children in the concrete operational stage were making more intentional and calculated choices, illustrating that they are conscious of their decentering.

Piaget noticed children in this stage appeared less egocentric. The children were beginning to understand that their thoughts and ideas were unique and that others did not always have the same thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage: Ages 12 and Up

In this stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory, children are capable of more abstract thinking. As children in this formal operational thinking stage can think about their world in abstract terms. Abstract concepts such as the future, justice and values are engaging and easily understood.

Children reflect internally and can think hypothetically when they are in the formal operational stage. Piaget observed the hypothetical reasoning of children in this stage. He noticed they could find a number of potential solutions for a problem and they could also solve problems systemically. The children were now capable of thinking scientifically to solve problems.

Piaget observed children in the formal operational stage also needed less direction from adults and were more capable of thinking independently. The children demonstrated an ability to systematically plan for the future and think about hypothetical situations during this stage.

Terms Used in Piaget’s Theories

Piaget used a few terms to help him describe his cognitive development theories and the developmental changes he observed.

Schema

Piaget used the term schema to represent the knowledge we build as we learn and grow. Our schema stores both the blocks of knowledge and the processes we used to build that knowledge.

A schema is like a memory file we store in our brains. Each of our files informs us and helps us react appropriately to new experiences, objects or information. As new experiences happen, we use the extra information to modify our previously existing schemas.

Assimilation

Assimilation happens when we use our existing schemas to inform us of appropriate reactions to new experiences, objects, or information.

Accommodation

Accommodation happens whenever we change or modify our existing schemas, because an existing schema doesn’t effectively work for us. Sometimes we create new schemas when we accommodate, change, or modify our old schemas.

Equilibration

Piaget believed children are capable of finding a balance between assimilation and accommodation. He called this balancing ability equilibration.

As children develop through his stages of cognitive development, they must find a balance between applying previous knowledge (assimilation) and changing behaviours to account for new knowledge (accommodation). Equilibration helps.

Equilibration explains how children can move from one stage of thought to the next. It describes the force that keeps cognitive development moving forward. Piaget believed cognitive development moves very quickly if children are given the appropriate nurturing learning experiences.

Early childhood teachers can help build the schemas of children by providing them with age appropriate, hands-on learning experiences. An investigative play-based approach will provide children with the essential learning-by-doing experiences necessary to develop their schemas and progress them through the cognitive stages of development.

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