The home learning environment. Part I: components, interconnections and relevance for early child development

Key words: Home learning environment, Child development, Parenting

The concept of the home learning environment (HLE) is very useful to understand how children’s cognitive and socio-relational competences are shaped in the early years and as a basis for effective policies and interventions. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, this first part describes the evidences about the impact on cognitive and socio-relational dimensions of child development of the main components of the HLE: parental knowledge and attitudes; parenting practices, styles and responsivity; home physical environment and family routines; and broader family environment.