<P> Children's health includes the physical, mental and social well - being of children . Maintaining children's health implies offering them healthy foods, insuring they get enough sleep and exercise, and protecting their safety . Children in certain parts of the world often suffer from malnutrition, which is often associated with other conditions, such diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria . </P> <P> Child protection, according to UNICEF, refers to "preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse against children--including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation / cutting and child marriage". The Convention on the Rights of the Child protects the fundamental rights of children . </P> <P> Play is essential to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well - being of children . It offers children opportunities for physical (running, jumping, climbing, etc .), intellectual (social skills, community norms, ethics and general knowledge) and emotional development (empathy, compassion, and friendships). Unstructured play encourages creativity and imagination . Playing and interacting with other children, as well as some adults, provides opportunities for friendships, social interactions, conflicts and resolutions . However, adults tend to (often mistakenly) assume that virtually all children's social activities can be understood as "play" and, furthermore, that children's play activities do not involve much skill or effort . </P> <P> It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them . Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers . Undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self - advocacy skills . However, when play is controlled by adults, children acquiesce to adult rules and concerns and lose some of the benefits play offers them . This is especially true in developing creativity, leadership, and group skills . </P>

During the middle school years a childs self concept becomes