Supplement your child’s development with Vitamin Daddy

Supplement your child’s development with Vitamin Daddy

Vitamin Daddy- the unique and significant ways dads/ fathers influence their children

Dad- The title may be very short; but his influence is long and powerful. Beautifully, his love comes in many shades. Fathers play an essential role in the upbringing of child and family dynamics. Traits like father’s presence, approachability, accessibility, the shared interactions with children and prompt arrangement of resources for the children form the foundation for a positive, nurturing father-child bond.

This fact is strongly supported by researchers of like Lamb, Pleck, and Chernov, and Palkovitz (1987) who enumerated 15 diverse ways in which fathers tend to be involved with their children: communicating, monitoring, teaching, providing, protecting, engaging in thought processes, showing affection, running errands,  supporting emotionally, caregiving, engaging in child-related maintenance, being available, planning, sharing interests, and sharing activities.

Father-child play is essential for children because it is physical and highly exciting, which helps the child to experience the activation and regulation of arousal (Rohner & Veneziano, 2001) It also allows children understand and test limits in a safe environment, which helps them in countless ways to explore the world. Not all fathers have the level of involvement they would like to have.

The father’s cultural history, childhood experiences, psychological conditions, personality, relationship with child’ mother, general habits like alcoholism and lifestyle are some of the factors that influence the active involvement of a father in child’s upbringing.  Nevertheless, with proper backing, even fathers in challenging circumstances can provide a positive and nurturing influence in their children’s lives.

Following are the important domains where the child can be supplemented with rich vitamin Daddy!

Cognitive development

A father’s involvement can have powerful effects on a child’s cognitive development. This can begin in the form of more play and caregiving activities right from infancy. The benefits continue as children get older. 

Emotional and Social Development

Children with involved fathers can better tolerate strain and frustration and have better control over their emotions as well as impulses. The bond between mother and baby is instant and more evident. On the other hand, the bond between father and child is not fully understood until the baby’s affection becomes more reciprocal. The father-infant bond is not instant; but, the foundation for this bond is laid through early efforts on the part of the father.

When a baby attains consistent, predictable and caring response to his needs, he or she feels more secure. This security lets the baby trust the people who are taking care of him. Even though mothers are often the primary caregivers, fathers are also capable of creating this secure and attached bond with their children.

Communicative and learning skills

The way fathers tend to talk to their children—asking several questions like who, what, when, where, and why- prompt children to communicate more, which can increase their vocabulary and improve their speech and language skills.

Fathers who invest a lot of time assisting their children with their studies absolutely increase the quality of their children’s learning. Fathers tend to be more likely to challenge their children to try novel things. When children face these challenges and succeed (even after frustration), they begin to believe in their ability to do difficult things.

Read here blog related to Speech Development Activities for Siblings

How can you be an involved father?

The physical bond

Keep the babies physically close. Babywearing is the perfect way to use physical closeness to improve feelings of security.

Effective communication

Read, talk and sing to your child. Even if the child is too young to comprehend what you are saying, he or she learns to be cheered by your voice.

Play and fun-filled activities

These sorts of interactions help children learn to navigate the world around them, understand compassion and empathy, and gain control over their impulses, among other benefits.

Play with your baby in an age-appropriate way (peekaboo, for instance). Once the babies are old enough to play with their fathers, the rapport can really begin to bloom. Activities like fishing, camping, a game of catch, joining cub scouts/boy scouts, going for a sporting event, road trip or vacation, volunteering together, etc. are really helpful to encourage the bond between father and children.

Constant companionship

Don’t stop the active, physical, and playful style of fathering as children get older.  In other words, when it comes to father-child activities, pursuits like football, basketball, hiking, reading books and discussing than investing time in passive activities like watching videos. This is very important for the child’s physical fitness, emotional wellbeing and social development.

Protector

When a child knows, his or her father will be there for him no matter what the situation is, it builds in them a sense of confidence, security and stability that can never be replaced.

Explore the productive aspects

Children need to do shared activities which instil a sense of responsibility and self-worth. Productive tasks with their fathers—like, cleaning the house, cooking, doing laundry, or working in the yard. These types of activities, in the long run, develop greater psychological wellbeing of the children.

Educational aspects

This engagement can be in different forms, from reading with children, clearing their doubts, assisting them to do homework or attending parent-teacher meetings. This is one area in which a father’s involvement has even more significant impact than a mother.

In short…

The research on fathering is indisputable. An involved father is one who is approachable, available, engaged, empathetic and responsible. He is supportive, nurturing, accepting, affectionate, comforting and accepting. Fathers boosts their children’s cognitive child’s development right from infancy through teenage years and adolescence and. His sons will extract his traits and develop into men with similar characteristics.

When fathers can provide all the above, everyone in the family is sure to benefit. Father can be the action-packed friend who teaches you leadership, respect and always stand up for his children.

Book your sessions now

For more ideas check out our other blogs