DadTime™ Influence: Jean Piaget
Swiss scientist Jean Piaget, famous for his Theory of Cognitive Development
DADTIME INFLUENCE
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget is the father of Constructivism, the theory that children construct their understanding of the world through active, hands-on experiences.
Before Piaget, many viewed children as "empty vessels" waiting to be filled with knowledge. A Swiss psychologist with a background in biology, Piaget theorized that intelligence isn't something given the child— it’s something the child builds.
Learning by Doing: Piaget famously described the child as a "Little Scientist." From birth to age two (the Sensorimotor Stage), infants think with their bodies. They don't just look at a ball; they taste it, drop it, and roll it to understand its physics.
Crucially, Piaget believed real learning happens through disequilibrium—that moment of confusion when a child’s expectation doesn't match reality (e.g., "I thought this block would balance, but it fell"). To solve the problem, the child must accommodate (change their thinking). This struggle is the engine of brain growth.\
DadTime™ is designed to facilitate kids’ role as “little scientists,” bringing kids into an environment of "uninterrupted play" within the context of the paternal activation relationship.
The Laboratory (the Learning Environment): Open space, climbing structures, and soft gym mats provide a permissive "yes" environment, where kids can test gravity, velocity, and balance without constraints.
The Catalyst (The Dad): At DadTime, dads allow free exploration, permitting hose critical moments of disequilibrium and exploration.
By trusting the child to experiment and solve problems, dads facilitate their little scientist’s construction of the world.
