skills. The pioneering work done by early child development theorists has had a significant influence on the field of psychology as we know it today. The child development theories put forward by both Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson have had substantial impacts on contemporary child psychology, early childhood education, and play therapy. In this essay, I aim to highlight the contribution of these two theorists in their study of various developmental stages, the differences and similarities in their
philosophers, policies and psychological theories to name but a few. In this essay I will discuss and contrast the psychological theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky who have both contributed to classroom practice through their research into the cognitive development of children. Their theoretical perspectives shared some similarities in that both their approaches were child centred, both focused more on the process of how the child arrived at their answer instead of on the answer itself and both used