Children learn in different ways as they grow up, and Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget studied how they do this in stages. Here are some important ideas about how children think and learn:

1. Schemas:
   These are like mental boxes where kids store information to help them understand the world. For example, a child might have a schema for "dogs," which includes things like, "They have four legs, are furry, and bark."

2. Assimilation and Accommodation:

   • Assimilation is when kids add new information to what they already know. For instance, if a child sees a cat and calls it a dog, they are using assimilation.
   • Accommodation is when kids change their existing schemas to fit new information. For example, when they learn that not all four-legged animals are dogs, they adjust their schema.

3. Stages of Development:

   • Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years): Babies understand the world mainly through their senses and movements.
   • Preoperational Stage (2-7 years): Kids start to develop language and think symbolically, but they may not use logical reasoning yet.
   • Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Children begin to think logically about real situations and understand the idea of conservation (that quantity doesn't change even if the shape does).
   • Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up): Teens start to think abstractly and solve problems more effectively.

Research shows that a lot affects how children develop their thinking skills:

• About 80% of a child's brain growth happens by the age of 3.
• During early language learning, kids can pick up about 10 new words every day.
• By the time they reach 5 years old, children usually know around 2,000 to 5,000 words.

By knowing these ideas and stages, teachers can better support how children learn and grow their thinking skills.