The family as the primary institution for early childhood upbringing: a theoretical discourse

Abstract

The author of the article has provided a theoretical justification of the essence of the family as the primary institution for the upbringing of young children and has defined the conditions for effective influence on the comprehensive development of the personality during the sensitive period of childhood. It has been emphasized that early childhood is considered a particularly sensitive period for the formation of a child's personality, since it is at this time that the foundations of trust in the surrounding world are laid, emotional attachment arises, and the first social skills and beginnings of independence are formed. It has been established that the family plays a particularly important role in the development of young children, as it is their first and closest social environment and primary center of upbringing. It is in the family environment that a child's basic needs for love, a sense of security, emotional support, and sincere communication with adults can be met. A friendly family atmosphere contributes to the formation of initial ideas about the surrounding world, the development of speech, the emotional sphere, and the initial manifestations of social behaviour. Therefore, the importance of the family at this stage has been called decisive, since family upbringing lays the foundation for the child's further personal development. It has been emphasized that the leading role in this process belongs to parents, who satisfy the basic needs of the child and create favorable conditions for comprehensive development. It has been noted that, given the specific nature of early childhood, partnership involves coordinating the educational approaches of the family and the preschool institution, exchanging information about the individual characteristics of the child's development, supporting their emotional comfort, and stimulating cognitive activity. The conditions for effective influence on the comprehensive development of the personality during this period of childhood are recognized as: creating a safe and emotionally comfortable environment, pedagogical support and counseling for parents on the specifics of education, upbringing, and development of young children, the formation of their pedagogical knowledge and skills, as well as ensuring high-quality partnership between the family and the preschool education institution.

Key words: early childhood; family; parents; adaptation; upbringing; partnership; cooperation; pedagogical conditions.