What Is the Role of Fathers in Early Childhood Development?

As a father of a child under 3, it's essential that you become involved in his development. It can no longer be only the task of the mother. As economic conditions have required mothers to work outside the home, 18 percent of fathers are caring for their preschoolers during the day, according to the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse website. This gives fathers an excellent chance to spend much time with their children, teaching them skills that their mothers don't necessarily have time to impart because of their jobs.

  1. Traditional Roles

    • At one time the father's role in shaping a child in his earliest years was limited to mainly discipline and possibly roughhousing with his child when he didn't feel too tired from working all day. As the Alliance for Early Childhood website suggests, the child would most certainly hear from Dad if Mom reported him for marking the walls with crayons. Otherwise, he came home, donned his reading glasses and read the newspaper or watched television.

    Education

    • As times have changed, more fathers realize the role they play in the education of their children. As a father, it is important as you -- as well as the child's mother -- read to your child and talk to him frequently, according to the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse site. As a result, your child will gain strong verbal skills and not be as inclined to misbehave by the time he enters kindergarten. In fact, according to the website of the National Association For the Education of Young Children, using a wide variety of words in speaking to your 2 year old will expand his vocabulary immensely by age 3.

    Nurturing

    • Traditionally, society thought of nurturing as the work of a mother. Today, it is recognized that fathers can nurture too. For example, while a father may give his preschooler a bath, he is likely to treat it as a job to be accomplished, while his female counterpart may see it as time for conversation between parent and child. The Alliance for Early Childhood website suggests that the variety in interactions teaches the preschooler that his parents are separate individuals and allows him to attach to his parents as such.

    Physical Play

    • Fathers also provide more physically oriented play. Such roughhousing, as the NAEYC website mentions, can help a child develop strong gross motor skills. In addition, as you engage in such physical contact, you help your preschooler become more adept at problem solving, a skill that will help him succeed not only as he advances in school, but also in the workplace once he reaches adulthood.

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