Parents as Educators - Essay Example

This paper investigates that anyone who plans a career in the field of young children’s education must have a clear understanding of the value of play because this is an important medium through which children learn about the world. Children are vulnerable to many dangers in childhood, and it is important for me to identify the needs of any child in my care and work in collaboration with others to ensure that each child has the best possible start in life. I feel that it is essential to work alongside parents and carers, supporting them in their own individual approaches to childcare.

School and playgroup environments can provide some additional support, but there is nothing that can fully replace the family based bonding and relationships that help a child to become socialised in the world.This research stresses that children grow up within a family and the family in turn is located within a whole social environment consisting of the wider family members, the neighbours, and various other known persons and strangers. Imaginative engagement by a caregiver is an important way of passing on cultural values and instructions on how the child should fit in with his or her local social environment.

  One international study compared for example American Irish and Taiwanese families, and noted that there are some universal features, relating to developmental milestones for the child, and some variable features related to the culture of the family group in the way that caregivers initiate and support play with young children.. hool and playgroup environments can provide some additional support, but there is nothing that can fully replace the family based bonding and relationships that help a child to become socialised in the world.

One aspect that I have reflected on is the need to be aware of different cultural contexts and to learn about varieties of play that may be preferred on different social and cultural groups. Some parents may be very achievement oriented, and they may be more or less child centred in their family environment, while others prefer passive storytelling activities, for example. II think it is part of my role to help families extend their repertoire so that parents and children both gain from productive kinds of play.

Why family engagement supports early child development and learning Children grow up within a family and the family in turn is located within a whole social environment consisting of the wider family members, the neighbours, and various other known persons and strangers. Imaginative engagement by a caregiver is an important way of passing on cultural values and instructions on how the child should fit in with his or her local social environment. One international study compared for example American Irish and Taiwanese families, and noted that there are some universal features, relating to developmental milestones for the child, and some variable features related to the culture of the family group in the way that caregivers initiate and support play with young children (Haight et al., 1999). Similarly Farver and Howes (1993) found that there are differences between Mexican and American mothers’ strategies in guiding their children’s play, and this suggest that wider social norms are an important factor, as well as individual differences in each