Choose posts that address a different developmental period than you chose. Determine if the selected activity and toy is appropriate to the age group and is tied to Piaget's theory. Provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Melissa Pieringer

An activity for the adolescent room: hypothetical problem solving

According to Piaget's theory children 12 and over are in the formal operations stage of cognitive development. This is the final stage of cognitive development that takes place prior to adulthood. Children at this stage are developing abstract reasoning, deductive reasoning, and hypothetical thinking skills. Children at this stage are able to use hypothetico-deductive reasoning which involves forming a hypothesis, predicting a possible or likely outcome for a given scenario, and taking into consideration various factors that may influence the outcome (Mossler, 2014). At the formal operations stage children also develop the ability to think abstractly and weigh multiple potential outcomes for a given situation (Mossler, 2014). According to the Jean Piaget Society (2016), one of the best ways to promote the development of abstract thinking skills is to explore hypothetical topics, global issues, political issues, or social issues and allow children to come up with potential creative solutions to the problem (The Jean Piaget Society, 2016). A suggested hypothetical scenario to explore could be how humans could live in outer space (The Jean Piaget Society, 2016). Other present day issues to explore could include global warming, pollution, limited resources, war, poverty, famine, etc.

A toy or object for the adolescent room: art and crafting supplies

It is suggested that educators working with children at this stage use visual models such as charts, illustrations, and diagrams to keep children engaged in learning (The Jean Piaget Society, 2016). Furthermore, children should be encouraged to work creatively with a variety of materials. Art and crafting supplies could be used to create illustrations, diagrams, or posters demonstrating the solutions that they come up with to the topic or issue being explored. Therefore, I would request that a variety of art and crafting supplies be given to the adolescent room. Some ideas for materials could include the following:

• Poster paper or boards

• Paint

• Markers

• Colored pencils

• Crayons

• Scissors

• Glue or glue sticks

• Construction paper

• Old magazines

• Stencils

• Rulers

• String

References: Mossler, R. (2014). Child and Adolescent Development (2nd ed.) [Electronic ed.]. Retrieved from:

https://content.ashford.edu/

The Jean Piaget Society. (2016). Educational implications of Piaget's theory. Retrieved from:

http://piaget.weebly.com/educational-implications--activities.html

Christina Gutierrez

Cognitive Development Activity for Toddler Room: Animal Hunt

One of the Activities I will be proposing to be in the Toddler Room is an Animal Hunt. For this activity each child would receive a plastic Safari Helmet and a Magnifying Glass. We would walk around the room pretending to be explorers hunting for pictures of exotic animals that have been placed at different locations throughout the room.

At this age many Toddlers are going through what Piaget referred to as the Preoperational Stage in his theory, where children are still not able to perform "logical, reversible mental actions called operations...Instead, this growth period is marked by an extraordinary advancement in mental representation." (Mossler, 2014) Which is why we see many children at this age participate in make-believe, and pretend play. This is when most Toddlers begin to focus on themselves less and start focusing on the world and gaining a better understanding of it through trying out different roles, scenarios and even facing some of their fears.

Cognitive Developmental Toy for Toddler Room: Play and Pretend Doctor Kit complete with Doll and Hospital Gurney

Speaking of fears, I know many Toddlers who have had a fear of going to the Doctor at one time or another. Therefore, in the Toddler Room I would propose that we have a Play and Pretend Doctor Kit complete with a Doll and Hospital Gurney. The children could use the toys to heal pretend boo-boos and perform imaginary check-ups. Phycologists Susan Linn was quoted to have said that "fantasy and creative play provide an outlet to make meaning of their experiences, whether those experiences are traumatic or pleasurable. The ability of a child to employ his imagination in a unique and personal way can help him or her navigate through difficult times in life." (Bickford, 2010) Doctor visits can be just that for many children, especially children dealing with severe illnesses and diseases. This toy also supports Vygotsky's theory of Cognitive Development. Vygotsky felt that a much of children's Cognitive Development was guided by "Social and cultural tools". (Mossler, 2014)

References:

Bickford, J. (2010). Consumerism How it Impacts Play and its Presence in Library Collections. The journal of the association for library service to children. (2010). Vol 8, issue 3, p 53-56 3p.

Mossler, R. (2014). Child and Adolescent Development. (2nd ed) [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/