What is Nurture?
Nurture is the other part of the debate and it is the opposite of nature. This is where people believe that we adapt to the environments we are brought up in.
Example of nurture: A couple have twins and after breaking up, one twin lives with each parent. As a result of this, both of them become very different, people could believe that this is because of how they were brought up, whilst some could argue that the twins have similar interests and personalities.
Nurture can also be linked to illness, the environment has a very big effect on illnesses. If you live within a highly populated housing area, then you are more likely to catch common colds and illnesses. Some people may also think that you do not inherit diseases but you can easily catch them from your family members or within the environment. An example of illnesses within the nurture part of the debate would be the story of Genie.
Childhood (3-5 years)
Physical development
Between the ages of three and five years old, children should be able to run and climb, they should also be starting to develop a favourite sport and use their left or right hand more than the other.
Nature
This is when a child’s personality will become more noticeable, this should become more obvious when they begin school as they will be meeting new people.
Example of nature within physical development: Parents of very different heights have a child, when their child begins school she notices that they are of a different height than some of the other children. This is due to the fact that both parents are of shorter heights so their child will be too.
Nurture
The child’s ability to walk and run could be affected by the way that they are brought up, children will also talk in the way that their parents/carers talk. This is nurture as these things need to be taught to a child in order for them to complete the task successfully.
Example of nurture within physical development: An example could be that a child does a lot of sports, compared to a child who doesn’t, therefore the child who does more sport will most likely be better at walking and running etc.
Intellectual development
Between the ages of three and five, children should be using paint and drawing as well as being able to wash their own hands and feed and drink for themselves. The main natural things that children develop on their own is their behaviour, a child’s behaviour and interests will start to develop, this can help to be shaped through their family and friends.
Example of nature within intellectual development: An example of nature would be a child in a playground at school creates their own game and prefers to play on their own. This is natural as the child automatically chooses to do it.
At this life stage, a lot of things have to be taught to children, this could include things such as dressing themselves or how to hold a knife and fork correctly. If this isn’t taught to a child correctly by their parent/carer, then this could affect them later on in life and would leave them behind with their development. Another thing that needs to be taught to a child is a routine. A routine should consist of when they get ready, when they eat and sleep etc.
Example of nurture within intellectual development: An example of nurture is 2 families. One family consists of a mother and father who both work full time who have 2 children, the other is a single parent family with 4 children. Both families have a child at the same school, the single parent family’s child is quiet and withdrawn for many different activities, this would show how the child’s environment has affected her developing speech.
Emotional development
By the age of three, a child should have developed emotionally to prepare them for school. A child’s instincts such as their emotions and feelings should be noticed and the child should easily be able to show how they are feeling. A child’s emotional development can be increased by their parents, if a child is spoken to a lot then they are more likely to be well spoken with an extensive vocabulary. The child should also be taught what is theirs
Example of nature within emotional development: A child is playing and dresses up as a doctor, this shows that the child has a creative and imaginative mind which is generally enhanced by reading books.
Social development
A child’s social development will begin to increase when they start school because they are socialising with other children. At this age, children will begin to develop friendships and preference which gender they most like to play with. Children develop quickly socially when they begin school as they become more independent and start to make choices for themselves.
Example of nature within social development: A child begins school and becomes very upset when his parents go to leave him, but over time, he starts to become more independence as he has now started to form friendships with other children. This shows that the child is now excited to go to school to see his friends.
Between the ages of three and five, it is a very big life change for children as they start school which can impact the child a lot by challenging their different feelings and emotions.
Example of nurture within social development: A three year old boy begins nursery and is told off for not sharing the toys with the other children. He does not understand why he has to share his toys as he wasn’t taught this at home due to him being an only child and there being no other children for him to share with. His parents should have helped to teach him how to share and the reasons as to why sharing is so important.
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cnicholls1993hotmailcouk (student)
