Intellectual Development
The human brain is not fully developed until late adolescence or in the case of males sometimes early adulthood. It is important that parents know what to expect from their child as they develop and to be sure that the expectations they may have at a given age are realistic.
The stages of intellectual development formulated by Piaget appear to be related to major developments in brain growth. Jean Piaget was a Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children.
Stages and Expectations
The information below offers general guidelines to help parents understand what to expect from their child at different stages. Any concerns you may have about your child's development should be discussed with their doctor or teacher
It is important to note that the time frames presented are averages and some children may achieve various developmental milestones earlier or later but still be within the normal range.
Child Prodigy targets children at the pre-operational and concrete operational age, as per the table below::
Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development
|
Stage |
Characterised by |
|
Sensori-motor (Birth – 2 years) |
Differentiates Self from objects Recognises self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: e.g pulls a string to set mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise Achieves object permanence: realises that things continue to exist even when no longer present to the sense |
|
Pre-operational |
Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words |
|
Concrete operational (7 – 11 years) |
Can think logically about objects and events Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9) Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series along a single dimension such as size |
|
Formal operational (11 years and up) |
Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypotheses systematically Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems |
|
Source:www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget |
|
Four years
Having mastered the basic concepts in life, your child will now enter the exciting stage of learning how to apply and build on them.
In the year up to their fourth birthday, children make a huge transition, moving from parallel play to a much more interactive form of play with others. When engaging in role playing with other children, your child will learn about co-operation and sharing, and this is an important way for pre-schoolers to attempt to understand the adult world.
Play also affords children the opportunity to act out their feelings.
Five years
At five, your child might start school. Adjusting to life in reception and year one, learning to sit still and concentrating for longer periods of time will be some of the biggest accomplishments
Five-year-olds typically understand and apply concepts such as under, over, because, why, before, and after
Your child will not only be writing the letters of the alphabet, but will also probably be identifying the sounds that correspond with many of them. Reading is a skill that a handful of children excel in – some know how to read at the age of three of four – but the vast majority start to learn only when they go to school.
Six years
Your child is now ready to start year two and will probably be thriving on new friendships, working out what makes the world tick and becoming independent .
Your child may begin to lose baby teeth between five and six years of age, soon to be replaced by their permanent teeth.
Your six year old is probably getting better at reading and may even be reading simple chapter books.
Seven years
Your child may be reluctant to try out new activities preferring the familiar and might have trouble concentrating at school.
Your child may start writing joined up using full stops, commas, capital letters and question marks correctly.
They may understand the difference between fact and fiction and how riddles, rhymes and tongue twisters work.
Eight years
Eight-year-olds enjoy having the opportunity to solve problems independently. They are able to concentrate on tasks for longer periods of time and begin to use their own resources prior to seeking adult help or they may seek out peers for assistance. Eight-year-olds demonstrate more highly-developed thinking skills as well as the ability to solve problems with creative strategies
Benefits
Activity based learning is important as the fun element encourage children to participate while learning subconsciously. Group activities are important for developing excellent team working skills from an early age.
It is important for children at this critical development phase to start building the key skillsets for future success and leadership capability:
From attending the sessions your child should become more competent in the following specific areas:
