My inquiry project is how does play affect a child’s mental health?
I chose this question because I value child development. Many of our values, personalities, opinions are created from our childhood. I also want to raise awareness for mental health because it is a serious issue that is not as known as physical health. This may be because of the global stereotype of needing help mentally is represented as vulnerable, flawed, and weak. Our mental health is always changing due to life’s obstacles, so to deal with our physical and mental conflicts, we need to be mentally strong. Furthermore, play is an important part of child development where we develop our mental health, physical health, literacy skills, numeracy skills and learn to enjoy life. I want to research more on how to have a successful childhood to have a peaceful adulthood.
In addition, I chose this question because I noticed how important play was for the kids in my community. For example, my baby cousin follows this program where they send toys that are appropriate as she develops every month. By researching about this cause, I hope to help the global percent rate of depression decrease. We can all improve our mental health if we are more aware about it. In conclusion, this is a great inquiry post to help kids in our community have a hopeful future.
Hello Sarah,
What a fascinating topic! I am very interested in understanding how play effects a child’s mental health; whether that be with peers, parents, or functional toys. The biggest stand-out to me in your question is your focus on mental health, which is often not as recognized or visually present as physical health. Mental toughness is often overlooked, but incredibly important in maintaining a positive presence around those who matter most. I would love to see you talk a little more about how a specific type of play positively or negatively affects a child’s mental health. This could be something more personable such as human-to-human connection in play. For example, how does play with peers build the foundation for social skills that prevail for a lifetime? Is it better than individual play with toys that simply entertain? Beautiful topic, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store in your future blog posts!
Below I have listed some useful resources
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_power_of_play_part_1_stages_of_play
https://grandviewkids.ca/develop-your-childs-social-skills-through-play/
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/wwb/wwb8.html
-Ava
Hello Sarah,
I thoroughly loved reading your blog! Because of the numerous elements that impact how people act, human behaviour is a complicated and wide issue. I enjoyed how you indicated that by studying children’s mental development, we can look into methods to help individuals who have been diagnosed with mental health issues, as well as relate how we play as children to how we learn social skills and critical thinking. I would love to see you research how play affects the way we think further in our adult lives and how we can help children grow a healthy mindset. Does playing with others affect a child’s development? I cannot wait to read your next blog!
– Lily
Hello Sarah,
I thoroughly loved reading your blog! Because of the numerous elements that impact how people act, human behaviour is a complicated and wide issue. I enjoyed how you indicated that by studying children’s mental development, we can look into methods to help individuals who have been diagnosed with mental health issues, as well as relate how we play as children to how we learn social skills and critical thinking. I would love to see you research how play affects the way we think further in our adult lives and how we can help children grow a healthy mindset. Does playing with others affect a child’s development? I cannot wait to read your next blog!
– Lily
Here are some Links that might be helpful,
https://www.healthline.com/health/the-importance-of-play
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-development/how-play-strengthens-your-childs-mental-health
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferpalumbo/2023/10/10/the-power-of-sensory-play-in-childhood-development/?sh=44785fcc4faa
Hello Sarah,
I think your inquiry question is so interesting and would be fun to research about. This is an interesting topic, because maybe would I be different if my parents raised me differently? I think about the influence my mom gives, I sometimes think that I would be a very different person if I did not have too much influence from my mom. There are not too many studies or resources to help young children develop a healthy mindset. I think it would be great for parents to look and read through studies to have a better understanding of how impactful and influential they are to their children. A question I have is: Do the types of friends you have from when you are little, impact the type of friends you will make in the future? Here are some link that might help: https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/behavioral-health/growth-mindset/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/how-friendships-change-over-time-in-adulthood/411466/
-Kiara
Hello Sarah,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I find mental health and its causes an important topic that everyone should know about. Understanding what mental health is about and learning about human behaviour is so important! So far I haven’t haven’t heard much about children and the way mental health affects them which is why I am looking forward to reading your posts! Mental health is so overlooked in a child’s life and I can’t wait to hear more!
– Ishani
Here are some links that may be helpful!
https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/basics.html#:~:text=Being%20mentally%20healthy%20during%20childhood,school%2C%20and%20in%20their%20communities.
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/how-play-helps-childrens-development#:~:text=Play%20improves%20the%20cognitive%2C%20physical,confidence
Hello Sarah,
I think that your inquiry qyestion is very interesting! I believe that mental health is important for a child in their early stages of development. I believe that it is essential that they have a healthy amount of play time every day. I also believe that for certain children, playing with certain things can help develope their brain and improve their intelligence. I enjoyed reading your first blog post and I am looking forward to yournext ones!
-Frederick