Describe with Examples the Kind of Influences free essay sample

Describe with examples the kinds of influences that effect children and young people’s development. While children are influenced by many things, there are no stronger influences that that of their parents as they are usually their child’s first playmates and while the world expands with each passing year, parental influence is still one of the greatest factors in determining the ways in which a child will grow and develop. Background. Naturally parents will want to see their children do well. Sometimes though in an effort to keep their children safe parents inadvertently hold their children back from exploring the world around them, lessening their chances to learn and progress. While it is understandable to want to shelter children from harm, parents who are over protective can sometimes limit their child’s potential. Ideally children should be given increasing amounts of freedom as they grow older and mature, allowing them to gradually learn new things and meet new people which in turn increases their physical, emotional and social development. However there are many examples of the kind of influences that affect children and young people’s development, parents going through a marriage breakdown, separation and divorce proceedings can be very traumatic for a child. Children of one parent families may suffer as a single parent may not work or conversely work long hours, leaving the child with little support and open to bullying, or possibly no male role model to look up too. Children may become part of a step family, where a new partners may have children of their own from a previous relationship.This could lead to conflict or friction between the children and unhappiness for the child being picked on, leading to low self esteem, lack of confidence in their own abilities. A parents attitude towards education and standards of education can have a detrimental effect on a child’s development. If the parents had a bad experience of the education system themselves, have no qualifications or little or no aspirations to work, this sets a negative example to the child and the child may not apply themselves and fall into a similar cycle to their parents.Children who come from a lower social economic background are more likely to be in poverty themselves. This can lead to lower expectations of the child from both parents and also the education system, leaving them little or no hope of getting out of poverty even though they may have the ability to do so. For many children who come from a looked after care status, moving around from home to home can lead to many negative issues such as low self esteem, lack of self respect, increased levels of truancy as they feel not wanted or that they don’t belong.Children in a looked after care status may be l ooked after by grandparents. Lack of money for pensioners may lead to little or no activities for the child and they may not be able to go out to play, have few friends or be bullied by their peers, much depends on their grandparents age and also their ability to be able to encourage and promote activities with the child. Health. Parents who eat well and are physically active provide great examples for growing children, offering them a nutritious diet rich in vitamins and minerals provides them with the necessary nutrients to support healthy growth and development.Additionally encouraging active play and incorporating physical activities into daily life will help children build muscular mass and increase coordination and develop self confidence. While young children have a tendency to run around and play, older children are likely to develop habits similar to those of their parents. If for no other reason than to install good habits to their children parents should make every effort to sustain an active and healthy lifestyle.However a child with a prolonged illness that leads to hospitalisation and prolonged treatment may suffer development problems, by not being able to do everything that their peers are able to do. This and missing out on school can see a child a long way behind in the curriculum and unable to catch up the work as children all develop at different speeds. A child that struggles at school and has not been identified as having any specific needs could suffer from depression thus affecting that child’s development. Environment. Poor housing is another factor that affects healthy holistic development. Low income families are more likely to live in homes which are damp and or unheated, this increases dramatically the risk or infection, particularly respiratory illnesses. Neighbourhoods that are densely populated with few communal areas and amenities are negative, children without access to a safe garden or playing area may suffer emotional and social problems .Overcrowded conditions or homeless families that are housed in bed and breakfast accommodation or hotels often have poor or no access to cooking facilities and may have to share a bathroom with several other families, often the children’s education is badly disrupted when moving from place to place. Children can also fall foul and have their development affected if th ey have inappropriate role models outside the home, Leading to a child making the wrong life choices and often ending up involved in drugs or crime, which can affect their whole life.