How Preschoolers Think

Although you may sometimes worry about the whacky ideas your preschool child comes up with, it is all part of growing up, according to experts. The famous psychologist Jean Piaget had come up with a list in the 1920s, of all the things pre-schoolers are capable of:

Although preschoolers are able to speak in complex sentences, their thought process may not always be logical to an outsider, ie adults. A common example is, “if apples are red, then a green fruit can’t be an apple”.

When a pre-schooler comes to a conclusion, it is not an easy task to reverse their thinking. They are not able to go backwards through every step to see if it makes sense. They may not understand cause and effect easily.

Preschool children are egocentric and they believe that everyone sees the world as they do.

It is common for a preschool child to believe that inanimate objects are alive. They may insist that their teddy bear has feelings.

Preschool children are only able to focus on one important aspect of a situation. At a birthday party for example, they may remember the shape and colour of the birthday cake but not the decoration of the space.

Rebellion is an aspect of pre-schoolers. They are learning to be assertive and to have their say in things. It is a stage in development and parents should not worry too much about it. What parents should worry about is to deal with and channel this emotion correctly so that it does not cause a problem with the child’s personality.

Different stages in life call for different actions by parents, teachers and care givers. At Memorial Montessori, our fully qualified and trained teachers are aware of development stages of children and follow a curriculum to manage these stages of development.
Happy Parenting!