During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, all schools in the UK were closed for a considerable time. The impact this had on families and children is difficult to measure in terms of economic, social, and emotional impact.
However, during a small-scale research project, I came to find that parents of young primary school children discussed some very positive experiences of having their children at home.
Parents discussed changes of behaviours in their children, which were perceived as positive changes, such as being happy, less stressed, sleeping better, stopping bedwetting, playing independently and creatively.
By asking parents about their experiences, I found that during the pandemic and the prolonged stay at home, the child may have found time to engage with much deeper and extended periods of play. The creative side of a child may develop more, as they have had more time to engage with creative thought processes. One parent highlighted this when she discussed her daughter:
'She has appreciated the simple things such as going for a walk to collect sticks and building dens. Things I would not necessarily consider doing so often. She has not asked to go to "soft play" or go for expensive days out. We have learnt to "play".'
Another parent highlighted the fact that her child could build dens in the living room, create drama plays and use a wide variety of ‘home’ resources (cushions, blankets, any household objects which fitted in with the play) which did not need to be cleared away at the end of the day, as no one was rushing off to work or school, therefore her child engaged in much deeper play.
The parent further felt that her child (aged four years old) was becoming more mature, creative, and able to play by herself for prolonged periods of time. This example again shows that children who are usually engaged at school or the early years setting may have finally had time to be bored and this is not a negative aspect of development, as it teaches the child that they can start to focus on what they really enjoy doing as well as encouraging creativity.
Bravender and Bravender (2020) emphasise the importance of play in relation to healthy development as well as enabling children to engage in social situations, supporting the development of new skills as well as building relationships and learning how to deal with new emotions. Parents also commented on the stress they felt children were under by having to go to school. One parent says:
'I never realised the toll that constant early mornings and work pressures have on children. As parents we both work full time, so children are in school for similar hours and always have done morning club etc. Our children are enjoying time together and a daily walk where we talk a lot more and spend time together. Also teaching youngest to ride his bike, play bat and ball, play board games etc. The changes have been less snappiness especially from eldest, keenness to take part, more physical activity and more open to talking. It has made me realise how stressful children’s lives are and that’s quite sad. We’ll never get this time again but on the whole it’s been positive.'
Overall, when listening to parents and their perception of how children’s behaviour has changed whilst they have been at home, there is an overarching feeling of positiveness. Of course, there are also some negative aspects, but having children engage more with their family, their siblings, learning new skills and gaining time for prolonged and more creative play, shows that children need time to experience these aspects.
It is my firm opinion that children start schoolification and school readiness too soon. Children need to have the environment and the time to play and engage with deeper and more meaningful play. It has also shown that the parents who commented that the relationship within the family changed during this time as again parents who were working from home or had been furloughed had much more contact with their child and therefore build better relationships.
So, what can we learn from this, maybe children start informal and formal education too early, maybe we need to make the education system for our youngest children far more open and less reliant on government policies and restrictions.
Maybe a question we should ask here, is should we create this sense of calm and less stress in the school day for our children by maybe creating a different kind of educational start to the day, less pressure on academic achievement but more on learning and developing through social activities and time for wider engagement with families within the educational day.
Thamara Bulmer, Lecturer in Early Childhood, University of Hull
