The sensorimotor period was named by Jean Piaget, a French psychologist. He studied how children developed concepts and made sense out of the world. Most of this exploration and interaction took place during play. Piaget said that the sensorimotor period in most children lasted from birth to the age of 2 years. During this time, children learn about their bodies, their own actions and the actions of others.
Children also learn about the properties of objects and how objects are used.
Children begin this learning by accident, then through their own deliberate movement, then by watching others. Jan van Dijk, a Dutch psychologist who works with children with deafblindness, says that all we know can be traced back to our actions. He gives the example of asking us to define a castle. If he keeps asking questions, eventually we say it is where people eat and sleep and play. And, that eating, sleeping, and playing means using certain objects in certain ways.