Newsmakers: Insights into ‘COVID Babies’ Starting School
Children born during the pandemic — often called “COVID babies”— are now entering preschool and kindergarten, and some are showing unique developmental and social challenges.
“A COVID baby would be a child born during COVID, so a child that was born in 2020 generally or 2021. They were born during the time of the pandemic either during social isolation time,” explained Mary Muhs, who chairs the Early Childhood Education Department at Rasmussen University. “Not all children are experiencing these challenges or differences, but it is important to know that they look to us as their guiding light.”
Muhs said parents, caregivers, and educators play a critical role in easing these transitions by modeling calm behavior and creating safe, supportive environments.
“We as adults in their lives are the ones that set the stage, so if we are showing anxiety or nervousness about social situations or taking risks in social situations, they are going to experience that anxiety and that nervousness,” said Muhs. “If we can set the stage for them and be that calm, that influence in a safe setting, they will feel safe, they will feel secure and they will feel confident that it’s okay to be interacting with people I don’t know in different situations.”
Muhs also emphasizes the importance of unstructured play, noting that it allows children to build independence, practice social interactions, and develop lifelong learning skills.
“It means they get to do whatever they are interested in doing with toys or materials or maybe it’s interacting with other children in a very natural and normal way,” said Muhs. “Giving them that unstructured playtime allows them to figure it out on their own, which we know is the way they learn.”
See also: Newsmakers: Rasmussen U. Works to Address Early Childhood Staffing Shortage
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