Preoperational thinking is an important stage of cognitive development in children. It is marked by a child’s increasing ability to understand abstract concepts and to think logically, symbolically, and systematically. Preoperational thinking is characterized by several features, including symbolic thinking, the ability to form mental images, the ability to classify and categorize, and make-believe play.

Symbolic thinking is the ability to use symbols to represent people, objects, ideas, or concepts. This is the first step in the development of complex cognitive abilities. Children gain an understanding of symbols when they are able to recognize a particular symbol and associate it with an object or concept.

The ability to form mental images is the capacity of a child’s mind to imagine objects and events in an imaginative way. This typically develops before age five and is essential in the preoperational stage. A child’s ability to form mental images makes it possible for them to comprehend and remember ideas.

Children also learn to classify and categorize objects and concepts during the preoperational stage. This involves sorting different items into different categories and being able to recognize patterns and relationships among them. This is an important step in forming the concepts of mathematics.

Make-believe play is another feature of preoperational thinking. During this stage, children learn to imitate and pretend, thus developing their creativity and problem-solving skills. This type of play provides children with a rich environment in which they can practice the skills needed for more complex thinking.

So, preoperational thinking includes all of the above features and skills, except problem-solving. Problem-solving is a later stage of development in which children are better able to recognize patterns, classify objects, and apply abstract concepts to solve complex problems.