The Five Foundations of Any Child’s Education

“Is the education of a child important?” This might just be the most ridiculous and obvious question ever asked. Ask any parent this question and for sure, you will get the same answer again and again. However, if the question had asked for the reason behind this importance, there will, without a doubt, be many different answers. One parent may say “So he will be able to easily get a job”. Another may say that it is important so that his child will learn responsibility. Another reason could be that the child’s learning will help him make good decisions. Parents have countless other reasons for a child’s education but ultimately, they mean the same thing—to prepare the child for adulthood.

Some might disagree with this; in fact, many parents do not want to think of adulthood yet, saying they do not want their children to grow up fast. Well nobody said anything about reaching adulthood fast. Rather, it is progressing from childhood and growing up to be adults. You have to bear in mind that in the end, only two things can happen: your child grows up with you, with your guidance, or your child grows up without you, guided by his friends. Which ending do you want for your child?

Surely, you want your child to grow up guided by you. If you are to prepare them to become responsible adults, you must make them learn, understand and live by five essential things. The proper education of a child involves the teaching of values, morals, ethics, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Values are the feelings, thoughts and opinions which your family has determined important. The values of one family may, of course, differ from those of another. A child needs to learn what the things he values are. Morals refer to what things are right and what are wrong. Usually, our morals are shaped by a bigger community’s standards and beliefs. Every child must be able to distinguish right from wrong. Ethics refer to the ideology of how one should behave. These are the principles of conduct and manners. A child will follow what he sees. If parents are not there to show the child how one should rightfully behave, he will then follow those whom he sees; he will pattern the way his peers behave.

Problem solving is the ability to come up with a solution for a particular task or difficulty AND the ability to do everything required to carry it out. Knowing that sand can put out a spreading fire is useless if you do not know where and how to get that sand. A child must be able to determine what must be done with a problem and know to do it. Lastly, decision-making is the ability to make sound decisions that will be for the betterment of all. A good decision is one that is based on the first four essential principles. A child must learn have the ability to make good judgments and sound decisions so that he will be able to determine which direction to follow.

These five elements shape the entire education of a child. Without these five, your child may grow physically and biologically, but he will never grow from being a child to becoming an adult.

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The Areas of Development Crucial To The Establishment Of The Child’s Identity

Child development and education are perhaps the most critical phases in one’s life. These stages span the human life from birth up to the end of adolescence. What a child experiences during these years would shape practically his entire identity and determine what his adulthood would be like.

During the early part of these years, a child will first begin to make sense of the world, and determine how he sees himself, how he sees other people, what he thinks the proper way for him to behave should be, and how he expects other people to treat him. These years are characterized primarily by the child’s innocence.

The years that would follow involve experiencing changes in the body, being exposed to the principles of right and wrong, establishing personal values and ethics, discovering talents, building self-esteem, developing self-awareness, forming new friendships, beginning to take notice of the members of the opposite sex, going through periods of insecurity, being confused for a lot of things, starting to assume independence, going through fights between parents, develop decision-making and critical thinking skills, and ideally, a shift from childhood to maturity just before entering adulthood. These are the things that generally will take place during the stages of child development and education.

Speaking of development, the following are the six different areas of development in every child:

1.) Physical development. This involves the development of cognitive abilities and motor skills as the child starts to explore his surroundings.
2.) Intellectual development. This involves making sense of the world and developing his personal perception of the things around him.
3.) Social development. This concentrates on forming of the child’s identity and his ability to establish relationships and attachments that can last, deal with other people, and understand what his place in particular community is.
4.) Creative development. This involves the discovery and improvement of skills and talents.
5.) Emotional development. This involves developing self-confidence, being aware of one’s self, developing insecurities, understanding emotions, and the ability to cope with them.
6.) Spiritual development. This involves the development of faith, prayer and the belief that all things are beyond his control. This developmental domain provides a source of hope and motivation for a child when all else fails.

Child development and education center on the child, but call for the guidance, presence and involvement of the parents and other people.