Environmental Influences on Child Development | Factors & Example

What are examples of physical changes in children during growth?

Changes in size, gross and fine motor skills

How do economic factors primarily impact child development?

Child rearing is expensive, and the economic environment can have a preventable negative impact on a child's development.

What are some effects of the economic environment on children's development?

Children from low-income families may have poorer health and are more likely to perform poorly in school compared to their wealthier counterparts.

Where do children gain most of their social skills?

Children gain most of their social skills in the school environment through interactions with people from different backgrounds.

What are examples of economic environmental factors influencing development?

Class, access to basic needs, social and recreational amenities

What does cognitive development refer to?

Cognitive development refers to the intellectual development of the child.

What does emotional development refer to?

Comprehension of feelings and emotions children experience

What skills does emotional development facilitate?

Developing attachments, empathy, and moral reasoning

How does the physical environment impact the psychosocial aspect of a child?

Effects such as housing, exposure to pollution, and neighborhood quality can influence the psychosocial aspect of a child in terms of constructive, and /or cooperative behavior.

How do children's language skills develop?

Evidence shows that children's language develops at varying rates, with aspects such as pragmatics, semantics, syntax, and phonology marking development.

Provide an example of the physical environment's impact on growth.

For instance, a child with disabilities benefiting from a ramp for easier access within their home.

What are examples of social environmental factors influencing development?

Friends, stimulation, recreation

How do healthy social skills in childhood impact adulthood?

Healthy social skills in childhood can lead to more confident adults who can maintain positive relationships and develop self-awareness.

What are examples of physical environmental factors influencing development?

Housing, weather, climate, hygiene

What does 'Emotional Environment' refer to in child development?

How well interpersonal and relational needs are being met at home, including learning about emotions, understanding and communicating feelings, empathy, and managing emotions.

How do children show social development in early childhood?

In early childhood, children show social development by smiling at familiar faces, playing with other children, and displaying nervousness around strangers.

What is language development?

Language development is the ability of children to communicate using their speech and body language.

What are some aspects of emotional development?

Learning to share, acknowledge, and accept differences among peers

What is the nature vs. nurture debate in child development?

Nature refers to hereditary factors like genes, while nurture relates to environmental influences on a child's development.

How does nature influence child development?

Nature, through genetics, can predispose a child to certain traits or developmental issues.

How does nurture impact child development?

Nurture, through environmental factors and upbringing, can shape a child's experiences, social relationships, and behaviors.

What does physical development in children encompass?

Physical changes, size, motor skills, senses, and interaction with the environment

When does social development start in child development?

Social development starts very early in child development, from the first interactions with parents and caregivers.

What are examples of emotional environmental factors influencing development?

Stress, moral reasoning, empathy

How does the environment affect cognitive development?

The environment a child is exposed to will affect their creativity, memory development, self-expression, and understanding of their environment.

What does the term 'Economic Environment' refer to in child development?

The financial situation in which a child grows up, which significantly affects child development.

What does the physical environment encompass?

The space and location in which the child grows, affecting their health, learning, and behavior.

Developmental Domains

There are five main domains of a child's development. These are social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language.

How does growing up in a less than ideal emotional environment affect children's future?

They may struggle to form meaningful relationships, and in extreme cases, may get involved in crime. Poor emotional environments are also linked to later mental health issues like anxiety.

How do nature and nurture interact in child development?

While nature provides a genetic predisposition, nurture can help mitigate or enhance the effects of these predispositions through upbringing and learning experiences.

The family, school, or general environment a child lives and interacts with generally

affects their growth and development. In the early formative years, children pick up things from their environment, learn how to solve problems, habits, and behaviors, socialize, and general functioning.

Some examples of a child's social environment include

educational facilities, housing, recreational facilities, and the places they spend most of their interactive social time. During the preschool stage, children largely imitate the social behaviors around them, mostly what they see people do in their daily environment. Exposure to their peers will also enable them to handle school better, once they join. These observations affect how they form relationships and interact with their peers.

Social Environment

influences on child development are those that affect the social relationships that children will form throughout their lives and the quality of said relationships, whether with their families, or the neighborhood where they reside.

Consequently, studying the main environmental factors affecting the growth and development of a child

is necessary. These include the social, emotional, economic, and physical environment.