Lack of Exercise
Today’s children have very little space to move around, essentially spending time between school and home.
If children still prefer to stay indoors during holidays, not going out for walks or engaging in physical activities, their cognitive abilities are affected to a certain degree.
Numerous studies have proven that proper exercise can promote blood circulation in the brain, providing oxygen and thus stimulating the development and connection of brain neurons. As neurons develop rapidly, cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, and perception also improve.
Exercise also promotes the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine in the brain, which is closely associated with focus and concentration.
Lack of physical activity can impact a child’s cognitive abilities.
Moreover, during exercise, a child’s energy is expended, and negative emotions accumulated in daily life can be released, helping them maintain a cheerful spirit and a more stable emotional state.
At the same time, physical activity stimulates the creation of new neurons, increases connections between neurons, and improves brain structure, thereby potentially enhancing their ability to think quickly and focus.
Consequently, if children remain inactive for extended periods, their brain’s metabolism slows down, affecting their cognitive abilities.
Lack of Sleep
The book “Why We Sleep” highlights the intimate connection between memory and sleep.
During sleep, the hippocampus, a region in the brain responsible for storing memories, needs to clean up the day’s memories.
Unconscious and useless memories are erased, while important knowledge and memories are transported to long-term memory for storage.
As a result, when children wake up the next day, they feel refreshed and have sufficient memory capacity to absorb new knowledge and remember past important events.
Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
Furthermore, sleep aids in clear thinking. After pondering something incomprehensible during the day, a good night’s sleep can bring clarity, and one might think, “Oh, I understand now!”
However, if children don’t get enough sleep, the metabolic waste accumulated during the day remains in the brain, hindering the transmission of information between neurons and slowing down their thinking processes.
Poor Eating Habits
Unhealthy eating habits also impact brain development. An imbalanced diet not only affects physical health but also impedes cognitive development.
For instance, if children consume excessive sugar or replace water with sugary drinks, the high sugar content can interfere with neural connections. This can inadvertently hinder brain development, leading to learning difficulties and concentration issues.
Picky eating habits can lead to nutritional imbalances.
When children dislike vegetables, fruits, or tend to fill up on fatty foods like cookies, cakes, and fried snacks, they consume large amounts of fat and trans fatty acids. These components affect oxygen supply to the brain, slowing down brain reactions, leading to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and reduced creativity in learning.
Moreover, picky eating habits or irregular eating patterns can result in nutritional imbalances and deficiencies over time. This can impact brain development not only in early childhood but also extending into adulthood.
Children may struggle with information processing and problem-solving. Research indicates that those with healthy and balanced diets tend to have better concentration, learn more effectively, and develop stronger social skills.
Excessive Screen Time
The blue light emitted by electronic devices can disrupt melatonin production.
Particularly before bedtime, if children spend multiple hours on their mobile phones or watching TV, the part of the brain responsible for melatonin production may assume it’s still daytime and that sleep is unnecessary.
Delayed melatonin production can lead to difficulty falling asleep or impaired sleep quality. And insufficient sleep negatively affects brain development and memory.
Excessive screen time can lead to dependence on electronic devices for happiness.
The rapid and immediate stimulation provided by electronic devices can make a child’s brain dependent on this dopamine-induced happiness.
Once this dependence sets in, the brain may become reluctant to engage in active thinking and concentration. The sense of fulfillment derived from learning and thinking may no longer satisfy them. When separated from their devices, children may experience anxiety, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating. When forced to think and learn, their reactions may slow down.
Lack of Social Interaction
Children need to learn from relationships and develop through free play.
Positive interactions between individuals foster connections and strengthen neural pathways in the brain. Children improve their emotional regulation and develop social skills by assessing, interpreting, and responding to others’ expressions, intentions, and emotions. Those with strong social skills tend to have higher emotional intelligence and quicker reactions.
Through social interaction, children can acquire new information, knowledge, perspectives, and skills. This enhances their cognitive and emotional states, leading to a more flexible and diverse brain development.
After the age of six, children gradually shift their focus from family to peers. At this stage, the influence of peers can be as significant as that of parents. Friends share common interests and topics. When children encounter challenges in their studies or daily lives, they can find understanding and support from their peers.
Social interaction is crucial for emotional development and enhancing stress resilience.
This dynamic is highly beneficial for emotional development, improving stress resilience, and combating loneliness. It plays a vital role in the development of the brain’s emotional regulation system.
Conversely, a lack of social interaction reduces opportunities for children to practice and develop communication skills. They may struggle to express their opinions, emotions, or even listen effectively to others.
Research indicates that social stimulation can influence brain structure development. Insufficient social interaction leads to reductions in the size of certain brain regions associated with emotions, memory, and learning, impacting their ability to acquire and retain information.
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