At what stage do children first begin to engage in symbolic thinking?

Children first begin to engage in symbolic thinking during the preoperational stage of cognitive development, typically occurring between the ages of 2 to 7 years. During this stage, children start to use symbols to represent objects and events, which allows them to engage in imaginative play and use language more effectively. This ability to think symbolically means that they can represent things that are not present, transitioning from concrete experiences to more abstract concepts.

For instance, children may use a stick as a pretend sword or engage in role-playing scenarios, indicating that they are using symbols to represent their thoughts and understandings of the world. This development of symbolic thinking is a crucial milestone in cognitive growth, as it lays the groundwork for more complex reasoning and problem-solving skills that will develop in later stages.

The sensorimotor stage, preceding the preoperational stage, is characterized by the understanding of the world through direct sensory experiences and motor activities without abstract thinking. The concrete operational stage, which follows, is when children begin to think logically about concrete events but typically struggle with abstract concepts. Finally, the formal operational stage, which emerges in adolescence, involves abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking. Thus, the preoperational stage is the key period where symbolic thinking first emerges.