How does the thinking of children differ from adults?

Answer 1

Look at Piaget's stages of development:
a)Sensorimotor: (birth to about age 2) During this stage, the child learns about himself and his environment through motor and reflex actions. Thought derives from sensation and movement. The child learns that he is separate from his environment and that aspects of his environment -- his parents or favorite toy -- continue to exist even though they may be outside the reach of his senses. Teaching for a child in this stage should be geared to the sensorimotor system. You can modify behavior by using the senses: a frown, a stern or soothing voice -- all serve as appropriate techniques.
b)Preoperational: (begins about the time the child starts to talk to about age 7) Applying his new knowledge of language, the child begins to use symbols to represent objects. Early in this stage he also personifies objects. He is now better able to think about things and events that aren't immediately present. Oriented to the present, the child has difficulty conceptualizing time. His thinking is influenced by fantasy -- the way he'd like things to be -- and he assumes that others see situations from his viewpoint. He takes in information and then changes it in his mind to fit his ideas. Teaching must take into account the child's vivid fantasies and undeveloped sense of time. Using neutral words, body outlines and equipment a child can touch gives him an active role in learning.
c)Concrete: (about first grade to early adolescence) During this stage, accommodation increases. The child develops an ability to think abstractly and to make rational judgments about concrete or observable phenomena, which in the past he needed to manipulate physically to understand. In teaching this child, giving him the opportunity to ask questions and to explain things back to you allows him to mentally manipulate information.
d)Formal Operations: (adolescence) - This stage brings cognition to its final form. This person no longer requires concrete objects to make rational judgments. At his point, he is capable of hypothetical and deductive reasoning. Teaching for the adolescent may be wide-ranging because he'll be able to consider many possibilities from several perspectives.

Answer 2

Volumes. One difference in the way a child and adult thinking works is how we judge volume or size. This may be helpful for your understanding of this topic. (I will let others comment on the ability of a child to distinguish right and wrong -- but, as an adult, I don't understand that thinking!).

Children have difficulty comparing say a tall skinny glass of water compared to a shorter but wider glass with equal volume. With experience our brain can start to compare and contrast such objects. This happens about age 8-10. We now know that expecting children to understand units of measurement by grade 2 is unrealistic.

Of course, it is a wonderful thing that there is a great variety in our ability to do such tasks -- even as adults.

Answer 3

Honesty, trust and experience. Children call it like they see it and tell you what they see or feel. Adults have maturity and experience and discernment. Adults usually know when not to say something that could hurt someone or that was said in private and could be misunderstood (like "hey Ted, what's that big zit on your face?" or "my dad says you have skeletons in your closet. Can I see them?"). Adults are also able to separate fantasy from fiction but small children don't have a separation line until they grow.

Answer 4

Children are a clean slate and everything is new and interesting to them. They are always open to learning new things. When we become adults, we forget the excitement of learning and become hardened to our own views and opinions. Children are amazing to watch because they are so fascinated by the simple things. We should strive to keep some of those childlike qualities as we get older and be more open to learning new things.

Answer 5

Children has broader(like anything is possible) and illogical thinking than adults. But it's more unruled by logic. They think of things as it IS, but... adults try to find deeper meaning in stuff.

Answer 6

It is more spontaneous, with less emphasis on possible consequences from actions. Children's thoughts are less considered than adults (mostly) due to lack of experience to cross reference with any particular train of thought.

Answer 7

Out of the mouths of babes!
They tell (and Think) like it IS!

Answer 8

They need to mature

Answer 9

its the same just broadened by more experiences