What is the first stage of thinking in child development?

The first stage of thinking in child development is enactive thinking. This stage occurs during the earliest period of a child’s life, typically from birth to about 18 months. Enactive thinking is characterized by children understanding the world through their actions and experiences. They learn primarily through direct manipulation and interaction with their environment, such as grasping, shaking, and tasting objects.

At this stage, children do not yet use symbols or images in their thinking; instead, they engage in physical actions that help them understand the relationship between their actions and the outcomes. Learning is rooted in concrete experiences, making it a crucial foundation for more advanced forms of thinking that develop later, such as iconic and symbolic thinking. Enactive thinking sets the groundwork for cognitive advancements, allowing children to gradually move towards more complex representational thoughts.