The level and quality of family involvement has a direct link to healthy early childhood development. According to the Harvard Family Research Project, the family plays a significant role in how a child's personality, attitudes and behaviors are formed. The values and practices of parents and siblings directly impact the learning and emotional development of the children in a family.
Basics
Proper nutrition and positive stimulation are important factors in determining how a child develops. According to the World Health Organization, mental and physical development are strongly influenced by experiences in the first years of life. An abusive or emotionally detached family environment can result in developmental delays, stress-related medical complications and learning disabilities.
Potential
The amount of time spent reading and talking to young children directly impacts a child's readiness for school, according to the Harvard Family Research Project. When children start kindergarten, they are much more likely to succeed if parents have spent significant amounts of time and energy interacting with them. Playing games, participating in conversations and including youngsters in family outings help young children develop socially and cognitively.
Effects
How parents treat their children has a direct impact on how the children eventually see themselves. Positive self-esteem and appropriate social development occur when children in a family unit are respected and nurtured. Children who feel safe at home can develop a healthy sense of belonging in the world and usually are more willing to try new activities and take risks. Parents who respond to the needs of their children help kids develop better communication skills, according to the Harvard Family Research Project.
Considerations
Family dynamics that have nothing to do with how well parents and siblings behave also can affect a child's early development. According to the Child Development Institute, the order in which a child is born can have a direct impact on his early development. For example, first-born children in typical families tend to be more controlling and more likely to attend college, while the youngest often has difficulty giving up the baby status in the family. Middle children can turn out to be very flexible and easily adapt to new situations or become frustrated and angry.
Warning
In addition to the internal family dynamics, the environment in which the family lives also impacts early development. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, children who grow up in families who live in low-income neighborhoods are more at risk of developing behavior problems than kids in affluent neighborhoods. Family income also significantly affects early development, as children who grow up in poverty tend to have more behavioral problems as they age.
