Between Zoom school, masks, and zero time hashing it out on the playground, we know children’s social skills and personal development suffered over the pandemic. But researchers are beginning to realize how much even the youngest children have been affected in areas of motor skills, social skills, and language development. As per the CNBC article below:
“Providers also noticed how the pandemic had affected young children’s physical development, such as a delay in babies learning to crawl and walk. Some reported that children had regressed in their independence and self-care skills, prompting providers to spend longer with kids on physical activities, in order to help develop gross motor skills.
Meanwhile, school-aged children were found to have gaps in math, phonics and ‘writing stamina,’ though educators said that, compared with the previous semester, gaps in knowledge were closing.
School children’s mental health also remained a concern, with educators noticing lower levels of resilience and confidence, as well as increased anxiety, among students.”
The article goes on to express how even babies have been affected by not being able to learn social cues by seeing facial expressions, and how some older children struggle now with using desktop computers instead of tablets with a touchscreen.
However, there are a few bright spots in the article – such as a renewed interest from students in the sciences. After all, who better to have the discipline to create the next scientific breakthrough, than someone who has gone through the pandemic?