What capabilities do children develop during the concrete operational stage?

During the concrete operational stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11, children develop important cognitive abilities that allow them to think logically about concrete objects and events. This stage is characterized by the ability to perform operations mentally rather than purely symbolically. As a result, children start mastering basic math skills, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as developing a better understanding of time, space, and causality. They can also grasp the concept of conservation, understanding that quantity does not change even when its shape or arrangement does.

In this stage, children's thinking becomes more organized and logical, but it remains tied to concrete, tangible experiences rather than hypothetical or abstract concepts. Thus, understanding and applying basic math skills and general education knowledge is a hallmark of this developmental phase.