Arkansas Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The Preoperational Stage is a key period in Piaget's theory of cognitive development that occurs approximately between the ages of 2 and 7. During this stage, children start to engage in symbolic thinking, which allows them to use symbols, such as words and images, to represent objects and ideas. This symbolic thinking is essential for understanding the alphabetic principle, as it helps children connect letters with the sounds they represent.

In the context of literacy development, children begin to recognize letters, understand their sounds, and start to form simple words and sentences. This exploration of language and literacy is a hallmark of the Preoperational Stage, as children play with words, experiment with writing, and begin to grasp basic phonemic awareness. Their thinking, while still intuitive and centered on concrete experiences, paves the way for more complex cognitive abilities that will develop in later stages.

Piaget emphasized that this stage is critical for laying the groundwork for future learning in reading and writing, marking an exciting time in a child's early educational journey.