At what age do children start to think symbolically according to Piaget?

Children begin to think symbolically during the preoperational stage of cognitive development, which Piaget identified as occurring between the ages of 2 and 7. In this stage, children start to use language and engage in pretend play, demonstrating an ability to represent objects and events with symbols. This capacity for symbolic thought is essential for language development and helps children to develop more complex forms of thinking, such as imaginative play and the ability to understand that one object can stand for another. Thus, the age range of 2 to 7 years aligns perfectly with Piaget’s theory regarding the onset of symbolic thought in children.