Role models can have a positive or negative effect on children depending upon the role model and others’ definition of what is good and what isn’t.
* Where do children get their role models from?
Depending upon the environment, personality of and upbringing of the child, their role models can differ greatly. Some children’s role models are pop singers and actors, they are often ones that are popular in media culture and invariably the children’s friends would have had an additional effect in affirming the role models.
Some role models are noble, in that they are healthy to be role models for the child; such noble role models include parents, family members, people who do a lot of charity work or work with animals and people who help communities. These role models are formed from knowledge about them, from the child’s environment or from hearing stories about them from others. Children learn from their environment and are well-known to be like sponges that soak up all what they see and hear.
* How role models affect children
Vocabulary
Some negative role models that often swear or use derogatory words can affect the children who take them as role models by influencing them to start swearing and use bad language or curse words. Alternatively positive role models can help in teaching children to be polite in speech.
Dress
Children can seek to copy the fashion of their role models; this is usually the case for role models obtained from the media, cartoons, TV presenters, movies or pop singers.