2. WHY THIS TOPIC MATTERS
•Child development is an integrated field.
•The nature of early milestones require that educators understand the influences
of the home so that they can support healthy child development.
•Educators have less influence over the home environment, understanding it’s
power is of primary importance when it comes to encouraging the development
of young children
3. OBJECTIVES
•Explain the importance of studying the influences of the home.
•Clarify how families promote children’s development at home.
•Describe the influence of the physical environment of the home.
•Identify the influence of family practices, home learning and especially
technology influence child development.
• Explain ways in which extended family members—particularly grandparents—
affect features of the home curriculum.
• Discuss the pros and cons of home schooling and explain why some families
embrace this trend
4. Influences of the Home
The home (family) nurtures children in different ways.
Children can be judged to be deficient if there is disparity between children’s
home learning and the expectations of the school/curriculum.
The parent is a child’s first teacher.
Children first learn valuable information and life skills from their families.
5. Home Nurture Child Development
Early learning of appropriate (or inappropriate) communication behaviors,
developing language, and acquiring literacy skills are the underpinnings of
children’s later cognitive development.
Brazelton (2006) postulates that cognitive development actually begins before
birth. Since that time, other studies have confirmed prenatal language
development.
Piaget and Bronfenbrenner discussed the importance of a child’s environment
as a factor that influences growth and development.
6. Influences of the Home
Knowledge of Child Development Influences - Parent education programs such
as, well-baby clinics, La Leche League, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Parents Nurture Communication - Children learn vocabulary and grammatical
patterns as important adult model language in the course of family interactions.
- Inactive
- Coding
Families Support Social and Emotional Development
– Locus of Control
7. Learning from the
Physical Environment of the Home
Space influences Emotional Growth
Space influences Intellectual Development
Space influences Problem-Solving Skills
Space influences Physical and Creative Development
8. Family Practice and Home Learning
Both skills and knowledge about the world are acquired as children participate
in the following activities:
Daily routines
- Preparing for the Day
- Mealtimes
- Family Reuniting at the End of the Day
- Bedtime
Cultural Heritage
9. Family Practice and Home Learning
Interests and Skills
Recreational Pursuits
Toys and Games
Eco
Economics and Money Issues for Children
Sustainable Living
Travel Experiences
Technology
- Video Programming
- Internet
10. Extended Families Influence Learning
Extended family members provide stimulus for children’s development. The
amount of influence depends a great deal on the relationship between the
nuclear and extended family members, and on the caring and involvement
(grandparents).
Rituals and Traditions
Grandparents Influence
Advantages of Grandparent Involvement
11. Homeschooling
History of Homeschooling (two popular rationales for homeschooling)
Motives for Homeschooling (ideologues vs. pedagogues)
Teaching Methods in homeschooling (fixed curriculum, units of study, unstructured
learning)
Legal Aspects of Homeschooling
Criticisms and Successes of Homeschools