Tips to Prevent “The COVID-19 Slide” in Young Children

The coronavirus pandemic forced parents across the country to keep children of all ages home from daycare, school and all of their regular extracurricular activities for several long months. The result: Parents are understandably worried about the long-term effects isolation and quarantine will have on their children’s educational, mental and emotional development. Parents fear any gaps in development will cause their children to fall behind.

The good news is that, with an extra dose of patience, parents can help their children regain some of those skills before they return to their normal routines. Let’s explore some of parent’s main concerns and solutions for each one.

Loss of peer interaction

One of the main losses children have experienced during COVID-19 is the opportunity to socialize and interact with their peers. Such interaction is crucial to helping children learn about self-control, how to use their words and how to physically interact and play with other children. Participating in the give-and-take of a conversation, constructing the rules of a new game, engaging in imaginary play — these are all things children engage in while playing with one another, and many of them haven’t been able to do it as much (or at all) while they have been at home.

Solution: If you have multiple children, allow them to interact with one another on their own terms and let them work out disputes among themselves. Only intervene if someone might come to physical harm. If you have family and/or friends nearby that you’re especially close to, try organizing a socially distant and small group gathering that can provide the child with an opportunity to brush up on their social skills before they go back to child care and school.

Loss of self-help skills

As parents, we are often in a hurry and tend to rush our children through life. We tend to cut up their food quickly, have them eat quickly, dress them ourselves and even tie their shoelaces — all of which they are given the opportunity to do at their own pace in a child care setting. Our impatience is understandable, as we’re all swamped with a neverending to-do list, but we need to make sure that we also give our children time to learn and master the basic skills that will take them through life.

Solution: Adjust bedtimes and wake time to allow for more time to guide your child through their morning routines. Give them the opportunity to brush their own teeth. Give them the opportunity to dress themselves and straighten out their rooms and organize their toys. Let them help you set the dinner table. These tasks may not be done quickly or even well, especially at first, but completing them is important for your child’s development.

Separation anxiety

Children have spent a lot of time with their parents over the past few months. Depending on their individual temperaments, some may have a difficult time being separated from their parents when they go back to regular child care. Also, as difficult as it has been for parents to juggle working from home with child care, the fact is that parents will also miss being with their children all day.

Solution: Leave your children with your significant other or a trusted caretaker for an hour or two while you go out to run errands. This will give both you and your child an opportunity to realize that any separation is not permanent and that you’ll be reunited at the end of each workday. Your child can practice independence, and you’ll both be more ready to deal with first-day separation jitters.

Fear

Children have been hearing a lot about COVID-19 over the past few months and often understand much more than their parents think, even if they can’t always express it. They’ve heard about death tolls, business closures and job losses. The sight of masks is now normal to them. Some children might, in all fairness, be wondering if their school even still exists, since they haven’t seen it in months. They’ve likely become more afraid of germs than they were prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

Solution: Dial back on the news intake at home. Turn off the television or switch to your child’s favorite movie or show. Make sure they understand why people are wearing masks. (“We are wearing masks to stay healthy and safe.”) Filter the information they are exposed to according to their maturity and ability to comprehend. In most cases, less detail is better.

Also, encourage proper mask wearing habits such as: not touching it, covering the nose and mouth, etc. Increase their “mask tolerance” by having them wear a mask for short and then extended periods of time. Let them pick out some fun designs that they enjoy. The more they get used to it, the more comfortable they will be and the easier it will be for them to “ignore” the mask once they are back in school.

Limited exploration

It’s crucial to develop a child’s curiosity and love of learning at an early age, and unfortunately, the current health crisis has limited their opportunities to explore. Many children have spent a lot of extra time on screens these past few months and not all of the time has been constructive. Some parents may feel their children haven’t been getting the level of intellectual stimulation or kinesthetic movement they need.

Solution: Limit your child’s screen time by creating more fun outdoors! In the age of social distancing, being outside has physical and mental health benefits. Children need the fresh air and free play time. Rotate their outdoor toys, get an “old fashioned” sprinkler, have a teddy bear tea party or outdoor painting session. Remember, children are whole body-learners and need to move around. In terms of mental stimulation, the best thing we can do is read to them. The more we read to them, the more they understand language, learn left-to-right progression and improve their reading comprehension. Reading to your children is also just a great way to spend time and connect with them. Whether it’s picture books or chapter books, reading is fundamental for so many different reasons.

There is no right or wrong way to help children re-learn some of the skills they may have lost during this difficult time. One thing is for certain: Parents need to banish any feelings of guilt. This has been a difficult time, and we’ve all had to juggle a multitude of responsibilities. So give yourself a pat on the back and remember that children are resilient and will catch up. Relax, and use these tips to support you not add any pressure to your life!