from Piaget's theory of child development: A newborns understanding is limited to direct contact with the environment and with only simple reflexes---seeing, listening, sucking, touching, crying, and movement of arms, trunk, and head. Intelligence develops as a child interacts with the environment, experiencing reactions and sensations from reflexive actions. A child begins to communicate through different cries for different needs. Around the age of 2, through experience and experimentation, an early sign of thought take place as a child becomes aware that objects do not cease to exist when they are hidden. They start to make use of imitation, memory and thought. Children will also begin to solve problems through a primitive type of creativity.

from EasyChild's team: Enjoy your little ones, they are still just learning how to move and make sounds. Crying for hunger or out of discomfort from a wet diaper, this stage a child is learning to communicate their needs. But they are also starting to ask for things they want, not need. The beginning of trying to control their parents.

from Piaget's theory of child development: During this stage, children shift from interacting with their environment through senses and movement to functioning in a conceptual-symbolic mode. They can now think in symbolic form. Gradual language development begins around the age of 2, and is almost mastered by 4. They can count, but still do not really understand what numbers mean. Their communication is not yet person to person, but consists of the child’s monologue. They are able to think operations through logically in one direction, referred to Piaget as centration. Children do not yet have the ability to mentally trace a series of events or easily understand cause and effect relations. Piaget also uses the term egocentrism to describe children in this stage. Egocentrism is the inability to take on another’s point of view; children can not conceive that anyone thinks differently from themselves.

Around the ages of 6-7, or earlier if a child is constantly exposed to other children, egocentrism will erode. Children begin to validate their own thoughts against those of their peers. Through maturation and experience a more sophisticated and adult-like state of cognitive development begins to evolve.

from EasyChild's team:   Start Kids Early   Achieve Better Results
The perfect time to start with structured parenting is in this early stage. EasyChild is the ideal way to start younger kids out on the solid path,before they develop bad behavior habits that need to be corrected. Although EasyChild is recommended for children starting at age 4, Kids as young as 2 are using the system successfully. As soon as they are old enough to understand rewards and are trying to use argue to get what they want they could be ready.
  

from Piaget's theory of child development: Reasoning abilities become more developed, but now children are able to solve concrete (hands-on) problems in a logical fashion. Egocentric thinking dissolves and children learn that others have ideas and views different from their own. They begin to pay attention to the point of view of others as a way to verify their own. They understand laws of conservation and are able to classify, seriate and understand reversibility, the ability to think backward from the end to the beginning.

from EasyChild's team: This is a great time to start with structured parenting. Kids are still very much wanting to please their parents. Parents are able to encourage many positive behaviors and kids are able to be very helpful around the house. By assigning household chores and using allowance to teach money concepts, parents can instill values that can stick before teenage rebellion and peer pressure starts to take a strong hold.

from Piaget's theory of child development: From 11-15 years old, there is a progression of the developments of new cognitive abilities. Towards the end of the period, they have complete conceptual and abstract thinking abilities. They can talk about concepts, possibilities, form hypotheses and conclusions, and use rules to solve abstract problems. During this final stage, a new type of egocentrism emerges, which may explain some behaviors and attitudes commonly associated with young teens. Because of their increased cognitive abilities, they can imagine what others may be thinking. They tend to believe that others are thinking about them, and that they are as critical in their thinking as the teens are of themselves. Teens often develop concerns about social issues and their identity. As their thinking ability has developed so does their questioning of adult authority. They no longer view their parents as the source of absolute truth. Early teen years are often marked with withdrawal from their family as they step towards independence.

from EasyChild's team: Kids in this stage of child development want more things than ever. The power of incentive-based parenting can be introduced and will work very effectively. Teens might intially put up more resistance than younger kids, (especially if they have been used to getting their way), but all kids learn what they have to do and not do, to earn the things they want. Even if problem behaviors have become habits, habits can be changed with behavior modification and positive feedback. Respect for authority and responsiblity are essential moral lessons that need to be absorbed. Parents should have written rules and consequences for serious misbehaviors to ensure fairness and to avoid kids pulling away and isolating themselves from their parents and positive role models.

from Piaget's theory of child development: According to Piaget's theory a child operational thought should be developed by age 16; however, each child will move through the stages at their own pace and subject to environmental factors that could delay progression. Parenting style could affect

from EasyChild's team: It is never too late, to begin with EasyChild. We all have wished we had learned somethings earlier in life when it would have been easier, but this development stage is of critical importance and may represent the last chance a parent has to strongly influence their young adults success and happiness for life. Many kids who have experienced difficult early childhood, have been able to start later and still catch up and excel with their peers. It is the time to modify, correct, and enhance the lessons of childhood.

18 years old and beyond

EasyChild has also been shown effective for young adults 18 and up. If these young adults are still dependant, living at home or on their own, parents can still monitor behavior and control money and rewards. This is a tough stage for kids today, trying to become independant is harder than ever, but the work ethic and responsibility must be learned now or these young adults may face dysfunctional behavior throughout their adult lives.