Piaget Cognitive Development

Youth are born naturally inquisitive and playful. While toddlers may use their imaginations and play with toys to express their creativity and need for mental stimulation, structure begins to become more and more important as a child ages. Children develop both physically and mentally in different stages, allowing them to participate in more diverse and complex activities as they age. Youth can enjoy a great deal of emotional and physical growth by participating in different sports and leisure activities, especially if the youth has a capable and talented leader to mentor and guide them through these activities. When working with youth it is imperative to consider both physical and emotional developmental stages and to have a strategy to make the activities happen in a fun and safe environment. Jean Piaget established a theory of cognitive development that is essential to take into consideration when maximizing development through sports and leisure activities. This is because it is imperative to understand the cognitive abilities of the age group one is working with. Between the ages of seven to eleven, children tend to think very …show more content…
The leader must consider the stage of development the children they are working with are currently in. This will assist in evaluating what the children are mentally and physically capable of doing. The leader should also consider maximizing what the youth can gain from the sport, rather than focusing on the competition at hand and the outcome of the game. The youth should be gaining interpersonal and coping skills through interaction with other players and their place and involvement within the team. There are many psychological and physical limitations and needs that need to be considered by the leader, if the youth are to have the best possible experience (Almquist et al.,