The Family Education Of Children Of Song Dynasty

The study on the family education of children in the Song Dynasty is theconnection of the History of Children and the History of Education, involving allaspects of the political systems, social culture, family life, customs and other content.The thesis explores the study on the content and methods of family education ofchildren in the Song Dynasty. It is based on domestic instruction, notebooks, epitaphs,paintings and other materials. Education and culture presents prosperity in the SongDynasty. The content of family education became more varied and colorful, and themethods of family education became more flexible and reasonable, in which revealsthe factor of time breeding different connotation of family education.The content of children’s family education in the Song Dynasty states from threeaspects: ethical teaching, access to the cultural knowledge and passing on life skills.Human relations and filial piety is the core of Confucianism, which integrates into theeducation of Confucian ethics. Family is in hot pursuit of scholarly honor and officialrank thinking. The purpose of family education became more utilitarian. Theawareness unexpected of development of people in the Song Dynasty is stronger.Patriotic thoughts contained loyalty and chastity is full of tutoring. In the SongDynasty achievements in culture and education governed the country. Parents putgreat emphasis on the study of their children’s cultural learning for the preparationfor the admission into official career. Otherwise in the matter of passing on life skills,children learn to make their living and cultivate good habits and the pattern of frugalhousekeeping behavior.There was both the continuation of tradition and new development in themethod of the children’s family education in the Song Dynasty. People emphasizedthe influence of enlightenment environment, in the meantime they knew how toteach step by step according to the age of their children and teach cleverly accordingto different children’s personality，talent，ability etc. in order to make their childrendisplay all talents. The example exemplary role of parents is irreplaceable in thecourse of education. People in the Song Dynasty valued both words and deeds, and focused on combining punishment with leniency, combining strictness with love.They cultivated their children’s temper by way of making full use of education inamusement and transforming customs and habits, like games, cultural and artsactivities, festivals and customs.It characterized by social change and the era of factors regarding the contentand methods of family education. No family background will be required foradmission into official career with the effect of complete imperial examinationsystem to in the Song Dynasty, which has become the mainstream of society. Thetutoring purpose of taking imperial examination should be objective. The commodityeconomy developed in the Song Dynasty. The content of family education wasstrongly utilitarian driven by economic interests. On the other hand,Neo-Confucianism takes the development of children’s family education seriously inorder to rebuild social order and Ethics so that Neo-Confucianism influencedchildren’s family education in the Song Dynasty.