Family relationships are important at every stage of our lives. The best time to cultivate this foundation is from our early years. A healthy relationship with our family grounds us with stability and well-being, enabling us to feel loved, accepted, safe and protected.
Familial bonds contribute to character development in children and teaches them to form better relationships outside of home and to build trust in others. They also learn to navigate both the good and bad times, and how to resolve problems through natural conflicts that occur within the family.
Each family is different, but all strong families have some characteristics in common that play a pivotal role in fostering and developing healthy familial bonds. Let’s explore some of these aspects that can help build a strong relationship with our family members:
Verbal communication
Families with healthy relationships make an effort to talk to each other and make sure each family member is heard. Both children and adults are given a chance to share their thoughts, feelings and opinions, let their expectations be known and have a say in the decision-making process.
Some of the ways to create open channels of communication within a family include being available, being a good listener, showing empathy and being a good role model.
Use clear, age-appropriate instructions, words that your child can understand and be generous with praise. It’s also important to be patient, practise what you preach and make the most out of teachable moments.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication is largely intuitive and uses body movement, eye contact, facial expressions and touch among other methods. This form of communication is something we are accustomed to from infancy as you can effectively communicate without using words.
According to experts, up to 93% of communication is non-verbal and its importance is growing due to the new norms of masks and virtual environments in adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, helping children to develop their non-verbal communication skills can actually contribute to character development and make them better at listening and expressing.
There are many ways to practise and reinforce non-verbal communication. Getting down to your child’s eye level to make eye contact with them is a great way to show them you’re listening and keen to engage with them while also making yourself heard. Touch makes children feel safe and loved and they respond really well to a hug when they’re upset or even a high five to say great job.
Affection
It’s easy to sideline the significance of affection for children’s development amidst other factors, but affection is actually essential for healthy brain development. It builds their security, confidence and ability to cope with stress.
Parents bond better with their children through affection and it creates positive feelings between them. From birth through preschool age and beyond, affection plays a key role in children’s character development and in building strong familial relationships.
Show affection to your child through physical touch, quality time together doing an activity they enjoy like reading or playing outdoors and give them your undivided attention. From hugging your child after a difficult conversation to even complimenting them and having lots of fun together, all these small gestures go a long way to convey love and affection!
Commitment
Even as adults, we appreciate when someone keeps to their promise and honours their commitment. We also get a sense of accomplishment and confidence when we are successful in our own commitments. It’s no different with children in building trust, accountability and self-esteem.
It’s great to start teaching preschoolers about the meaning of commitment and simple ways for them to create and carry out commitments of their choice. Children can pick from practical, kid-friendly commitments like taking care of a pet, learning a sport and involvement in daily household chores.
They can then write or draw out their commitments together with their family and place these commitments somewhere prominent in the home as a reminder. Family members can support and encourage each other in both joint and individual commitments, with a focus on following-through, determination and attitude and not just the end result.
Appreciation
Nurturing appreciation in children is another crucial layer in developing their character. It’s the building blocks of who they are as a person and a compass of their values. When children — or adults for that matter — are appreciated and recognised for their efforts, they are more likely to repeat these behaviours.
When children are shown support and appreciation at home, they in turn show support and appreciation to their peers and friends. By building character and healthy relationships at home, we teach our children to impact society positively as well.
Individual strengths and successes should always be celebrated, without pressure or comparison. Guide your child through role-modelling to also recognise and participate in acts of kindness, behave with compassion and be generous with gratitude, encouragement and praise. And while we appreciate others, appreciating yourself is also just as important!
Here at MindChamps Preschool, we understand the importance of weaving strong and healthy family relationships into the character development of our students. We’d love to share more about our methods so you can be assured of your child’s growth. Book a no-obligation visit to one of our MindChamps Preschool Centre today!