Childhood Socialization: Characteristics And Development
The socialization in childhood is a very important process in the development of every human being. Your friends and those around you shape and shape your identity and your behavior. So today we want to tell you more about this process.
What is childhood socialization?
Socialization refers to how you integrate sociocultural elements of your environment and how you adapt to society. Through socialization you learn what is considered right and wrong in our society.
This learning process starts with the first moments of your life and never stops. Nevertheless, the earliest childhood is a very crucial phase in the socialization process, because in this phase of life you are particularly capable of learning and receptive.
In fact, the ability to learn is innate to us and we also have our need for social stimuli when we are born. Children have the need to build bonds and friendships very early on. These will play an important role in the first few years of life.
The influence of the environment on socialization
We were all born with great potential for making friends. Yet we also have a potential for aggression and violence in equal measure. It is our environment that ultimately determines which of these two sides wins. This process can be done in different ways.
Learning through observation
Children learn mainly by observing other people. You observe the behavior and the effects that behavior has on other people.
- The family plays a very crucial role, because the family members are the child’s primary caregivers. They act consciously or unconsciously as role models and constantly convey certain values to the children.
- The school is another very important socialization unit. The style of teaching, the way teachers treat children and their attitudes influence the behavior of the children.
- In addition, the media are also becoming increasingly important in this process as they convey social information. Through visual representation and simple language, television and other digital media continuously provide children with examples of good and bad behavior. Therefore , it is very important that you pay attention to what programs your children are watching on television. Make sure that they only watch age-appropriate films that convey the values that you want to convey to them.
Children can also learn to make friends while playing. While playing, the children learn to get along with their peers and to function together as a team.
Stories
Stories, fairy tales and books are also very important for childhood socialization. Children love these activities. Reading stories to your children has a huge impact on how they learn to interact with others.
These stories stimulate the children’s imagination. In addition , they learn how the world works and how they should behave. And besides, they are less afraid because they can identify with the characters of the stories.
Pictures and stories can teach your children a lot more than theoretical explanations. Therefore, you should make sure that what you teach them and what you show them match. Otherwise, you could confuse them.
What can you do to socialize your child?
While socialization is a natural process for everyone, there are a few things you can do to help your children do this.
When children make friends, these social contacts make them more comfortable overall. Therefore, it is very important that you do not overprotect your children.
If you protect them too much, you are depriving them of the opportunity to discover their own abilities and personality. Ultimately, you are preventing them from learning from their own mistakes.
In social relationships, your children learn to change their own behavior based on the consequences of their actions.
Therefore, parents should motivate and encourage their children to make friends. It is also important that children are given the opportunity to solve their problems themselves. This is how they will develop a healthy self-confidence.
