Children ' s concepts of the physical world

Children have concepts of the physical world long before they enter school, and in the course of further development these rudimentary concepts typically change in everyday settings, even without formal instruction. This kind of knowledge is often termed “intuitive physics.” Understanding children's concepts about the physical world is valuable for both practical and theoretical reasons. Practically, adequate physical concepts have a high survival value. This becomes evident if one imagines what would happen if a child did not have at least rudimentary knowledge about, for example, the relations that exist between time, speed, and distance in space. Moreover, it is of practical interest if and how these implicit or intuitive forms of knowledge can serve as a basis to build upon in educational endeavors. Children’s concepts of the physical world Friedrich Wilkening University of Zurich In: R. A. Shweder (Ed.), The child: An encyclopaedic companion (pp. 195-197). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2009.