Quality of Family Environment -Child

Summary of Recommendation and Evidence

Population	Recommendation	Grade (What's This?)
Screening of both Genders	This screening is recommended for children.	B

Overview

Family members are the first people that young children have regular contact with, and as patterns, interactions and relationships within the family unit develop, so does a child’s understanding of himself, other people and the world around him. Loving, nurturing homes that provide opportunities for growth and bonding are where children thrive.

What Should Be The Family Environment

During early childhood, a parent's attitudes and values can be passed on to the child. During this time their self concept is forming, and can be heavily influenced by their parents.

Supportive, Loving Family

Nurturing relationships in a family are critical for the healthy development of a child. If a child feels safe, secure, and loved in their family, it helps with the formation of their self-esteem and well-being. It can also lead to a child who is more socially competent and has better communication skills than a child who does not feel these family connections

Parental Involvement

Parental participation in children's activities, like outdoor exploration or reading books together, has been shown to lead to a more social child, says Weiss. Children who engage in play activities with their parents jump right into games when they start school and show more independent behavior in those situations. Having their parents show an interest in their activities develops a strong sense of self in the child.

School Readiness

Parents and other family members can also influence early childhood development by supporting literacy and other childhood lessons. By encouraging the practice of math and reading skills, parents can increase school readiness in their child. Even early lessons, such as singing the alphabet or counting objects, can lead to more successes in the classroom.

Role of Family Environment in Child's Development

Of all the environmental factors that influence a child’s development, family has the most significant impact.

Emotional Development

A family encourages emotional development from the first moments of a baby’s life onward. The bond that forms between an infant and his primary caregivers fosters a range of emotions such as trust, comfort, compassion, empathy and confidence. As children grow and their relationships with family members develop, they learn how to form friendships, manage and communicate emotions in a healthy way and how to overcome obstacles and challenges with others. Making the time to do things together as a family promotes family cohesion, which enhances emotional development in children, and reduces children’s risk of experiencing emotional distress.

Social Development

Children begin to develop social skills in infancy from their earliest bonds, relationships and interactions with family members. They perceive and discover communication, collaboration and cooperation by both observing parents and siblings as they interact with each other, and by engaging directly with different members of the family. Families that treat each other with respect and love promote a positive example of social interaction for very young children. Families that spend quality time together -- enjoying activities together and sharing meals at the dinner table, for example -- also promote healthy socialization development in young children by fostering group bonding, communication and sharing.

Physical Development

Family members' diet and exercise habits have a profound impact on children’s fitness and nutrition, which is directly related to their overall physical development. Because family members are role models, children learn from, imitate and adopt the behaviors and patterns of parents and siblings. Get the family together for backyard games or exercise challenges to promote healthy fitness among all family members. Limit junk food consumption and encourage children to get involved in preparing healthy family meals to promote good nutrition.

Cognitive Development

Family values affect a child’s cognitive development by influencing the way they perceive themselves and the world. Family dynamics shape the way kids think, reason and problem-solve. A strong, loving family unit that spends quality time together can enhance a young child’s academic performance, while decreasing her likelihood of abusing drugs or engaging in other risky behavior as she gets older.

Parents' Effect on Child Behavior

Parents greatly affect their children’s behavior. Children are like sponges--they model everything a parent does and incorporate what they see into their own lives. It is important that parents set the right examples for their children.

Social Skills Count

Antisocial children learn their behavior from their parents. Social skills can be interpreted as everything from the basic polite “please” and “thank you” to speaking in front of crowds. Children model their parents and learn from them.

A Stressed-Out Legacy

A parent’s reaction to stress affects the way a child reacts to stress. If a parent reacts negatively, a child will learn to react negatively as well. In addition, negative reactions to stress, such as yelling and lashing out, can scare a child. Children can learn to shut themselves down and may even think that they are the cause of the stress. If stress is handled positively, it helps children see that their parents' love for them never changes, even when they are stressed out.

Keep Discipline Positive

The way a parent disciplines greatly affects their children's behavior. When a parent elects to use physical punishment, such as spanking, it does not teach the child how to change his behavior. Children can also react aggressively to physical punishment. When parents chooses alternate forms of punishment, such as time-outs, they are helping modify the child’s bad behavior in a calm manner.