When we talk about child development, we often believe that the most important factor affecting a child’s development is the parents. But we should not forget that this is not the only factor that affects your child’s development, there are others too.
Another significant factor is the environment or community where the child is growing up, including your child’s school environment. What’s more, teachers greatly affect your child’s development, too. But teachers are just a part of a diverse system that affects your child’s physical and psychological development.
Most of the time, people are turning to other people from a very young age because we are naturally social beings. So it is natural for us to socialize and have high amounts of interaction every day, which has a massive effect on our behavior and opinion.
And during early childhood, this influence will be much greater. This is where social relationships first develop. With combined influences from a child’s environment, the child will acquire and develop social skills, which are vital as they grow up.
Crucial Factors for Child Development
The most important factor affecting a child’s development is the parents. They are the critical factor that determines how society will affect their child. At first, it might seem simple to know what’s good or what is not for the child. But it is impossible to avoid negative influences. And for a child to understand how to overcome growing up challenges, a child must grow in a positive environment.
The level of success in life is affected by external influences and how one handles them. It is a part of life. These are the most important factors that affect your child’s development:
Family Influence
The most important factor for proper child development is the family. And the best role model is the parents. Parents affect the child’s opinions and values, the child’s personality development, and acquiring good habits.
The family’s effort is essential to determine if the child will reach his potential and whether the child will grow up successful and happy. Each family has a different parenting style. And it is not easy to say that there is only one way of proper parenting. But of course, we can’t deny that a child must grow up with enough attention and love.
Other family members such as grandparents and siblings play another critical role. Even distant relatives can significantly affect a child because children are more likely to treat them as role models. This is particularly true if their profession is interesting for the child. Most of the time, adults emphasize how growing up with positive relatives helped them be successful in life.
Community Influence
Another important factor that affects a child’s development is the community. As the child grows, they become exposed and connected to the community. This includes having friends, joining school organizations, sports clubs, and many more. The way people communicate shows a huge part of an individual.
This means that a child must grow in a positive and healthy environment. They need to grow in an environment where manners and values are taught accordingly. There are a lot of communities that focus on religion, which can also be an essential factor. And the attitude of the parents towards it may determine how a child will be affected by it.
Relatively, it’s critical to do your research before buying a property from one community. Find as much information as you about the community around the home you intend to purchase. In most cases, your real estate agent can give you valuable information, but sometimes, your mortgage lender can give helpful insights too. A positive community or neighborhood has a significant influence later on in school achievements up to professional life.
Education Influence
It is also important for your child to have quality education from the very start. That is why people gave the K-12 program huge attention in the United States. K-12 program is talking about the kindergarten period up to grade 12.
Many research studies have proven the crucial connection between good quality of education from childhood and successful college education. Quality education also directly affects decisions for private and professional life. Meaning every segment and part of education is crucial.
Social Media Influence
Children these days are highly influenced by modern technology and other means of communication. There are a lot of forms of information from different sources of multimedia, and children are surrounded by it too. Exposure to external influences can affect a child’s mental health. The effects will be more noticeable as they enter the teenage period.
A social network can create a parallel world for a child, and the parent may not be aware of it. And a child can be affected by many things such as bullying, public shaming, and hate speech.
Parents should be aware of how their children feel for them and their actions. They should also be mindful of how their child interacts with other people. After all, parents are the most important factor in child development.
