Final answer:
Children explore the world through sensory and motor experiences during the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth up to 2 years old. This stage involves critical developments such as object permanence and is essential for laying the groundwork for future cognitive skills.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children figure out the world through sensory and motor experiences primarily during the sensorimotor stage of development, which spans from birth to about 2 years of age. In this critical developmental phase, children learn by interacting with their environment using their senses and developing motor skills. Key cognitive milestones, such as the development of object permanence, occur during this stage, most notably between 5 and 8 months old, where children start to understand that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard.
Infants at this stage learn by directly engaging with the world around them; for instance, they may put objects in their mouths or bang them to explore their properties. The sensorimotor stage is a time of rapid cognitive and motor development that lays the foundation for future learning and problem-solving abilities.