Pandemic learning loss has impacted students’ basic developmental skills, from sharing to using scissors, increasing the risk of using the summer months to help fill the gap.
In this week’s Education Week State of Teaching survey, the majority of pre-K through third-grade teachers said that, compared to five years ago, their students had more difficulty listening, relating to others, and using the pencil.
Experts say it’s important for parents to take advantage of the summer to practice their children’s activities and prepare them with the tools to have successful interactions with their peers.
“It definitely doesn’t surprise me. I think we all anticipated that the pandemic would have implications far beyond lockdown, not just for young children, but for all children,” said Khy Sline, supervisor of curriculum development and educational programs at KinderCare, who lamented “missing so much connection time while we were locked down and spending time mostly in our homes and not necessarily having the same experiences and exposures as other kids.”
O Education Week survey showed that 94 percent of teachers of young children say their students have difficulty or much more difficulty listening and following instructions. Eighty-five percent said their children have more difficulty sharing and cooperating with their peers.
In terms of fine motor skills, 77 percent of educators found that young students have greater difficulty handling pencils, pens and scissors, while 69 percent saw their charges struggling to tie their shoes at higher rates than they have previously. five years.
“When it comes to fine motor skills — which I found really interesting and which so many parents or teachers are seeing a decline in or difficulty with — I think those are also really easy skills to practice at home with some attention,” Sline said.
She recommends letting children participate in daily activities, such as helping prepare meals, allowing them to use keys to unlock the house, or even buckling their own seat belts.
“I think sometimes parents are often in a rush with their kids, often just needing to get to the next place,” Sline said, but added that they need to “be intentional and set aside time” for kids to learn how to do things. alone. .
Difficulties with student behavior and poor test scores have exploded since the pandemic.
At the end of last school year, an EdWeek Research Center survey showed that 70% of educators believed students were misbehaving more than in 2019.
“Children are struggling to resolve normal conflicts that happen in everyday life, so parents often feel very helpless when their children are struggling with friendships. But there’s actually a lot we can do about it,” said Eileen Kennedy-Moore, psychologist and author of “Growing Friendships: A Kid’s Guide to Making and Keeping Friends.”
Kennedy-Moore suggests that parents help their children learn how to present themselves, recognize social cues for how their peers are feeling, and fit into activities with other children.
“Playdates are the best things you can do to help your child deepen their friendships, or it could be involving them in an activity that suits their interests, and then they will have a lot of common ground with others,” she said. . “Sometimes it can also be helpful for parents to show the importance of friendship, so invite your own friends or invite another family over for a family game night.”
Regarding academics, primary and secondary school students have been recovering some learning losses resulting from the pandemic, but they still have a long way to go. An analysis by researchers at Harvard and Stanford showed that students got a third of what they needed in math and a quarter in reading.
One of the biggest tips for parents is less screen time for kids. For children under 2 years of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time at all. As children get older, the group recommends limited screen time with adult supervision.
“We know there are other parts that show that children in the early years have a lot more screen time than before, and one of the ideas behind the increase in screen time is that it may be crowding out other activities that children used to do.” , said Rebecca Parlakian, senior director of programs at Zero to Three.
“If kids are spending more time on screens than they used to, we have to ask what they’re not doing,” Parlakian said, adding that activities that encourage fine motor skills or socializing may be falling by the wayside.
The problem is not exclusive to young children or homes, as school districts have sought to ban cell phones in classrooms due to the distractions they can cause, with some administrators already instituting policies that restrict screen access throughout the day. .
The biggest piece of the puzzle for parents, Parlakian said, is just making sure enrichment opportunities — whether social or educational — are available for their children.
“Children, just by virtue of growth and maturity, want to do things for themselves and learn new skills. We could consider this an access issue. Do they have access to learn these skills? That’s what parents have a lot of control over,” Parlakian said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
