Blog post #4

Topic question: how does play affect a child’s mental health?

This big topic question will have implications in on a global level because we need to focus on the future generation for the future well-being of our world by focusing on children. Furthermore, by informing the community on mental health, we will be able to decrease the global percentage of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Mental health affects all ages, so everyone will be able to profit from this project. Finally, a stable mental health helps us with adversities like death of a loved one, school environment and physical health. I hope to positively affect our community by researching about this inquiry project.

Sub question: Why is childhood development important?

I will research about this topic because the audience may not realize the importance of child development. Child development is one of the most crucial developments in our life that shapes our personalities, values, and opinions. Child development is where we learn our cognition skills, social interaction, emotional regulation, speech and language, physical skills, and sensory awareness. Child development is the guideline of future milestones like adolescence, adulthood, and senior years. Therefore, our community needs to be more aware on how to create a beneficial childhood environment.

Childhood development helps kids get used to a learning environment (1). If the kids are introduced to a positive childhood development like education and play, they will become more interested in learning (1). A child’s mind is always thinking because they are adjusting to a world that is so new and changing to them (1). Therefore, it aids in the cognitive development of the early childhood (1). Childhood development also teaches the children the importance of teamwork and patience (1). This will help the social and emotional development of many children (2). Many children spend their time with other kids, so they will need to start practicing speaking up for themselves and being sensitive to everyone around them (2). Child development also creates their identities (3). A child will develop their personality in the womb due to genetic factors (4). For example, if a pregnant mother is depressed, then their unborn child may also become depressed. However, children also develop their personality after they are born (4). This is because many experiences like praises and positive reinforcements build their self-esteem (4).

Moreover, child development is a space where they need to learn how to solve problems on their own (5). For example, in preschool, children will need to rely on themselves to make appropriate decisions (5). They will learn self-discipline to avoid dangerous consequences (6). For example, they will learn to walk down the hill instead of running down the hill and falling (6). This independence trait is important for their future careers because they will need to make wise decisions to avoid getting fired (6).

Child development also helps parents know if they need to spend extra care with their kids because they are behind on their learning process (7). For example, parents may realize that their kids are not talking around the age of 1 like most children (7). If this is a case, they may need to see a speech therapist (7). This will help parents fill more of their child’s life with literary resources like reading before bedtime or watching movies (7). If this problem is not resolved quickly, it can cause more of a delay in their literary studies in the future (7).

Next inquiry post:

For my next inquiry post, I will be researching more on the positive and negative effects of play on a child’s mental health. I will explain both the negative and positive sides of child play affecting a mental health to give a more non-bias answer to my topic inquiry question. This will help me answer my topic question because it will help me figure out what forms of play should be implemented in early childhood. For example, if hands-on activities are therapeutic for kids, we will learn to provide more hands-on activities in school to help them relax.

ALL SOURCES ARE PEER-REVIEWED:

1. Why early childhood matters | ncdhhs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/early-childhood/why-early-childhood-matters#:~:text=The%20experiences%20children%20have%20early,supportive%20environments%20promote%20positive%20development.
2. 8 things to remember about child development. (n.d.). Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/8-things-remember-child-development/
3. Slobodskaya, H. R. (2021). Personality development from early childhood through adolescence. Personality and Individual Differences, 172, 110596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110596
4. 10 reasons why early childhood development is important. (2022, February 4). https://www.crawfordinternational.co.za/10-reasons-why-early-childhood-development-is-important
5. Early childhood development | UNICEF. (n.d.). Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/early-childhood-development
6. Child development. (n.d.). [Text]. Retrieved December 22, 2023, from https://medlineplus.gov/childdevelopment.html
7. CDC. (2023, December 7). What developmental milestones is your 1-year-old reaching? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-1yr.html