5 Jean Piaget Quotes About Children
Jean Piaget was a Swiss developmental psychologist considered one of the most prominent psychologists to study child development. He studied children’s social, mental, and physical development by observing what led to one of the most interesting theories of evolutionary psychology. Today we share five quotes from Jean Piaget to help you dive deeper into the world of children.
Who was Jean Piaget?
Jean Piaget was a Swiss constructivist psychologist who was born in 1896 and studied the cognitive and intellectual development of children during his career. He studied at the University of Neuchâtel and graduated with a doctorate in philosophy from the field of zoology in 1918. Piaget’s research had a decisive influence on modern psychology and especially developmental psychology.
According to Piaget, a child’s social, mental, and physical development goes hand in hand, and a child cannot comprehend things that are too complex for their level of development. He believed that it is important to allow children to explore and become acquainted with their environment independently, as this has a positive effect on cognitive development. One of Piaget’s greatest contributions in the field of child psychology was his theory of sensorimotor intelligence. This theory describes how action-based practical intelligence develops due to increasing concepts.
5 Jean Piaget quotes on children
1. Observation
Jean Piaget was the greatest advocate of the child’s natural development. If you teach your child something before he or she gets to find it, you won’t allow the child to take these small, important steps on their own. According to Piaget, adults should only be in the role of observer and instructor, not teacher.
2. Information
If you keep a close eye on the people around you – both adults and children – you’ll find that those who know the most, have higher education and more practice behind them, know best how to act in any situation. With the help of knowledge, these individuals know how to transform to find the best way to behave in any situation.
3. The inner child
Today, recruiters of all kinds of companies are calling for employee creativity. However, a person is prone to losing their creativity with age.
According to Piaget, the best way to hold on to creativity is to connect with your inner child. If you try to look at life through the eyes of a child, you will not lose your ability to invent, imagine and create something new. This all comes naturally from the child, but for adults it is already more difficult.
4. Intelligence
This quote contains one of Jean Piaget’s greatest guidelines for life. Man learns through experience, but to experience man needs intelligence. When a person reaches a point from which he can no longer move forward, he must use his intelligence to find the best way to act.
5. Balance
Life is about finding balance. Sometimes we call it happiness, sometimes fulfillment. That is why it is important to find a state where you feel good, know how to act and deal with problems in a balanced way.
These five quotes from Jean Piaget show that he was an interesting and wise psychologist who did a lot of work to better understand children. Thanks to him, today we are able to better understand children and raise them to be more balanced and self-confident adults who believe in their own abilities.
