If you observe the baby and toddler you will see that they have very little power of conscious thought in as much as they are not yet conscious of their thinking process. Adults’ remonstrations (as the saying aptly puts it) “pass over their heads”.
On the other hand the activity of the limbs surpasses anything the adult can aspire to. Practically every waking moment is filled with some kind of movement.
We shall apply names that hopefully accurately describe what is occurring in the child. For example, the first years of childhood, up until the change of teeth, can therefore be described primarily as the cycle of development concerned with will and not with thinking.
One only has to watch a small child at play to see that any perception regarding the results of their actions is almost entirely lacking. Similarly the bold defiance of toddlers when they are set on getting their own way is an experience that all parents have undergone.
Later, we shall describe sub-stages within the main stage. What do you think?
Mollet Learning Academy (MLA) 