Family Traditions
Showcase
Child Development
Chapter 3

Family Traditions Showcase
 We will be having a Traditions Gallery Walk!
 DATE: Friday Sep 13 th WRITE THIS DOWN! 
 Bring in a family tradition to share with the class.
 item to display
 food to share (must bring enough for 36)
 picture to show one of your family’s traditions.
 Type or write very neatly a brief description of your family’s tradition in paragraph format.
 During the Family Traditions Showcase, you will view all your classmates’ displays and write down their family traditions on the paper provided.

Families
 Within every culture…

There are families

Each culture is different

Some include parents and children

Others include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins
 Families are…

The foundation on which human culture is built

Families

What are some of the physical needs that families meet?

Clothing
 Shelter

Health

Safety

Families

Besides physical needs, what other needs do families meet for us?

Social and emotional needs
 to love and be loved

To give and receive help

Learning social skills

Sharing
 taking turns, working together to achieve common goals

Families

What social skills do we learn from our families?

Manners
 Sharing and taking turns
 Working together to achieve common goals

Families

Do families meet intellectual goals too?

Strong families do
 Family is a child’s first teacher

Language, numbers, colors

Does the strength and support of the family impact how a child does in school?

Absolutely
 can have a direct relationship to the success of a child

Families

Families teach children how to live in society

Basics
 “Share everything”
 “Don’t hit people”
 “Play fair”

Families

How do families go about teaching these values?

Through example
 Through communication
 Explaining rules and why we have them
 Through religious training

Families
 Families teach about their society’s unique way of life…
 Art
 Music
 Cooking
 Foods
 Views about work and play
 Holidays

Language

Families

What are the different family structures?

Nuclear Family
 Single-Parent Family
 Blended Family
 Extended Family

Families

What is a nuclear family?

Includes mother, father and at least one child
 Two parents to help raise the child

Families

What is a blended family?

Formed when a single parent marries another person, who may or may not have children
 “step-parents”

Families

What is a single-parent family?

Either a mother or father and at least one child
 Absent parent may have died, left after divorce, parents never married

Extended Family

What is an extended family?

Includes parent or parents, at least one child, and relatives other than the parents who live with them
 For example…

Mom, dad, child and grandma or grandpa

Mom, dad, child, aunt or uncle

Families
 How does a child “join” a family?

Usually born into a family
 Sometimes through “legal guardian”
 Adoption
 An adopted child has the same rights as any biological child

Families

How do they match foster children with adoptive parents?
 In the past…
 race

Ethnic or religious background
 physical characteristics
 Nowadays…

Emphasis is on finding a good home, not physical characteristics

Families
 Some children join a family as a “foster child.”

Can be anyone
 May have come from troubled family
 Sometimes becomes part of adopted family or rejoins original family

Bree is a typical 9 year old girl. She lives with Mr. and Mrs.
Mason, her foster parents. When Bree was 7,her biological parents weren’t able to care for her, so they allowed her to be adopted.
Bree lived with several families before she came to stay with the
Mason’s. Many families who want to adopt are looking for a baby, and sometimes it is more difficult for an older child to be adopted.
Moving from family to family and home to home has been hard for
Bree. Sometimes she has to change schools and make new friends.
Bree has lived with the Mason’s for a year now, and they are seeking to formally adopt her. Nothing would make her happier.
Do you know anyone who has foster parents? What were his or her experiences like? How are they similar and different from your own?

Let’s play…

Blended Family

Blended Family

Nuclear (Adopted) Family

Extended Family

Extended Family

Blended Family

Nuclear (Adopted) Family

Nuclear* Family

Single Parent Family

Nuclear Family

Nuclear Family

Single-Parent Family

Blended Family

Nuclear* Family

Nuclear Family

Single Parent Family

Nuclear Family

Families…


Blended Family

Nuclear Family (originally…)

Families

All families go through a life cycle with six stages

Beginning Stage
 Couple works to establish a home and their marriage
 Parental Stage 1
 Expanding stage

Couple prepares for and adjusts to parenthood

Families

Parental Stage 2

Developing stage

As children grow, parents work to meet their changing needs and help them develop independence

Parental Stage 3

Launching stage

Children leave home and support themselves

Parents adapt to life on their own

Families

Middle age

Couple renews their relationship
 Prepares for retirement
 If children have left home, they are “empty nesters”
 Retirement

Couple stops full-time work

Adjusts to having more free time

Trends Affecting Families
 All families…
 are affected by the trends in society around them
 Some trends support families
 Some add pressure to families

Mobility

What is mobility?

Many adults move from where they were raised
 No family around
 Must rely on themselves, neighbors, close friends

Aging Population
 How has the “aging population” affected families?

People live longer
 People care for their children and their parents

Grandparents sometimes help raise the children

Economic Changes
 What “economic struggles” are affecting families?

Many families struggle to make ends meet

Money is often the reason that both parents work

Many families are smaller

Have first child later in marriage

Demand for child care

All day, before and after school care

Workplace Changes
 How has the workplace changed over the years?
 Many companies employ fewer people
 Types of jobs available are shifting

Manufacturing has declined

Health and technology have grown
 Layoffs are common
 Often affects both income and insurance

Need to always learn new skills
 Many people work outside their home

Technology

How has technology changed families?

Makes life easier and more complicated
 Need to make sure kids are safe online
 Technology can isolate people from one another
 “Silent Generation”

Families

Which trends do you think affect families the most?

Mobility
 Aging population
 Economic changes
 Workplace changes
 technology

Which family type and trend?

The Michelsons family includes a father, a mother, and one child from the mother’s previous marriage. Both parents work from offices in the family home.
 Family Type?
 Blended Family

Trend?

Workplace Changes

Which family type and trend?

Pete Washburn won custody of his two children when he and his wife divorced. He works two jobs to earn extra money.
 Family Type?
 Single Parent Family

Trend?

Economic Changes

Which family type and trend?

Alberto and Anamarie Nunez have two children. They have moved three times over a 20 year period.

Family Type?
 Nuclear Family

Trend?

Mobility

Which family type and trend?

The Iversons married when they were 20 and have three children. Recently, they brought Erik Iverson’s mother to live with them because she is no longer able to care for herself.
 Family Type?

Extended Family

Trend?
 Aging population

Which family type and trend?

Sue Watsom is raising her daughter on her own. She and her daughter had to move to another town so she could keep her job.
 Family Type?
 Single Parent Family

Trend?

Mobility

Families
 Family life can be stressful! Who can you lean on for support?
 Friends
 Relatives
 Coworkers
 What if you need professional help?
 Counselor
 Doctor

Religious leader

Families
 What does a “strong” family feel like?
 Accepted
 Loved/cared for
 Sense of belonging
 Support
 Nurturing
 Protection

Security

Families

What things do strong families do to keep close?

Spend time together
 Share responsibilities
 Work together to resolve differences
 Listen to each other with an open mind

Allow everyone to express opinions and share feelings

Families

What are traditions?

Things that a family may do together more than once

Examples:

Family movie or game night

Making Christmas cookies or tamales

Summer vacation

Eating dinner together each night

Families

Three types of traditions

Celebration Traditions
 Activities formed around special occasions
 Birthdays
 Holidays

Families
 Family Traditions
 Special activities created to fit a family’s lifestyle
 Vacations
 Family meetings
 Patterned Family Interactions
 Centered on daily life
 Dinner time

Bed time routines

Families

Why are traditions so important? They create a sense of…

Togetherness
 Appreciation

Continuity
 “little things” that make a big difference

Create lasting memories

Families

How do we build strong families?

Forming Traditions
 Sharing Values
 Handling Family Conflict appropriately

Meeting Children’s Needs

It is important to meet the needs of children

What happens to children whose needs are not met?
 Lag behind other children in their overall development
 Suffer from deprivation
 Is deprivation the same as poverty?

No!

Meeting Children’s Needs

What physical needs do children have?

Food

Clothing

Shelter

Health

Doctor visits

Safety

Car seats

Meeting Children’s Needs

What emotional and social needs do children have?

Need for nurturing
 Love (hug, kiss, smile)
 Support
 Concern and caring

Opportunities for enrichment

Provide a safe environment for children to explore

Meeting Children’s Needs

When do children begin learning from their caregivers?

At birth
 What intellectual needs do children have?
 Stimulation
 Playing with children

Providing interesting sounds, smells, sights, touch

Parenting Styles
 One example of a way to intellectually nurture a child…

Helping them learn to enjoy books
 Infants – enjoy the sound

Preschoolers – enjoy pictures, story

School age – learning to read

Parenting Styles

What is a parenting style?

How parents and caregivers care for and discipline their child
 Some tips…

Best to use a style you are comfortable with
 No one style is considered “best” or “right”

No one style works with all children

Parents often need to adapt their style as each child grows

Parenting Styles

What does the Authoritarian style look like?

Believes children should obey their parents without question
 Parent tells child what to do, child’s responsibility is to do what he/she is told

When rules are broken, parent responds quickly and firmly

Parenting Styles

What does the Assertive-Democratic style look like?

Children have more input intro rules and limits
 Children given some independence and freedom of choice within rules

When rules are broken, children learn best from accepting the results of their actions or by problem solving to find an acceptable punishment

Parenting Styles

What does the permissive style look like?

Parents give children a wide range of freedom
 Children set their own rules
 Encouraged to think for themselves, not follow trends
 Parents typically ignore rule breaking

Parenting Styles

Sometimes parents use one style on some things and another style on others

Authoritarian – health or safety
 Assertive-democratic – clothing or hairstyles

Parenting style used may change as children age

Authoritarian – younger kids
 Assertive-democratic - teenagers

Guiding Children’s Behavior

What do you think is important when giving children effective directions?
 Be sure you have child’s attention

Get down to their eye level

Make eye contact

Be polite

Use positive statements
 “please walk” instead of “don’t run”

Guiding Children’s Behavior

How to give children effective directions, cont.

Begin with an action verb
 “Get ready for bed, please”
 Give a limited number of directions at a time
 Be clear

Give praise and love

Guiding Children’s Behavior

Be a good role model

Children are always watching!
 This is good and bad

Set limits

Children must be told what is expected of them

Limits stated simply, briefly, calmly

Guiding Children

Parents guide children in three basic ways

Positive role models
 Set limits and redirect their children’s behavior

Use positive reinforcement

Guiding Children

Three questions to help parents determine limits

Does the limit allow the child to learn, explore and grow?
 Is the limit fair and appropriate for the child’ age?
 Does the limit benefit the child, or is merely for the adult’s convenience?

Guiding Children

How do you use Positive Reinforcement?

Be specific
 Comment on the behavior as soon as possible
 Recognize small steps
 Help children take pride in their actions

Tailor the encouragement to the needs of the child

Use positive reinforcement wisely

Guiding Children

When you are dealing with inappropriate behavior and considering how to respond, keep in mind:
 Is the expected behavior appropriate, given the child’s age and development?

Does the child understand that the behavior is wrong?

Did the child do the behavior knowingly and deliberately, or was it beyond the child’s control?

Guiding Children
 What is negative reinforcement?
 A response aimed at discouraging children from repeating an inappropriate behavior
 Natural Consequences
 Child suffers as result of their action
 If a child loses his new jacket, he has to wear the old one

Logical Consequences

Connected to behavior
 Color on the table, lose the crayons

Guiding Children

Loss of Privileges

Most effective for children 5 and up

Works best when item being taken away is related to the behavior

Time Out

Gives child a chance to calm down and reflect

Gives caregiver a moment to do the same

How long should a time out last?

One minute per year of age

Guiding Children

What are some poor disciplinary measures?

Bribing
 Making children promise to behave
 Shouting or yelling
 Shaming or belittling

Threatening to withhold love

Exaggerating the consequences

Guiding Children’s Behavior

Think about the parenting style that you have experienced.

What are some of the positives of this style?

What are some of the negatives of this style?

Has it always been this style, or has it changed over the years?

What parenting style do you think you like to have with your children? Why?

Think about a time that you misbehaved as a child.
 How was it handled?
 Was it effective?