Social un-distancing: A guide to help children reconnect socially after the pandemic
BY PAULA VALERO | NOVEMBER 25, 2023
The pandemic left lingering feelings that affected children and altered their ways of communicating, socializing, and learning. With these variables, there are still some ways where parents or guardians can help them adapt and reconnect to the world where the pandemic is gradually slowing down, and they can be back playing outdoors.
Outdoor play equipment manufacturer Creative Play UK explains that being outside their homes with other children plays an integral part in developing a kid’s social skills as they need to interact with their peers to learn independence, socialization, and social awareness. Taking out that opportunity leaves children underdeveloped, not only in terms of social skills but also in their overall well-being.
If you think that your child suffers from social disconnection, continue reading and delve more about these post-pandemic effects and how you can be their superhero in helping them transition back to outdoor life and reconnect with their peers!
Digital Takeover
Since the lockdown, children have been forced to adapt to full-time digital learning and face the limitations of virtual classrooms, unable to see their peers as cameras are usually turned off to save bandwidth. They also have to be on mute unless called by the teacher, silencing their natural tendency to be chatty.
Montessori De San Juan teacher Pearl Lagaran states that as children are back in the classroom setting, “they are unleashing two years' worth of chatter and excitement which hindered their learning.”
Meanwhile, many guardians can agree that today's children converse in a mix of how they talk with their family, sprinkled with unfitting online lingo they learn from watching YouTube content and playing digital games. We can help solve that by supervising what they digitally consume, preventing exposure to inappropriate online content and games that can come across as innocent.
As the ones who guide them, there is so much you can do to lessen screen time, which could be daunting. Fear not because it can be practiced with baby steps. To start off, we should follow three things: interaction inside homes, outdoor activities, and after-school playtime!
A simple reminder: adults need a digital timeout, too, to ensure they can spend time with their kids wholeheartedly.
The Social Learning Gap
A Forbes article discussed that there is now an "invisible gap" in their learning and social skills due to isolation. The pandemic has disrupted children's natural social learning—leading them to prefer solitary activities and possessiveness. While independence is a good trait, their cognitive and social skills are equally important.
A study from Sociedade De Pediatria De São Paulo shows that social isolation leads to worse cognitive development and higher levels of cortisol. Cortisol is one of the hormones responsible for our reaction to stress and once heightened, can result in higher stress levels.
Now that they are back to face-to-face classes and started interacting with kids with different personalities, they may have trouble communicating. It is because they lack experience interacting with others during the early stages of their development. Also, add that they may talk differently now after acquiring online lingo; they may have trouble relating to their classmates.
In line with this, cognitive skills are essential to the development of children, which are also hampered due to the pandemic. It affects the timing of the developmental milestones, which include setting boundaries, developing fine motor skills, and problem-solving that kids are supposed to reach.
With all of these being said, what can parents and guardians do to tend to their children’s social development? Children may learn how to be patient and kind to other kids in a fun way by visiting places like Kidzoona, LegoLand, amusement parks, and even something as basic as a playground and parks! You can check some family-friendly spots in Manila here.
Anxiety and Social Readjustment
Children used to solitude may feel a mix of anxiety and excitement when transitioning from individual spaces to a communal environment with altered dynamics and sharing spaces with unfamiliar peers. This is why parents may expect their children to experience anxiety when they return to school.
Being placed in an unfamiliar environment like school and having to interact with new people will make anyone anxious. Know that this is normal, and the best way to improve their experience is to guide them through their adjustment, making sure they feel you every step of the way until they can fully grasp the environment and start to explore on their own.
Aside from warming up to their new environment, parents should also consider their children’s personality and freedom of expression in the readjustment period. Despite having to interact with other children, keeping friendships may not be their priority. Thus, children communicate with peers without a filter or regard for how others might feel.
32-year-old mother and entrepreneur Stephanie Ontengco says that her seven-year-old son does not talk to some of his classmates, thinking they will not be in his life for a long time. He even often ignores other children who invite him to play together.
Uneasiness might arise from the fear of the unknown. Parents should build ‘open communication’ with their children and occasionally check on them or ask about their friends and their experiences in school. In that way, children will learn to recall the emotions they felt and slowly learn to be in touch with them. Fostering a supportive environment to facilitate open communication and putting strategies into place to help accommodate every kid's social reintegration process is essential.
The Balancing Act
Not every internet resource that helped kids stay in touch during the pandemic should be thrown away. Rather, a careful balancing act between online and offline interaction is encouraged. Using technology to facilitate communication, creativity, and teamwork can advance social progress rather than impede it. Combining a balance of conventional in-person interaction and digital connectivity must be promoted by educators and parents.
Keep in mind that it would be challenging for kids to alter their routines abruptly. It will be too sudden and could lead to unpleasant approaches to force kids to play outside and give up on the digital environment that they have been accustomed to for nearly three years. Learning how to balance kids' activities makes an enormous difference.
Stepping out of the safety of our homes after the pandemic has always been inevitable. If adult mental health stability necessitates social connection, then children also need it. As their superheroes, we ought to take charge, with plenty of tolerance, kindness, and faith, and once they are no longer in our presence—help them reconnect to the world they deserve.
