ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and its relationship to motor development. It also discusses the relationship between physical activity and cognitive development. The sensorimotor stage, which typically lasts throughout the first 24 months of life, is the time of creating a foundation for all subsequent understanding that hinges on a child’s ability to perform bodily movement. An infant’s experience of being able to grasp and hold with certainty simultaneously influences the development of cognition. Motor activities increase a child’s capability to interact socially by providing means of locomoting to other children, thereby creating opportunities for social activity and enhanced social awareness. Increased social interaction expands the child’s sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others and generally reduces the egocentrism characteristic of this stage of cognitive development.
