Every child goes through each stage in the same order - no stage can be missed out. McLeod points out, Piaget did not claim that every child must go through every stage at a certain age because there are some individuals who may never attain the later stages, even though each stage has an indication of age that each child should reach on average. In each stage, the average children face the same challenge by going through the same stage. For instance, in the sensorimotor stage, children (birth to age 2) all explore the world by moving and …show more content…
In the sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), a child is exposed to the world of learning by exploring through moving and sensing; they know what is here and now, not the past and future. Object permanence is the main achievement in the sensorimotor stage. The child knows that an object still exists, even if it is hidden (McLeod). The child begins to use symbols and signs, but cannot understand the principle of an object, yet (Malerstein). In the preoperational stage (2-6 years), children have the capability to think symbolically and sort of logically by reasoning. They also have the ability to make one thing, one word or an object, stand for something else, other than itself. In other words, children now understand the principle of an object and does not confuse one object with another. In this stage, the child’s thinking is egocentric in which the child has difficulty taking others’ viewpoint even when they are able to acquire language, McLeod notes. Similarly, in the same context, Malerstein confirms that children’s cluster view would remain unchanged, thinking about their own point of view, not others. In the concrete operational stage (6-12 years), children begin to have logical thought in their cognitive development. In this stage, young children have the ability to work things out in their head, rather than physically. Moreover, they