definition of culture

Culture is created by human life. Cultures can be defined as " the set of attitudes, values, and behaviour shared by a group of people, communicated from one generation to the next". Cultures plays huge role in how children make meaning of the world.
Most child development theories are based on westernized countries but the majority of children are not from westernized countries, therefore; child development theories require special attention to the influence of cross-cultural research on child development.
We should keep in mind that any behaviour that are appropriate within a culture will be encouraged by significant adult in children's lives and any behaviour that is not appropriate will be discouraged. These adaptive and maladaptive behaviour varies from one culture to another culture; behaviour that are adaptive in one culture could be maladaptive in another culture.
within any culture, children are shaped by the physical and social settings within which they live; culturally customs and child rearing practices; and culturally based belief systems. That means that the psychological of any social behavior is based on what culture and where those children are being exposed to those belief and system, therefore; child development theories and child development truths can not be applied for all children in different culture since all of those child development truths are based on the westernized "norms".
Early childhood educators, teachers, social workers and... must understand that normalcy is culturally defined and also the practitioners, psychologist should consider children's cultural values before giving diagnose .
Culture is consists of the historically accumulated knowledge, tools, and attitudes that pervade the child's proximal ecology, including the cultural "practices" of nuclear family members and other kin. These enculturated members of society are themselves subject to a variety of forces in both the natural ecology and society as they carry out their roles, such as care giving and earning a living.
Culture is created by human in their social life. Through participation in social life of culture, children develop.
'Culture is part of our world. It is developed through human life in the "natural" world and is nature that is formed. It consists of material products characterized by meaning and function. And it encompasses immaterial products: language, idea, conception, meaning, value, the knowledge and skill that are created and from part of human life. It comprises the activities that reproduce these products as well as create new. And it comprises the relation formed between humans and through which the social life and its products come into being'.

Reference:

Rubin, H.K & Menzer, M. (2010). Culture and social development. Retrieved on October 20, 2010 from  http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/en-ca/culture/according-to-experts.html.

Cole, M. & Hkkarainen, P. & Bredikyte, M. (2010). Culture and Early childhood Learning. Retrieved on October 20, 2010 from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/en-ca/culture/according-to-experts.html.

Thyssen, S. Child Culture. (2003) Play and Child Development. Early Child Development and Care, 173(6), 589-612

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory

Sociocultural theory:" it focuses on how culture-the values, beliefs, customs, and skills of a social group-is transmitted to the next generation. According to Vygotsky, social interaction -in particular, cooperative dialogues between children and more knowledgeable members of society-is necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community's culture (Rowe & Wertsch, 2002)".

Vygotsky believes that adult and more expert peers help children to learn culturally meaningful activities.

Vygotsky's theory is about the influences of culture, peer and adult on children's development. Vygotsky believe that children in different culture develop unique strengths.
Cultures selects different tasks for children's learning; children learn by watching adult specific task which is essential in that culture.
For example: In Iran, In rural area, children at early ages learn weaving techniques without any schooling or going to classes .
Vygotsky also emphasizes that rich social and cultural contexts profoundly affect children's thinking.

Communication between adult and more expert peer around children becomes part of children's thinking.

Vygotsky believes that through these interaction children learn the habits of their culture including, speech, written language, and other symbolic knowledge through which the child construct meaning and affects children's construction of knowledge.
Social interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. Vygotsky believe that social learning precedes development. He states:"Every Function in the child's cultural development appear twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level' first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child( intrapsychological)."( Vygotsky, 1978).
According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediated their social environment. Initially children develop these tools to serve solely as social function, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skill.
Vygotsky's belief that social interaction leads not only to increased levels of knowledge, but that it actually changes a child's thoughts and behaviors.
Vygotsky believe that there are three ways that learning passes to a child. 1. Imitative learning ( child copes another person) ( culture). 2. Instructed Learning ( child/teacher). 3. Collaborative Learning.

Reference:

Berk, Laura, E., & Shanker, Stuart, G. (2006). Child Development (2nd Cdn. Ed.). Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc.