Cognitive Development Theory 2022

Running head: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY: FEATURES AND TOYS/GAMES 1
Cognitive Development Theory: Features and Toys/Games
Name
University

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY: FEATURES AND TOYS/GAMES 2
Introduction
There have been many theories attempting to explain the development of human
intelligence by different proponents. Each specific theory presents specific tenets, in most cases,
unique to itself. Even though there is no single theory that can be credited with the ability to
explain intellectual development among the human beings effectively, the cognitive development
theory enjoys unparalleled popularity in the subject. The cognitive development theory is a
framework proposed by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, dealing with the nature of knowledge
and how human beings gradually acquire and apply it. Piaget postulates that human beings
undergo intellectual development systematically. He suggests four stages in the cognitive
development which human beings have to pass through from birth to adulthood. Piaget, in his
theory, implies that the mental processes tend to increase with age and decrease significantly
later in life especially in adulthood (Joubish & Khurram, 2014). The cognitive development
theory is based not only on the acquisition of knowledge but also on the nature of intelligence.
Piaget differed with the popular belief during his time that children were smaller versions of the
grown-ups. He concluded that children were not less intelligent than adults and they just thought
differently. This paper seeks to explore the four major stages of Piaget’s theory suggesting
appropriate toys or games at each stage as well as giving personal reflections on the toys used at
each particular stage.
The Sensorimotor stage
The sensorimotor stage is the first stage in the cognitive development theory and begins
at birth and lasts until around the age of two years. At this stage, the child explores the world
predominantly through the senses. A child learns what happens within the environment through
sensations and movements (Parks, 2014). They get to experience the world through actions

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY: FEATURES AND TOYS/GAMES 3
mostly, listening, grasping, looking, and explains. They believe in object permanence, that is,
objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. They learn that they can make things
happen through their actions.
At the first stage, the child is involved in so many activities involving movement,
touching, looking, and suckling. Involving children in stimulating activities at this stage
enhances their cognitive development as it is the only way they can learn from their
environment. Playing with sensory boards is an ideal game at this stage for cognitive
development. Toys in the form of sensory boards provide various forms of sensory inputs
especially if they are scented and colored (Leder, 2018). Children can really discover and
explore a lot from them through touch, sight, smell, and sound. At this stage in my childhood, I
used to play with water a lot. I still think that water play is among the best ways for development
at the sensory-motor stage; it helped me develop cognitively. It involved water splashing
transferring water to cups of different sizes, or even discovering the displacement of water after
inserting a certain object. In Piaget’s perspective, all these experiments helped in the exploration
through touch, listening, seeing and feeling. Clearly, all the activities involved in the water play
present a lesson to be learned.
The Preoperational Stage
The preoperational stage starts at the age of two years and proceeds to approximately
seven years. The stage is mainly characterized by the child’s ability the think symbolically. The
child also learns to use language and pictures to represent things (Jaalam, 2015). Children at
this stage tend to be excessively egocentric and strive to see things from other people’s
perspectives. Their language improves significantly during this stage; however, they still retain a
concrete view of the world. Rapid cognitive development is also experienced at this stage and