The preoperational stage is the second stage in Piaget's theory, occurring roughly between the ages of 2 to 7 years old. During this period, children become proficient in using symbols but still struggle with logical reasoning and understanding others' perspectives.
The preoperational stage is the second stage in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, occurring from approximately age 2 to 7. During this period, children's thinking is dominated by visual representations and they lack operations (transformative mental processes).
Piaget's observations of his own children and the tasks he created, such as the conservation of liquid task, underpin this stage. Subsequent research has both supported and refined Piaget's notions, indicating greater variability in young children’s cognitive abilities than he originally proposed.