Parental Labor Education, Children's Housework Participation, and Children's Social Skills During the Preschool Years

Understanding the factors that influence young children's social skills development is critical for fostering their long-term success. Recent studies have identified a positive association between parental labor education and children's social skills. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. To address this gap, we conducted a 6-month longitudinal study involving 247 preschool-aged children ( M = 60.59 months, SD = 5.97). After controlling for children's age, only-child status, and family socioeconomic status, the results demonstrated that parental labor education attitudes at Time 1 (T1) not only directly predicted children's social skills at Time 2 (T2) but also indirectly influenced them through the chain mediation of parental labor education behaviors (T1) and children's housework participation (T1). However, neither parental labor education behaviors (T1) nor children's housework participation (T1) alone significantly mediated the relationship between parental labor education attitudes (T1) and children's social skills (T2). These findings highlight the importance of cultivating positive parental attitudes and behaviors toward labor education. Additionally, actively engaging children in housework may further enhance their social skills development.