Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory explains how kids think and understand the world as they grow up. It describes four important stages. Let's break them down:

1. Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years):

   • Babies learn about the world using their senses, like seeing, hearing, and touching.
   • They also start to understand that things exist even when they can't see them. This is called object permanence.

2. Preoperational Stage (2-7 years):

   • Children begin using language and their imaginations.
   • However, they might not think very logically yet.
   • They often see the world only from their own point of view and have a hard time understanding that some things stay the same even if they look different.

3. Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years):

   • This is when kids start thinking more logically.
   • They can work with real objects and understand how things relate to one another.
   • However, they still find it hard to think about big ideas or concepts that aren't right in front of them.

4. Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up):

   • In this stage, teens begin to think in more complex ways.
   • They can think about ideas that are not directly tied to real things and can reason in a more organized manner.

These stages show how kids’ thinking grows and changes over time, which is really interesting to see!