Nursery World - Social and emotional skills decline among more than half of young children amid pandemic

More than half of young children saw their social and emotional skills worsen during the first year of the Covid pandemic, a survey of parents has found.

More than 50 per cent of parents of four- to seven-year-olds surveyed believe their child’s emotional and social development worsened during the pandemic, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

Those surveyed were asked a range of questions about their child’s behaviour, such as whether they had tantrums, were worried, or had lost confidence, in February 2021 compared to a year earlier, during the height of the pandemic.

The findings, which are published in a new report, reveal that 52 per cent of parents of four- to seven-year-olds believed their child’s emotional and social development had worsened over this period.

They were also more likely to have seen a decline in their child’s development amid the health crisis.

Parent’s economic instability, such as being furloughed, school and nursery closures, lack of contact with friends and death and illness among families were among factors in young children’s development being curtailed, the report found.

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