Concrete Operational Stage

The Concrete Operational Stage is a phase in childhood, roughly from age 7 to 11, when children develop logical thinking about concrete objects and events. They become better at understanding concepts like conservation (knowing amounts stay the same despite change in shape), categorization, and perspective-taking. However, their reasoning is still mostly about tangible, real-world experiences, and they find it difficult to think abstractly or hypothetically. This stage marks significant progress in cognitive development, enabling children to solve problems more logically and understand relationships between objects and ideas in their immediate environment.