--- title: "How the Pandemic Affected Young Children's Development | Blue Sails" description: "How the pandemic affected young children's development and learning, what families can do to help, and when to seek more support." date: "2026-11-08T20:22:17-05:00" language: "en-US" canonical_url: "https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/pandemic-effects-young-children-development-school/" source_url: "https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/pandemic-effects-young-children-development-school/" content_type: "text/markdown" --- School and Pandemic-Related Topics ·  # How the Pandemic Affected Young Children’s Development and School Long school disruptions, like the pandemic closures, affected many children’s learning, friendships, focus and mood. This guide explains common lingering effects, practical ways families can help with routines, social reconnection, executive function and screens, and signs it is time to seek support. By Blue Sails Editorial Team · November 8, 2026 Medical reviewer: [Dr. Ling Lu](https://bluesailscounseling.com/editorial-team/ling-lu/) ![How the Pandemic Affected Young Children’s Development and School](https://bluesailscounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/teens-boardwalk-walk.webp)On this page Long breaks from in-person school, like the closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, changed daily life for many children and teens. Some bounced back quickly. Others still notice effects years later in learning, friendships, focus or mood. This guide explains common lingering effects, what families can do at home, and signs that a child may need more support. It is educational and not a substitute for an assessment. If your child is in immediate danger, call 911, the nearest ER, or call or text 988. ## Key Takeaways - School is more than lessons. It also gives kids routines, friendships and trusted adults outside the home. - National test data showed learning setbacks for many students during the pandemic years. - Social confidence, focus and self-regulation are skills, and skills can be rebuilt with practice and support. - Predictable routines, enough sleep and a family plan for screens give kids a steady base. - Struggles that last for weeks or affect school, friendships or safety are a reason to seek professional support. ## How School Disruptions Can Affect Development School gives children structure, time with peers and adults who notice how they are doing. When that structure disappears for months, many children lose practice with skills that usually grow quietly in the background: waiting a turn, working through a hard assignment, joining a group or handling a conflict with a friend. Family stress, illness or loss at home could add to the strain. Every child’s experience was different, so effects vary widely. ## Why Learning Gaps Can Linger National data showed real academic setbacks. In the [NAEP long-term trend assessment](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ltt/2022/), average scores for 9-year-olds in 2022 fell 5 points in reading and 7 points in math compared with 2020, the first-ever score decline in math on that assessment. Gaps can linger because later lessons build on earlier skills. A student who missed key steps in reading or math may feel lost in class, which can lead to frustration, avoidance or a belief that they are just not good at school. Helpful steps include asking the teacher where your child is compared with grade-level expectations, asking about tutoring or extra help the school offers, and focusing on steady practice rather than catching up all at once. If a learning or attention problem may be part of the picture, the guide to [504 plans and IEPs in Maryland schools](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/504-plan-iep-teen-mental-health-maryland-schools/) explains how to ask for an evaluation. ## Rebuilding Friendships and Social Confidence ![Three teens pass a basketball to one another in a quiet neighborhood park.](https://bluesailscounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/park-basketball-after-school-825x1024.webp) Time apart from peers can leave some children unsure how to join in, more sensitive to rejection or more comfortable online than in person. Social skills come back with low-pressure practice. Families can help by: - Setting up short, structured activities with one or two peers, such as a game, sport or shared project. - Encouraging one club, team or activity built around something your child already enjoys. - Talking through social moments afterward without judging, and praising effort to connect. - Noticing when shyness becomes avoidance that keeps your child from school or activities. Approaches such as [CBT and ACT therapy for anxiety](https://bluesailscounseling.com/services/outpatient-therapy/cbt-act-anxiety-depression/) can help when worry gets in the way. ## Supporting Focus and Executive Function Executive function skills help people plan, focus attention, switch gears and juggle tasks. Harvard’s [Center on the Developing Child](https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/) notes that no one is born with these skills, but children can build them over time with the right support. Remote schooling often removed the outside structure that helps kids practice them. At home, it can help to break assignments into small steps, use a visible weekly calendar or checklist, build in short breaks, and coach your child to plan before starting rather than doing the planning for them. ## Resetting Screen Habits and Sleep ![A parent and teen sit together at the kitchen table with a laptop open.](https://bluesailscounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/family-laptop-table-825x1024.webp) Many families leaned on screens for school, connection and downtime during closures, and those habits can be hard to undo. Rather than daily battles, sit down together to agree on a few clear expectations, such as no phones at meals and devices charging outside the bedroom at night. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a [family media plan](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx) families can fill out together. Sleep matters too: the [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html) recommends 9 to 12 hours a night for children ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teens ages 13 to 17. ## Why Routines Help Recovery Predictable routines give children something steady to hold onto when other things feel uncertain. Regular wake and bed times, shared meals, a set homework time and some protected downtime can lower daily stress and leave more energy for learning and friendships. Keep routines simple enough to follow on busy days, and involve older kids and teens in setting them. For ways to keep those conversations calm, see [family support for struggling teens](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/family-support-struggling-teens/). ## Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers: Early Development After the Pandemic Children who were babies or toddlers during the pandemic missed school in a different way: fewer playdates, closed child care and more time at home with stressed adults. Large screening studies offer cautious reassurance. A [JAMA Pediatrics study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2817955) of more than 50,000 U.S. children from birth to age 5 found small average drops, about 2% to 3%, in communication, problem-solving and personal-social screening scores during the pandemic, with no change in fine or gross motor skills. These are group averages, not a forecast for any one child, and the authors called for continued developmental check-ins. Language grows through back-and-forth conversation, so everyday talk, shared reading and simple turn-taking games are some of the most useful things families can do. Following your child’s lead in play, naming what they look at and pausing to give them a turn all add practice. ### Long COVID in young children: what caregivers may notice The [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/long-covid/about/index.html) defines Long COVID as a condition that follows a COVID-19 infection and lasts at least three months, and notes that anyone who has had COVID-19 can develop it, including children. Young children cannot describe symptoms like brain fog, so caregivers notice changes instead. In the [RECOVER-Pediatrics study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2834480), infants and toddlers with a past infection were more likely to have trouble sleeping, fussiness, poor appetite, a stuffy nose and cough, while preschoolers were more likely to have a dry cough and daytime tiredness or low energy. These symptoms have many other causes, and there is no single test for Long COVID, so it helps to note when changes started and how often they happen and share that with your child’s pediatrician. ### Pandemic-related lag or autism? Missed social practice can slow language and play skills, and many children catch up once they have regular, low-pressure time with other kids. It is still better not to wait and see. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends general developmental screening at the 9-, 18- and 30-month well visits and autism screening at 18 and 24 months, plus any time a parent has a concern. A loss of words or skills a child already had is a reason to call the pediatrician promptly. Our guides to [toddler speech delay vs. autism](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/toddler-speech-delay-vs-autism-red-flags/), [early signs of autism at 18 to 24 months](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/early-signs-of-autism-18-24-months/) and [the ADOS-2 autism evaluation](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/preparing-for-ados-2-autism-evaluation/) explain what clinicians look for. Early intervention does not require a diagnosis: in Maryland, children under 3 can be referred to the [Infants and Toddlers Program](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/toddler-speech-delay-vs-autism-red-flags/#start-early-intervention-without-a-diagnosis), and families of children 3 and older can contact their local public school system. Blue Sails also offers an [early-intervention autism program](https://bluesailscounseling.com/services/autism-services/early-intervention-program/), [social-skills groups](https://bluesailscounseling.com/services/autism-services/social-skills-school-readiness/) and [child play therapy](https://bluesailscounseling.com/services/outpatient-therapy/play-expressive-therapy/) for young children. ## When to Seek Support ![A teenage boy talks with a counselor in a bright therapy office while she takes notes.](https://bluesailscounseling.com/wp-content/uploads/office-teen-conversation-825x1024.webp) The [National Institute of Mental Health](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health) offers guidance on warning signs in children and teens. Consider talking with a pediatrician, school counselor or mental health provider if changes last more than a couple of weeks or get in the way of daily life, such as: - Ongoing worry, sadness or irritability. - Avoiding school, friends or activities they used to enjoy. - Big changes in sleep, eating or energy. - Falling grades or trouble keeping up that does not improve with extra help. - Frequent stomachaches or headaches before school. If your child is avoiding school, the guide to [school refusal and academic anxiety in Maryland](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/child-teen-school-anxiety-refusal-adhd-maryland/) covers attendance and a graded return. For the everyday pressures many teens face, see [core adolescent mental health issues](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/adolescent-mental-health-issues-maryland/). For how shared stressful events can affect whole communities, see [collective trauma and post-pandemic healing](https://bluesailscounseling.com/insights/collective-trauma-recovery/). Blue Sails offers counseling for [elementary school children](https://bluesailscounseling.com/clients/children-adolescents/elementary-school-children/) and [tweens and teenagers](https://bluesailscounseling.com/clients/children-adolescents/tweens-teenagers/) in Maryland. For an overview, see [child and adolescent mental health services](https://bluesailscounseling.com/clients/children-adolescents/), including [telehealth counseling](https://bluesailscounseling.com/services/outpatient-therapy/telehealth-counseling/). Families can start with [client intake](https://bluesailscounseling.com/client-intake/). For a broader overview of care for tweens and teenagers, and when to seek support, see the [tweens and teenagers](https://bluesailscounseling.com/clients/children-adolescents/tweens-teenagers/) page. For a broader overview of children, teens and school mental health, and when to seek support, see the [children, teens and school guide](https://bluesailscounseling.com/teen-mental-health/). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can children catch up after long school disruptions? Many children make progress with steady practice, extra help at school and support at home. Progress often comes in small steps, and children who are still struggling may benefit from an evaluation for learning, attention or mood concerns. ### Is my child’s shyness a lasting effect of time away from school? Some children feel unsure in social situations after long periods apart from peers. Low-pressure practice with one or two friends often helps. If shyness keeps your child from school, friends or activities, talk with a pediatrician or mental health provider. ### Should my child get a school evaluation after falling behind? If gaps do not improve with extra help, or attention, learning or mood seem to be part of the problem, parents can ask the school in writing for an evaluation. A [504 plan or IEP](/insights/transitioning-from-early-intervention-autism-program-to-maryland-public-schools/) may help when a child qualifies. ### How much sleep does my child need? The CDC recommends 9 to 12 hours a night for children ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teens ages 13 to 17. ### Can young children get Long COVID after a mild infection? Yes. The CDC says anyone who has had COVID-19 can develop Long COVID, including children. It is more common after severe illness, but it can follow a mild case. If symptoms last for months after an infection, talk with your child’s pediatrician. ## Sources Sources: [NAEP — 2022 Long-Term Trend Reading and Mathematics, Age 9](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/ltt/2022/), [Harvard Center on the Developing Child — Executive Function](https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/), [CDC — About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html), [American Academy of Pediatrics — Family Media Plan](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/fmp/Pages/MediaPlan.aspx), [NIMH — Child and Adolescent Mental Health](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health), [JAMA Pediatrics — Developmental Milestone Attainment Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2817955), [JAMA Pediatrics — Characterizing Long COVID Symptoms During Early Childhood (RECOVER)](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2834480), [CDC — Long COVID Basics](https://www.cdc.gov/long-covid/about/index.html). About the medical reviewer ## [Dr. Ling Lu](https://bluesailscounseling.com/editorial-team/ling-lu/) Dr. Ling Lu is a healthcare executive and the founder of [Happy Harmony Health Management LLC](https://hhhmgmt.com/about-hhhm/) in Bethesda, Maryland. Originally trained as a physician in Guangdong, China, where she founded and operated multiple outpatient clinics, Dr. Lu brings over twenty years of clinical and healthcare leadership experience to her reviews of primary care and behavioral health topics. Reviewer assigned; medical review sign-off pending. This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For crisis support, call or text 988. When you’re ready ## Care starts with a conversation. Tell us what matters to you. We’ll help you explore your next step. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For crisis support, call or text 988. 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