Running head: HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT 1

Healthy Development

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Healthy Development

The Concept of Healthy Development

Healthy development refers to nurturing of children with abilities and those with special

needs to grow up well in environments where their educational, emotional, and social needs are

met (CDC, n.d.). A child requires a proper and healthy environment for effective brain

development and learning. Nutrition, abuse, emotional and social experiences, and play

contribute significantly to a child's brain development and learning (CDC, n.d.). Preschoolers

learn social skills, respond to “why” questions, develop their language, and develop physically,

which is important to the brain. School-aged children develop physically and may encounter

abuse, which might impair their development (CDC, n.d.). They experience improved language

development, significant in learning. Healthy habits should begin during infancy to keep away

diseases that may affect learning when the child grows.

Role of Social and Emotional Experiences

Social and emotional experiences play a significant role in the development of learning

and the brain among children. According to Nelson et al. (2019), "Experience is the engine that

drives much of postnatal brain development." Psychological deprivation during the early stages

of development can affect children's biological, neural, and psychological development as they

grow up. Children with good social upbringing and emotional peace develop to become better

learners than children who grew in backgrounds with many emotional and turbulent social

experiences (Nelson et al., 2019). For instance, children growing in backgrounds where parents

are constantly fighting each other find it difficult to become better learners.
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Role of Play and Movement

Given that 75% of the brain develops after a child is born, movement and play are critical

in brain development and learning. Movement is important as it enhances attention, decision

making, memory, emotion, and perception. According to Michigan State University (2012),

combining language with movement will increase learning by 90%. Among infants, movement

enhances alertness and promotes calm. Besides, childhood play is critical in making connections

between the nerve cells. As a result, it helps develop motor skills such as jumping, walking,

coordination, running, detailed handwork, writing, and manipulation tools. It helps the frontal

lobe of the brain to develop planning and decision-making skills.

Relationship between Abuse or Stress to Brain Development

Stress can change the chemistry of a child's brain and its gene expression. The

architecture of the developing brain is destroyed by stress. A similar effect is produced by abuse

during an early age leading to lifelong problems in behavior, learning, and mental and physical

health (Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2017). Stress activates the Hypothalamic Pituitary

Adrenal hormone axis, resulting in increased cortisol hormone levels in the blood (Nationwide

Children's Hospital, 2017). Therefore, stress results in changes in brain structure.

Role of Nutrition

The deficiency of nutrients may have lifelong effects on brain development in children.

This is because it might affect cognition and brain functioning. Adequate nutrition during

childhood is important in neurodevelopment as it contributes to the proliferation of neurons and

their myelination (Prado & Dewey, 2014). This will also enhance learning among children by

developing the brain.

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References

CDC. Child Development Basics | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html.

Michigan State University. (2012). Movement can increase learning in children. MSU

Extension.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/movement_can_increase_learning_in_children.

Nationwide Children's Hospital. (2017). Toxic Stress: How the Body's Response Can Harm a

Child's Development. Nationwidechildrens.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020, from

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-

education/700childrens/2017/07/toxic-stress-how-the-bodys-response-can-harm-a-childs-

development#:~:text=Toxic%20stress%20has%20the%20potential,and%20physical%20a

nd%20mental%20health.

Nelson, C. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Fox, N. A. (2019). How early experience shapes human

development: The case of psychosocial deprivation. Neural Plasticity.

https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1676285

Prado, E. L., & Dewey, K. G. (2014). Nutrition and brain development in early life. Nutrition

reviews, 72(4), 267-284. https://doi.org/10.1111/nure.12102