Families make all the difference: helping kids to grow and learn

This fact sheet provides a range of information on ways in which families nurture and support children's physical, learning and social emotional development. The focus of this fact sheet is on families with children aged up to around 11 years old. It presents analyses and data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to explore what children and their parents have to say about topics related to the growth and development of children in the family context. While families are also important in raising children older than 11 years, there are specific issues facing younger children that are important for setting them on a healthy and happy path in life. Helping children to grow and learn occurs within families in very many ways, from providing a safe and nurturing home environment, through being involved in children's learning activities at school, home and elsewhere, and giving children the input and direction they need to grow up with the social and emotional capabilities to tackle everyday life. This fact sheet explores this by looking at children's physical, learning and social-emotional development.