Planning in the Real World: Preschool Children's Scripts and Plans for Familiar Events

Abstract

3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds reported either scripts or verbal plans for 2 familiar events, going grocery shopping and going to the beach, and also constructed plans to remedy and prevent mishaps that might occur for each event. With increasing age, children reported more information, focused more on onset activities, and mentioned more specific planning activities in their plans than in their scripts. Although children at all ages provided adequate remedy plans, only 5-year-olds provided adequate prevention plans. In general, children were better at planning for the beach than for grocery shopping. Results indicate that developmental differences in event knowledge, in the ability to reflect upon event knowledge, and the event that they are planning for affect preschoolers' planning for real-world events.