Piaget from the kitchen: the pre-operational child

Abstract

Throughout the current writing on methodology related to teaching preschool and kindergarten children one can find references to the benefits of active learning, exploration, and problem solving. This reflects, to a great degree, the observations of Jean Piaget who maintains that adapting to changes in the physical and social environment through exploration and discovery promotes cognitive development (Piaget, 1952). Piaget also states that there are sub-stages and stages through which all children pass in the development of logical thought. These are said to be invariant in sequence. Because there is a precise order which is followed, sequencing of materials within curriculum areas should reflect and promote this natural developmental growth (Lavatelli, 1973). The following shows how this can be done easily and inexpensively. The ages at which transitions between stages occur vary because there are individual differences in the rate of cognitive development. Transition from one stage to another in a single area of a programme may not carry-over into other areas. This type of problem can be seen when a child's behaviour and skills used at preschool or kindergarten (pre-operational stage) are not observable in similar situations at home, or vice versa. In planning for activities appropriate to the pre-operational child (approximate ages two to seven years) there are four major advantages to using materials which are easily available in most homes. The first advantage is that the use of common, daily materials in a learning sitation establishes a link between the home and the school environments of young children. For a young child, there is security in the use of commonplace objects such as cups and saucers. Some of the so-called "educational-materials" are rather intimidating', abstract and confusing to the young child. Thus, this linking of the home and the school