"Hi, everyone! For my discussion this week, I choose to focus on Jean Piaget and the
first four periods of Cognitive Development.
Stage 1: Sensorimotor period. For this stage, I chose a book by Rosie Greening and
Stuart Lynch titled Never Touch a Dinosaur! I chose it because it is a great tactilesensory book focused on touch and feel textures. Children can explore the prehistoric
world with funny rhymes about different dinosaurs and their characteristics. Here's his
final thought about the sensory period: "Play is the work of childhood." Jean Piaget.
Play helps to develop creativity and imagination.
Stage 2: Preoperational period. For this stage, I chose a book by Ezra Jack Keats titled
The Snowy Day. I chose this book because it focuses on a boy who experiences winter.
He discovers a winter and what activities he can do. At the end of the story, he packets
a snowball for another day, but it disappears from his pocket. He feels sad but can't
figure out why his snowball melted. Here's his final thought about the preoperational
period: A child has difficulties understanding the change around him because his logic
and concrete reasoning are underdeveloped.
Stage 3: Concrete period. For this stage, I chose a book written by Roald Dahl, titled
James and the Giant Peach. Even though his family was mean to him, he desires to
make friends. During the story, James finds new friends who help him understand the
importance of friendship. At the end of the book, they build a new family without
stereotypes. Here's his final thought about the concrete period: A child trying to
understand the world and conflict resolution because he can know that others have
different points of view.
Stage 4: Formal period. For this stage, I chose a book by Walter Dean Myers titled
Scorpions. I chose this book because it focused on a boy called Jamal; he has
experienced challenges of discrimination, violence, and crime. During the story, Jamal
makes good or bad choices and must take responsibility for his actions. At the end of
the story, Jamal decides to withdraw from the gang and face the consequence of his
decisions. Here's his final thought about the formal period: A child can empathize with
others and understand another’s point of view and moral reasoning.