Infancy and early childhood are considered a time when most cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development takes place; allowing it to be exceptional and very essential in human development. A child’s development does not start at birth but through proper nutrition before and during conception. “Infancy and early childhood is a critical stage of development that forms the foundation for children’s future well-being and learning” (UNICEF, 2011). At this early stage of life, development can be hinder due to certain factors within families and the environment. In this paper, I will explain how families affect the development of infants and young children. I will also evaluate different parenting styles and its influences on a child’s development during the infancy and early childhood stages while voicing my opinion on which parenting style I believe is most effective. Lastly, I will discuss early childhood education and the influence it plays on cognitive development.
Effect of Families on Development
Throughout history, the role of families and how it affects a child development has been a topic of discussion for centuries. “Family is the first interaction that a child have that remains continuously” (Elkin & Handel, 1978). The family structure and parent-child communication have more of an impact on the child development than those early years of attending daycare. Throughout the United States, children are raised in various family environment ranging from single to dual parenting, same-sex parenting, and multi-racial parenting. All of those factors contribute to the different families, cultures, and religion a child is introduced to because they are all spawned through marriage, divorce, and other forms of relationship connections.
Berger (2011), argues that “families accommodate responses in children from the facial expression, emotional and physical connections.” “The sense of security a child
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