Environment on Childrens Growth and Development- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEnvironment on Childrens Growth and Development. Answer: Introduction Several factors influence growth and development of a child. One of these is the environment. The essay below is a literature review on how the environment acts as a third educator as far as growth and development of children are concerned. Despite the many environments that shape children behavior, of importance or consideration in this literature review is largely the physical environment. Children interact with the physical environment in many ways. One way is through playing. A lot of playing marks early childhood and various ways are playing influences a child learning and development (Payne Isaacs, 2017). Additionally, the finding of recent research develops a way forward that is useful in describing the role that the environment plays in the early childhood development and learning. Lastly, the literature stipulates the issues that need to be addressed for future studies and research on the same to be more inclusive and useful. The environment on children To start with, there are set of environments that children interact with as he or she develops. These include but are not limited to prenatal environment, physical environment, social or cultural environment, learning environment and emotional environment. The prenatal environment consists of influences that a mother can pose to a child as a result of chemical or other elements in her body (Cutter-Mackenzie Edwards, 2013). The biological study has time and again shown that chemical in the body of a mother, such as the use of alcohol or use of drugs may injure fetus and affect how a child grows. In addition to that, cultural environment consists of values and beliefs that in one way or another regulate the manner in which a child grows. The physical environment consists of the nutritional value of children which has been shown to have the potential to influence the health status of a child or lead to accident, abuse or disease (Davis, 2014). On the other hand, the learning environmen t is described as one that has the potential to promote the childrens cognitive development. In addition to that, the emotional environment is portrayed as one that shapes the personality of an individual in that sense of children. Some of the traits influenced by the environment include self-esteem and personal resilience. Most researchers agree that playing instills health benefits to children of all ages. In addition to that, playing offer children with an opportunity to discover their self (Roberts, LoCasale-Crouch, DeCoster, Hamre, Downer, Williford, Pianta, 2015). Moreover, through playing, children learn to interact with others thus building their social skills. There exist several theories that describe the playing of children. Theories on the role of the environment on children The first one is classical theories. These theories take the philosophical look at the importance of playful activities. There are several theories under these categories. The first one is the surplus energy theory. According to this theory, play act as the opposite of work, in that, a person uses playing activities to give away the energy available after meeting the one needed for survival (Coughlin, 2010). Another theory under this category is relaxation theory which suggests that individual need to play for relaxation, especially after work. Also, there is recapitulation theory which suggests that children play to prepare them for adult life (Harms, Clifford Cryer, 2014). Lastly, is the pre-exercise theory suggested that children play to emulate the roles of adults. However, modern researchers dispute the importance of the theories because, for one, the theories form their bases from philosophical principles instead of empirical studies (Haywood Getchell, 2014). In addition to t hat, they fail extensively to elaborate on the theoretical facts to prove their point (Wood, 2010). Thus, modern researchers have come up with contemporary theories that aim at explaining the importance of playing, and by extension children interaction with the environment through playing and how this influences their growth and development. Firstly, Sigmund Freud believes that play is essential for children as it helps them in their emotional development. Specifically, playing has a therapeutic effect in children. They can heal themselves from negative emotion and instill positive ones (Kolb, 2014). Thus, his study reveals that children can avoid distressing activities and start embracing those that motivates them. Secondly, there is arousal modulation as a theory which stipulates that through playing, children can learn the world around them and form their view. The theory by Berlyne suggests that playing stimulates childrens nervous system which in turn stimulates their urge for diverse exploration. Moreover, there is a metacommunicative theory which suggests that children adopt the make-believe behavior when playing and tries to make the reality be in tandem with their behavior (Konig, 2009). Thus, through this approach, children can grow intellectually. Lastly, is the cognitive theory, Piaget, and Vygotsky, the people behind the theory suggested that children acquire knowledge through two main ways, that is, assimilation and accommodation. To start with assimilation, the theory suggests that children learn things that are in outside world and start adopting and fitting into them and in effect make them their existing knowledge. On the other hand, accommodation makes it possible for children to adapt the new information that they get from the environment (Thompson, 2014). However, as far as playing is concerned, assimilation takes precedence in the sense that is children tend to acquire new ideas but not to accommodate what they have for a long time continue to see or hear about. Therefore, it is important to plan and organize effectively learning the environment or learning areas (VanHoorn, Nourot, Scales Alward, 2014). For instance, there is evidence that shows that learning areas offer children with the opportunity to discover mo tor skills, creativity, and health benefits. Research and Findings Research findings have demonstrated a lot of impacts on the impact of physical environment on children and more specifically childrens development. Gary Evans, a development psychologist from the University of Cornell, suggest that the influence of overcrowding, housing, and noise level play a pivotal role in children development, in particular, psychosocial characteristics. In effect, these affect academic achievement and parenting behavior (Evans Hygge, 2007). To start with noise, Evans notes that there is a notable delay in reading for those children living in noisy areas such as airports. In addition to that, Evans notes that children exposed to noise register an increase in blood pressure and hormone related to stress. The other aspect of the environment that affects children development is crowding. Evans research demonstrates that children aged 10-12 tend to withdraw in an environment that is overcrowded. In addition to that, Evans notes that concentrating a lot more children in any activity leads to distraction among preschool-aged children (Evans Hygge, 2007). Another factor that Evans considers is housing and quality that one neighbors. In his studies, he reveals that there is a therapeutic effect that is associated with children living in a natural setting. In addition to that, the setting reduces the possibility of children having chronic stress. However, there are ways that Evans suggests that one can be able to manage these environmental conditions that may hinder childrens development and growth. Firstly, is to ensure that there are no unnecessary noises that are emanating both from the inside or the outside of the house (Evans Hygge, 2007). Secondly, is to monitor the volume level of electronics, which is, keeping the volume low. Additionally, is to modify the environment and to consider the schooling environment, and if possible, admit him or her to a relatively quiet school. Conclusion Therefore, the findings suggest that a lot need to be done in making the environment conducive for the betterment of childrens growth and development. There are various ways that this can be achieved. Firstly, children need not play in a crowded environment. It is crucial to consider this as it has the potential to scare them away. In addition to that, there is need to ensure that children go to schools that are well managed and organized as this will increase their development and growth (Nind Hewett, 2012). Moreover, it is good to ensure that children play in an organized environment that is familiar to them or one that they desire. These can encourage them to start playing and in effect increase their creativity, motor skills, and all that playing benefits a child. Furthermore, Recommendations for future Research In addition to that, it is important that more study to be carried out on the behavior of children under a different condition as this will make it easier to determine what is best for them and their growth. For instance, what type of teacher can make a child develop better or worse. In addition to that, it is important to do more research on ways that children can be taught to adapt to various environmental conditions that are not so conducive for them. For instance, if loud volume or noise affects children, what are some of the ways that children can still develop and grow in such a loud area. Moreover, it is difficult to always control the company of children between the ages of 10-12, to avoid crowds or crowded area. Therefore, in as many studies indicate that crowded areas are not fit for childrens development, should they find themselves in such situations, research needs to point ways to cope up with the situation. Lastly, future research ought to identify the best games or th e best way for children to play or interact with the environment. It is prudent to avoid generalization and specify the specific way that will ensure children prevents all those interactions that seem beneficial to their growth and development but not necessarily helpful. References Coughlin, P.K., 2010. Making field trips count: Collaborating for meaningful experiences.The Social Studies,101(5), pp.200-210. Cutter-Mackenzie, A. and Edwards, S., 2013. Toward a model for early childhood environmental education: Foregrounding, developing, and connecting knowledge through play-based learning. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(3), pp.195-213. Davis, J.M. ed., 2014. Young children and the environment. Cambridge University Press. Evans, G. and Hygge, S., 2007. Noise and cognitive performance in children and adults. Harms, T., Clifford, R.M. and Cryer, D., 2014. Early childhood environment rating scale. Teachers College Press. Haywood, K. and Getchell, N., 2014. Life Span Motor Development 6th Edition. Human Kinetics. Kolb, D.A., 2014. Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press. Konig, A., 2009. Observed classroom interaction processes between pre-school teachers and children: Results of a video study during free-play time in German pre-schools. Educational and Child Psychology, 26(2), p.53. Nind, M. and Hewett, D., 2012. Access to communication: Developing the basics of communication with people with severe learning difficulties through intensive interaction. Routledge. Payne, V.G. and Isaacs, L.D., 2017.Human motor development: A lifespan approach. Routledge. Roberts, A.M., LoCasale-Crouch, J., DeCoster, J., Hamre, B.K., Downer, J.T., Williford, A.P. and Pianta, R.C., 2015. Individual and contextual factors associated with pre-kindergarten teachers responsiveness to the MyTeachingPartner coaching intervention. Prevention Science, 16(8), pp.1044-1053. Thompson, R.A., 2014. Stress and child development. The Future of Children, 24(1), pp.41-59. VanHoorn, J., Nourot, P.M., Scales, B. and Alward, K.R., 2014. Play at the center of the curriculum. Pearson Higher Ed. Wood, E., 2010. Developing integrated pedagogical approaches to play and learning. Play and learning in the early years, pp.9-26.