Parents Are The First Teachers - Learn The Importance
When a child is born, parents become the first teacher. Although they are not professionally trained, they become the most significant coach of a child, and hence, it is said parents are the first teachers. Until a certain age, parents are the only ones the child will look up to and learn the basic foundation of life. The kids pay attention to how parents are spending money, how they treat others, how they speak, the way they care, and more. It’s rightly said, “What you do matters more than what you say.” By watching their parent’s actions, they make sense of the world around them and eventually build their life. In fact, every encounter with a child is a teaching moment.
Multiple research has been conducted around this subject; it has proved that no amount of formal education can match parents’ impact on their offspring. They teach what life is all about and assist in solving all the problems. Parents are role models for their children and shape their child’s life.
To know more about the importance of the phrase “parents are the first teachers” and the tips to be a good one, read this article. Here we will talk about the significance of parents serving as first teachers and how you may give your child a headstart in life. Being a child’s first teacher is a big responsibility and should be fulfilled the right way for a better future for the child.
Importance of Parents as the First Teachers
- Influences The Child’s Life
Parents are the first source of motivation in life, and they teach their children a lot of things. They are, generally, the first role models and undergo a lot of sacrifices for the sake of their child’s happiness. After birth, a child pays attention to every single detail and learns from it. They observe their parent’s actions and build themselves accordingly. This is why it is said that parents are the first teachers and influence the child’s life from making them learn to talk to making big decisions. A child can grasp everything that their parents do in front of them, and hence, they can implement it in their life.
- Assists In Developing Safe And Trusting Relationships
A good foundation for a child helps build trust and willingness to learn. Along with this, it assists in giving a healthy sense of self-awareness and care for others. Parents are the first teachers who support exploring the world and developing safe and trusting attachments. They provide them a sense of love, assurance, safety and encourage them to socialize and make healthy connections. It all depends upon the parents to make their child learn to be kind, helpful, supportive, as well as careful.
- Helps In The Development Of Social Skills
Apart from influencing and helping form secure relationships, parents, as the first teachers, aid in the development of social skills. Just as in a classroom, children learn by imitation and involving peers in social situations. They look up to their parents and learn the skills from them, whether it’s the personality or behavior of parents. It plays a crucial role in making their child learn social manners and how to behave in the real world.
- Teaches Values and Morals
Morals and values are an integral part of life. They make a person behave or live their life in a certain way. And for learning these values, parents are the best teachers. Respect, kindness, honesty, courage, persistence, self-discipline, compassion, and many more qualities are instilled in children at home. They grow up seeing their parents working and taking care of others, doing certain tasks and what they avoid, and more. By inculcating good values in a child, parents can protect them from bad societal influences and lay a foundation for understanding what is right and wrong.
- Develops The Skill Of Literacy
There is a long list of responsibilities that parents have towards their children; however, the one that takes the top spot is ‘education.’ Literacy holds great importance in the overall development of a child. From the moment of birth, talking to the child has a significant influence in helping them exchange words. It assists in language development and encourages the child’s interest and positive experience. Parents are the first teachers, and hence, they should provide their child the right skills so that they can become good readers and confident communicators.
- Establishes Emotional Awareness
A child learns to comprehend and express their feelings through their parents. As babies, they look to their parents for emotional help whenever they are in pain or feel stressed. Later, as they grow older, they start to handle the emotions the way they were treated as kids. They consider their emotional role models in every circumstance, when they are happy, sad, or have to respond to any situation. Since parents are the first teachers, they should showcase the right emotions to ensure a positive outcome, higher self-esteem, empathy, compassion, emotional stability, independence, and resilience.
Tips For Parents To Be The Best First Educator To Their Child
Setting a good example for the children is an excellent approach to offer a good life to them. There are many things that a parent can do to be a role model for their child. Since children learn what they see, parents need to be mindful of their actions. Here are some tips that will assist them in being a good educator.
- Parents should give respect and treat their friends, family, neighbors, and every other person around them with kindness so that the child will learn the same.
- Communication is very important, and one should avoid the language to harm, criticize, or quarrel with others. Instead of using cruel or disrespectful words in front of a child, parents should be polite.
- Parents are the first teachers, and hence, they should manage their anger when their child is around them. It is vital to take a deep breath and talk about the problem rather than shouting or showing anger.
- Education is key, and it is the parent’s duty to make it fun and engaging for their child. Only when they motivate the child, they develop a positive attitude towards learning.
- In today’s scenario, children are more inclined towards junk food and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Parents should persuade them to consume healthy food, decrease screen time, plan outdoor activities, and more.
- The usage of technology is important for surviving in today’s digital world but making good use of it is also pretty important. Technology usage at home sends a strong message to a child, and they learn from it. This is why it is their responsibility to not be on the phone all the time or be on call while having meals, etc.
Final Thoughts
Since parents have so much influence on a toddler’s life, it becomes important for them to set a good example by making them learn the right things. The early years of life are considered the most significant as they help establish a sense of security, confidence in learning, social awareness, and more. They learn each day from the start- by words and examples from the people they are surrounded with. This is why parents are the first teachers and the most important ones. The right learning will help develop skills that will take them further in their lives.