In WA, it’s school time for the ‘COVID babies,’ with teachers worried about social skills 

In Western Australia children can start their first year of compulsory schooling (known as  pre-primary) in the year they turn five by 30 June. 

As such, many four and a half year olds have commenced their first year of formal schooling this year, with many teachers concerned about an increase in more demanding students with poorer social skills as a result of the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

Pre-primary teachers are waiting to see just how big an impact the global pandemic may have had on the children who were newborns during the pandemic, born when the world changed in 2020.

With businesses and borders closed, and with WA being especially strict, children born in 2020 were born into a time of uncertainty, with stressed parents, socially distanced support, and siblings adjusting to homeschooling and other shifts in routine. 

The changes of the pandemic brought anxiety for many, with the critical newborn brain development window for babies being permeated by the stress of others. 

Studies in other countries have found that some babies born during COVID lockdowns were slower to reach developmental milestones, had more demanding behaviour and were more likely to struggle at school, the West Australian reports.

Data from the 2021 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) showed the percentage of children whose development was on track dropped for the first time since 2009, something contemporary researchers attributed to the pandemic. 

The next version of AEDC will be released later this year, which researchers anticipate will show how much of an effect the pandemic has had on children’s development to a greater extent. 

Commenting on the circumstances Monash University Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer said that the experiences of early childhood educators in this space will provide insights for the schools sector also. 

“What most educators notice, and probably the pre-primary teachers will notice as well, is that the children’s capacity to regulate their emotions and to enter play scenarios with other children . . . has been affected,” Professor Fleer said.

“There’ll be some children who will be much more demanding and won’t be able to regulate their emotions.

“I know that a lot of educators who work in child care centres have said that the COVID babies, as they’ve got older, were still difficult.”

“I know that educators have put a lot of effort into creating nice, playful programs for children to try and develop those skills. So it’ll be interesting to see what actually happens in reality when those children hit school.”

To read the original coverage of this story please see here.