

Suggestions for simple games according to the child's age
01 February, 2022
Simple play according to the child's development
Let's summarize Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development: I present it as the study of the evolution of human reasoning abilities.
From birth, the baby learns to understand his environment and this understanding evolves, according to the limits of his brain capacities. Piaget proposes different stages to explain how, at different times of childhood, little humans understand things and reason about them. The foundations of this theory represent a practical tool to guide the parent in the activities to propose to them, which can be anything but complicated and animated in the greatest simplicity!
Child from 0 to 2 years old
Piaget explains that toddlers learn to develop their understanding of what is happening around them through their senses and motor skills. To help a baby understand his environment, we stimulate his senses and let him move!
Piaget explains that toddlers learn to develop their understanding of what is happening around them through their senses and motor skills. To help a baby understand his environment, we stimulate his senses and let him move!
Suggested activities:
- Place household objects around the baby, at a distance that allows him to grasp them by himself. Let him handle them, throw them, bang them together. Do it in front of him, name the objects, their texture and/or their sound.
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Offer them tubs filled with water with containers to fill and empty, textures to feel (use what you have at home: cooked pasta, dried legumes, soap foam, earth, etc.). Let them handle the objects as they wish.
The child from 2 to 6 years old
At this age, Piaget speaks of intellectual egocentrism: a child can only understand the world from his point of view. The best example to illustrate this concept is that of a toddler who plays hide-and-seek and who "hides" in the middle of the living room, closing his eyes. For him, "if I don't see myself, no one sees me"! Although limited by his egocentrism, the child of this age is now capable of symbolic thought, which means that he can form mental images of situations or objects. Thus, he is now able to reproduce behaviors, which leaves room for this interest in the game of make-believe.
Suggested activities:
- Include them in tasks such as sweeping, washing surfaces, tidying up, etc. by pretending to be a housekeeper or give them small roles in meal preparation (such as mixing a cake or cutting certain foods with a safe utensil).
- Arrange various objects on a table, give them a bag and some pieces of paper or old cards (to make bank notes or bank cards), and go “shopping” .
- Hide objects and invite them to find them using simple clues.
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Provide them with notebooks, pencils, various papers, and maybe even a laptop made out of cardboard so they can pretend to go to school or work. Use their interests to introduce them to roles to play. If you also have costumes to give them, some children will love them!
The child from 6 to 12 years old
At this stage, the child evolves a lot cognitively and, as he goes to school, he can consolidate several learnings. The child understands his environment much better when it is concrete. Anything that is more abstract is therefore less easy to grasp, especially for the youngest. For example, mathematics and numbers are something abstract, on the other hand if we put them in context with elements that they know (like drawings on a calculation exercise), it is easier. Children still like role-playing games, but will like them even more if the game is closer to reality and is "believable" .
Suggested activities:
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Offer to make a film (if you have the necessary equipment) by
guiding you through the different stages : writing the script, shooting the scenes, editing and viewing the final result, or even writing a novel, laying it out and illustrating it.
- Invite them to start their own business and create their own small business (housekeeping, jewelry, art) and support the realization of their project by helping them create a logo, produce their creations and distribute them.
- Let them run a restaurant for a meal by letting them create the menu, prepare the food and serve it.
- Create a treasure hunt using a detailed plan and puzzles to solve and invite them to create one of their own.
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