Raising Children in the Community Context

One of the research projects that I am working on this summer is an interview study of people who are frequent visitors to a local children’s museum.  The interviews have explored a number of interesting points, but one of the interesting ideas that emerged is how families use community resources to both cope with the day to day challenges of raising a young family and provide their young children with experiences to learn social behavior.  The teaching of social behavior is essentially a way that parents, grandparents and caregivers can teach cultural norms.  

Participants in this study went to the children’s museum at least 20 times in the past year.  One person went as many as 99 times.  In addition to the children’s museum, the participants described going to local parks, libraries, and other family-friendly community spaces. 

When asked about the benefits of taking the children in their lives to the museum, the participants stated that the museum was fun and a good place for learning.  Additionally, they talked about needing a break and knowing that if they took their children to the museum, the children would be safe and engaged and they could have a short time to rest.  Grandparents who took care of their grandchildren on a weekly basis described how they felt it was so important to have a place to “get out of the house”.  

While in the museum space, some of the parents described observing other families and how they were interacting with their children.  They also observed how children responded to different media and experiences.  The social comparison helped participants feel like they were doing ok. 

Finally, the participants discussed how bringing the children to a public space like the museum created opportunities for the children to interact with other children, learn manners, and work on other social conventions such as cleaning up a space or waiting for a turn.  The museum offers both the materials and the people that are not available in the family’s homes.

Engaging young children in the community provides tremendous opportunities for families to support their child’s learning.  Whether its trips to the local park, the grocery story, or a children’s museum, public spaces provide families with resources they need to guide their children through social learning experiences.