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Children painting creating art and expression. 

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Tiffany Merchant

During my time in the GSRP classroom I have seen how art is a big influence on a daily basis. Art can have a significant influence on children's development in so many different ways. Children can use art as a way to express their ideas and thoughts. Their imagination leads to self-expression which helps to strengthen fine motor skills and develop hand-eye coordination. This also allows them to widen their perceptions and observation skills by paying attention to their surroundings. From this they can enhance communication skills because they can express and manage emotions from creativity. Art allows children to develop self confidence and feelings of accomplishment. In all, children cognitive and social development are strengthen.

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Children’s early growth is shaped greatly by their home and family environment. When children experience consistent routines, emotional support, and encouragement from caregivers, they develop a sense of security and confidence that supports healthy learning and social skills. Positive family interactions can promote curiosity, communication, and problem-solving abilities. On the other hand, unpredictable or stressful home situations may affect children’s ability to focus, manage emotions, or engage fully in classroom activities. Strong family involvement during early education years is closely linked to better academic performance and emotional well-being.

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Betsy Wilson

Working in early education has shown how influential a child's environment truly is. Children will always be children, and while it has been discussed within schools and my workplace, in particular, that behaviors that challenge us are increasing, children are still being children. The environments are changing; the ever-present stress in the home, adverse experiences, trauma, and the family unit are contributors to the behaviors that challenge us.

Harvard's research suggests that consistency and support in the child's environment is a strong predictor in a child's future. What happens if a child is lacking a supportive, healthy and consistent environment? That is where educators can step in and offer the model of consistency and support. With the expansion of Pre-K for all, more children are likely to receive some fundamental social emotional skills, and a sense of consistency and support. GSRP and Head Start offer family advocacy support for families that have needs, goals, and barriers.

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Children develop and learn through physical and mental engagement and challenges. Young children are active learners as they constantly take in and organize information to create meaning through their relationships, interactions with their environment, and experiences. They naturally learn by doing, rather than listening. This learning is driven by their natural curiosity. It involves physical and sensory experiences, play, and exploration. Children construct their own understanding of the world around them. Through this they foster problem solving skills and a lifelong love of learning. Above is a picture of one of my kindergarten students as he experiences the playground for the first time. This photo shows us how a child is driven by their inner desire to explore, discover, and understand, which fuels their learning process.

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The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes how toxic stress or other adverse experiences in childhood can affect child development.  When children go through intense and prolonged adversity such as abuse, neglect, or poverty the need to have the support of a responsive adult and even with this support child development can be compromised.  When young children face these kinds of challenges alone, their stress response systems can become overactivated, which disrupts brain development and makes it harder to learn, manage emotions, and build relationships. Over time, this can also affect physical health, increasing the risk for chronic conditions.  Positively though, Harvard’s research suggests that the effects are not inevitable.  Young children that have supportive relationships while experiencing toxic stress or adverse experiences can recover and thrive.  With the right environment and connections, even children facing serious adversity can build resilience and reach their full potential.

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Jenny Simon

After COVID 19, I started a garden in our school's outdoor classroom for our summer camp kids to take care of. The children that were interested, helped pull weeds, plant and water the plants as needed. Some of the things we grew were tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, and potatoes. At the end of the summer the kids were able to harvest their garden, they made and shared homemade salsa with all of the students in the program. They sat after prepping the salsa critiquing what needed to be added, cut differently. The children were very proud with how well their garden did, brainstorming how to get rid of the rabbit and woodchuck. Working as a team, they were able to make salsa that some of the kids haven't ever had before. Kids just need to be given a project that they can do with some guidance from an adult. Some of the kids were so excited about their involvement in the garden that they were bringing family up to look at it after hours. The students overall were able to tend a garden, pick and prep the vegetables knowing it takes time and patience to be able to reap the fruits of their labor.

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Harvard University Article called Place Matters: What Surrounds Us shapes Us, Helps confirm everything can happen in effect on a child's development. A caregiver’s well-being has a high impact on a child's development. When a caregiver is feeling stressed, a child can also feel that stress and not understand why they feel that way.  Children can feel everything. When caregivers maintain their own well-being, it greatly increases the likelihood that the children in their care will also thrive.  When a caregiver or parent is thriving the likelihood that a good solid relationship forms with a child increases. It can be challenging for caregivers to accept that taking time for themselves is acceptable and important for maintaining their own mental and physical health.

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One influence that I picked was environment. The environment that a child grows up and plays in has a huge role in shaping their learning experiences, social interactions, and sense of safety. This includes the child's environment at home, the neighborhood and school. Having an environment that is stimulating with access to books, toys, outdoor activities and a safe neighborhood promote cognitive and physical growth. When that environment turns chaotic or unsafe it can contribute to stress, lack of academic achievement, and even a child's sense of identity and self-worth. This is one thing I am so grateful that the GSRP programs do home visits so we, as teachers, can a glimpse on a child's home life environment. A lot of times those details or understandings is all it takes to understand why a child might do something and how we, as teachers, can handle our response and actions and just better help the child overall.

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Vanessa Martinez

One impactful influence on young children's development is the environment in which they grow and learn. If this environment is supportive, stress will still occur- but in healthy amounts. When a child has a supportive, consistent set of caregivers- stress can be limited and relieved. According to this week's readings from Harvard University, high levels of excessive stress from a child's environment can trigger harmful levels of inflammation in the body. This inflammation can continue well into adulthood and cause autoimmune diseases, diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases, and depression.

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One influence that I believe has a huge impact on a young child's development is supportive relationships. According to Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child article Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body, "a child who is living in an environment with supportive relationships and consistent routines is more likely to develop well-functioning biological systems, including brain circuits, that promote positive development and lifelong health" (2020, para 2). I see in my classroom the consequences of chaotic home lives and inconsistent adult relationships. These children are more prone to defiance, outbursts, and inconsistent attendance. The children in my classroom that have supportive relationships tend to be calmer, have longer attention spans, and regulate their emotions better than their counterparts.

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Passmore, B.

According to Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2023, March 25), the importance of children is not just what is right next to them in a circle but also what is all around them without knowing. The social environment like relationships with others, significant stress and adversity, community support and faith or cultural traditions; which all play an important role in the development. But also the natural environments around them that shape their development by influencing indirectly by interacting with the environment of relationships; including the safety of their homes, the nutrias food, economics. Children need nutrients to grow and clothing to wear, and roofs over their homes to develop and to know they are safe. As an educator who works at child development laboratory, I am a part of our snack time at school. In our classroom we are only able to serve children two servings of snack, but I allow more if they are eating snack; because of hunger and I never want to see or hear a child say they are starving in the classroom but have to wait until lunch or to be picked up from parents before they can eat again. Snack is one thing I want to make a difference in the classroom. Make food fun, trying new options for children to explore in the classroom by the texture, the smell, the taste.

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As an educator, I often find myself contemplating stress, trauma, and resiliency. One fact that I have shared with concerned caregivers, family members and teachers alike, is that it only takes one caring adult to impact and combat a child's adverse experiences. The resources we studied from Harvard University's Center for the Developing Child simplified the principles we should consider when advocating for young children's mental health, with the first being to support responsive relationships. Regardless of a child's history and experiences, I believe it is our first job to support and build their protective factors, like using and teaching other adults about the serve-and-return method.

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One important influence on young children development is playing with games in group or as individual. One of the most engaging activity is building blocks.

When a child is playing with building blocks, they don’t have just fun; but they learn many skills. This activity help them to develop their ‘thinking skills’ (ex. Problem-solving, creativity, understanding shapes and balance etc). ‘fine motor skills’ (ex. Using small muscles in hands and fingers, hand-eye coordination etc) and ‘social skills’ (ex. Building friendship with peer children).

Through this kind of play, children learn how to be patient, try different ideas and feel proud of what they create. Play is a very important influence on their development.

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Nutrition                                                                                   

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From the moment of conception through the first years of life, nutrition is one of the most powerful influences on a child’s overall development. A mother’s diet during pregnancy directly affects the baby’s growth, brain development, and the formation of vital organs. According to the World Health Organization (2023), proper nutrition after birth remains just as important, as it supports healthy growth, strengthens the immune system, and enhances a child’s ability to learn. Without enough nutrients, children may face stunted growth, poor health, and learning difficulties. Good nutrition is also linked to how the body manages stress—children who are well-nourished are generally better equipped to handle stress, while poor nutrition can make stress harder to manage and increase negative effects on health. In contrast, receiving balanced nutrition early in life builds a strong foundation for long-term health, resilience, and success.

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One important influence on young children's development is access to safe green space. According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2023), green spaces such as parks, playgrounds, and gardens provide children with opportunities for active play and interaction with nature in a safe environment. These spaces support physical health and also promote mental well-being by reducing stress and improving mood for both children and their caregivers. Additionally, green areas help lessen exposure to harmful environmental factors like air pollution and extreme heat. By encouraging healthy activity, supporting emotional regulation, and buffering environmental stressors, access to safe green space plays a critical role in fostering healthy child development.

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Children connecting with trusted adults, one another, and Mother Earth is a vital aspect of their development and well-being. Serve-and-return interactions with caregivers lead children to crave those essential, meaningful interactions full of inquisitiveness and wonder. In addition to caregivers, the Earth beckons children to be in a constant state of "serving" with the promise to always "return". A community of love and reverence for Mother Earth are the epitome of positive influence in the lives of children everywhere.

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The environment in which the child grows up is the influence I chose for this Padlet. I chose environment because, after reading the materials and based on my experience working in infant mental health and childcare, I have found that the home environment where the child grows up plays a huge part in relationships and how the child develops. When a child grows up in an inconsistent environment, they become confused and struggle to form stable relationships with caregivers. It also causes stress to the growing child, and when a child is stressed out due to their environment, it causes them to struggle to feel safe. The first five years of a child's life are the blueprint for how they will develop, and when they are stressed out due to an unstable home environment, they will develop differently from a child who grew up in a home with a stable environment with stable relationships. The environment plays a huge part in a child's development, and that is why I wanted to go more in-depth with this answer for this assignment.

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I chose family as one influence that impacts a child's development. I chose family because when a child is born, that is all they know. They learn their culture from their family, which provides emotional security, language, and social skills. Everyone has a family that does things differently, and it has a strong impact on each child. Families (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc) model behavior and language for children while they are developing and learning new things. A child's family introduces numerous first time things for a child and that is were they learn a lot from.

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To participate in this Padlet, simply click on the plus (+) sign and then type in the white space below the area that you can upload a photo. To upload a photo or insert a link, click on the appropriate link above the white text area. Be sure to remember to add your first and last name, and then hit "publish" which is located in the top right corner of the popup.

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Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

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How Early Childhood Experiences Affect Lifelong Health and Learning