Recognition of psychological and social needs

Physical punishment as a way to control children’s behaviour was the norm until the 17th century. There were also other kinds of psychological punishment which involved threatening children with the coming of sinister characters. We must wait until the 19th century for a change in patterns of childrearing. Enlightened thinking produced a new way of understanding family relationships, attaching greater importance to emotional bonding and interaction with adults. Playing, as an essential factor for children’s development, also took on greater relevance and parents were encouraged to play with their children. Despite the separation between adult and children’s games, the 17^th century saw an interaction among equals as a learning tool. All of these changes crystallised into a new concept of the family as the basic support for meeting the specific needs -physical, psychological, emotional, social and emotive- of children. This modern concept of the family is linked to the spread and broadening of formal education. The distinction between school years, which came into being in the 18^th century, the use of appropriate discipline, and the creation of boarding schools are clear indicators of the importance that was attached to the school institution for preparing free citizens with their own ideas. These changes, however, affect boys and girls differently, as the latter were still relegated, at best, to a different kind of education in the so-called “escuelas menores” (lower schools).