Infancy and Early Childhood Development - Essay Example

? Infancy and Early Childhood Development: The Impact of Family, Parenting Style and Early Education Introduction Infancy and early childhood are crucial stages of a person’s development, as such serve as the foundations that determine children’s future well-being. During these stages, a number of “neurological growth and development” transpire, affecting children physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically, depending on how they are nurtured (Hagele, 2005). There are different factors that affect children during infancy and early childhood which may facilitate or hamper the furtherance of their development. These factors include the children’s family, parenting style, and early education. This essay discusses the impact of the aforementioned factors on the child’s development. Family on Child Development A family can be considered as the first society to whom children interact with. From the moment children are born until they reach infancy and early childhood, their lives revolve around the family. Suffice to say, the family is the most fundamental foundation of the children’s well-being and competence as they explore the larger community beyond the premise of their homes. During infancy, children feel the love of their parents through their caress and facial expressions. The warmth of parents’ embrace allows children to feel their parent’s heart beat, which is a powerful comforter for children. The “overhead conversation” also develops children’s speech capacity as they grow (Berger, 2011). The absence of these, however, negatively affects children’s development, for those who scarcely feel the comfort of their parents develop fear and are distressed, thereby being in high risk of acquiring different illnesses. During early childhood, children long for more love and attention and they become more observant and imitative. This is the very reason why it is important for adult members of the family to serve as good examples to younger members, considering that children are naturally keen observant, and imitative of older people’s behavior. Based on Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, children learn through observation or modeling (Cherry, 2013). Children’s behavior and intelligence, therefore, are dependent on the how they are trained and nurtured at home. However, if children are maltreated in the family, and if their bond and attachment with their parents are disrupted, they experience trauma, which in the long run, lead to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Hagele, 2005). These paralyzed the normal development of children physically, mentally, and emotionally. Parenting Style on Child Development Children's primary caregivers and disciplinarians are their parents. Parental involvement, which refers to the extent to which parents participate in various aspects of their offspring’s lives, is very essential for children’s growth. With such roles that parents play, it is unquestionable that children’s development is impacted by the type of parenting style. Berger (2011) discussed the different parenting styles that affect infants and children’s development, such as (i) authoritarian parenting, (ii) permissive parenting, and (iii) authoritative parenting. Authoritarian parents are those who set house rules that are irrevocable; therefore, each member is obliged to follow, and disobedience of such policies would mean strict punishment. Permissive parents are those who are nurturance and are willing to listen to their children’s opinion, for they consider themselves as their offspring’s friends. Like permissive parents, authoritative parents listen to their children’s concerns. Although they are strict, they put limitations to their strictness, unlike authoritarian parents. They consider themselves, not as their children’s friends, but as their children’s guide towards successful life development. Children’s development is affected by such different types of parenting. The development of children during infancy and early childhood stages is marked with fear and indecision under the authoritarian style of parenting. Such parenting style either influences the child to be rebellious due to the overly strict manner of training, or molds the child into becoming a fickle-minded adult. Children under the permissive parenting style experience too much care, which may result to either positive or negative outcome. On the positive side, children receive overflowing love and care. However, over-protection may influence them to become a person who is overly dependent and lacks the sense of responsibility. On the other hand, since parents who are authoritative are reasonably strict, and allow their children to make decisions, they influence their children to become responsible. Authoritative parenting style is the best style, for it puts care giving and disciplining in balance, making it a win-win solution for child rearing. Childhood Education on Child Development Early childhood education is fundamental to the cognitive development of children (Barnett & Belfield, 2006). Therefore, how children in the infancy and early childhood is guided in terms of their learning capability, would determine their learning capacity as they mature. Two of the most effective techniques in training children to develop their full cognitive potential are Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Learning Theory and Maria Montessori’s method of child learning. Vygotsky’s theory emphasizes that children must be guided (i.e. according to their different level of learning capacity) during their learning process, especially in early childhood stage (Kozulin, Gindis, Ageyev, & Miller, 2003). Vygotsky identified “zone of proximal development,” the distance between children’s independent learning capacity and their potential learning ability under the guidance of an adult (Kozulin et al., 2003, p. 39). This type of education allows children to learn in accordance to their level of cognitive capacity, without forcing them to learn the things that are beyond their ability. On the other hand, Montessori’s method of learning may also influence children’s development positively, as it take into consideration experiential learning. This method allows children to explore the different things, with the guidance of teachers, so that they will discover things through experiencing them all by themselves (Lillard, 2013). These types of early education facilitate the development of children, cognitively, during infancy and early childhood stages. Conclusion The development of humans during infancy and early childhood stages is very crucial as it determines how they will mature physically, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally. The family, being children’s primary caregivers, must know the proper ways on how to facilitate their children’s development. Family’s nurturance, parents’ parenting style, and the type of early education significantly influence the development of children. Thus, families must let the children feel their love and protection, must train them to become responsible and independent, and must guide and hone their cognitive capacity according to the level of their potential. In these ways, infancy and early childhood development will be healthy, making children socio-emotionally and intellectually competent citizens in the future. References Barnett, W. S., & Belfield, C. R. (2006). Early childhood development and social mobility. The Future of Children, 16(2), 73-98. Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the lifespan (8th ed.). United States of America, NY: Worth Publishers. Cherry, K. (2013). Social learning theory: An overview of Bandura’s social learning theory. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm Hagele, D. M. (2005). The impact of maltreatment on the developing child. North Carolina Medical Journal, 66(5), 356-359. Kozulin, A., Gindis, B., Ageyev, V. S., & Miller, S. M. (Eds.). (2003). Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context. UK: Cambridge University Press. Lillard, A. S. (2013). Playful learning and Montessori education. American Journal of Play, 5(2), 157-186. Read More