What you’ll learn to do: explain changes and advances in cognitive development during middle childhood
![A boy with a thoughtful expression on his face.](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/courses-images/wp-content/uploads/sites/3707/2018/12/19231506/facial-expression-3179952.jpg)
Children in middle childhood are beginning a new experience—that of formal education. In the United States, formal education begins at a time when children are beginning to think in new and more sophisticated ways. According to Piaget, the child is entering a new stage of cognitive development where they are improving their logical skills. During middle childhood, children also make improvements in short term and long term memory.