During which stage do children begin to learn about their world through actions?

The correct answer is the sensorimotor stage. This stage, identified by Jean Piaget, occurs from birth to about two years of age and is characterized by the way infants begin to understand their world primarily through their physical interactions and sensory experiences. During this period, children learn about their environment through actions such as grasping, sucking, and exploring objects. They develop an understanding of object permanence and cause-and-effect relationships as they manipulate things around them.

In contrast, the preoperational stage, which follows the sensorimotor stage, typically occurs from ages two to seven and is marked by the development of language and the use of symbols. However, children in this stage are still egocentric and do not yet think logically about concrete events as they are more focused on symbolic thinking rather than understanding their world through direct physical interaction.

The concrete-operational stage follows the preoperational stage and occurs from ages seven to eleven. During this time, children start to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation, but they do not yet engage in abstract reasoning.

The formal operations stage, which begins around age eleven, involves the development of abstract thinking and problem-solving abilities, where individuals can think about hypothetical scenarios and use deductive reasoning