Experts' Corner: Skills Impacted by the Pandemic - and What to Do About It

Learn better. Play smarter. | [View this email in your browser]( Parenting made simpler. Written by experts. Designed for intentional parents. Experts' Corner: Skills Impacted by the Pandemic - and What to Do About It Over the next few months, you’ll hear more societal chatter about the achievement gap as a result of the pandemic. Test scores will be released, studies will draw conclusions. But we’re here to say, remember the long game - that our children have a long education journey ahead; that for teachers, it’s been a year ([this clip is worth watching](. We asked our Plinkit experts to weigh in on the changes they observed in their classrooms, and to share concrete things we could do this summer to support our children’s learning. These are some of their answers below. Much of the past 18 months has been about human learning and this applies to children too. As you reflect on your child's learning this year, consider thinking of it not so much as where your child should be, but more as "this is where my child is at". Give you and your child a round of applause for what you've done over the last 18 months! We hope you get to unplug together this summer and hold on to what has been precious. We’ll see you back here next month. (Or, follow us on Instagram on [@myplinkit]( for more practical scripts and strategies you can use every day). [FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM]( Exciting Changes Ahead! We’re Launching PLINKIT PRO Membership Biggest business lesson we've learned in the past year? You never know what's coming next! We've got plenty up our sleeve. Stay tuned for details in our next newsletter and [tell your friends + family to sign up too!]( We’ve Got More Plinkit Masterclasses If your company is interested in supporting working families or your school is keen to drive parent education, email us at hello@myplinkit.com to learn more about our webinars and conversation circles. We have a line-up of fresh topics we can't stop talking about, and would love to bring our actionable tools and strategies to your community. What are some of the developmental changes you’ve seen this year? Social skills - "I’m noticing less developed social skills, which makes sense to me - children are more isolated when at school because of safety rules, more independent when remote learning in home environments. For example, more physical/handsy behaviors, difficulty walking in a group line, a penchant to follow their own agendas and not realizing that there is a group agenda." -Doug Zesiger Ability to work independently and to be in charge of their learning - "Given safety protocols, kids have been playing and learning in small cohorts and haven’t needed to negotiate the social landscape of larger groups. Their maturity will need to develop to see the world outside of themselves and to think abstractly. A simple analogy: a child doesn’t know how to tie their shoelaces if someone has been doing it for them or they’ve been at home not wearing shoes." -Jan Bird Reading - At my school, we found that most students continued to progress in reading fluency. We gleaned that parents and caregivers were able to read with their children at home. Some likely reasons for why: reading together is an activity that is doable, enjoyable, and can be routinized at least at bedtime; and setting up a home routine for children to read independently helps (rather than allowing them to beeline to another activity). -Karin Soriano-Bilal Skill-Building Ideas for the Summer? Social skills - Play, negotiate and socialize with unfamiliar peers to fire up all sorts of latent neurons. -Karin Soriano-Bilal - Visit family and friends and say appreciations aloud. Show how you’re grateful for the time together. -Jan Bird Independence - Have small jobs and chores your child needs to complete and be responsible for. Young kids love to help and can contribute to the community in real ways. -Jan Bird - Be in charge of themselves from getting dressed, tying shoes, folding clothes, preparing snacks/meals, etc. -Jan Bird - Practice tasks with multi-step directions. Even if it feels hard, let the struggle happen before stepping in. -Jan Bird Reading - Keep reading and listening to books. -Jan Bird - ‘Thinking about reading’ - develop your child's skills as a 'thinking reader'. - After reading a story aloud, seize the opportunity to ask your child questions (as easy as it is to just close the book, reach for another book or kiss your child good night). I recommend asking your child questions that inspire connections, meaning, and thoughts about story structure amidst the story or at the end. -Karin Soriano-Bilal Writing - Keep a journal or scrapbook with labels - my all-time personal favorite summer activity and recommendation for children. Even if they can't write yet, keeping a journal or diary can help with writing, drawing, spelling and ideation skills. -Karin Soriano-Bilal - Practice their handwriting - teachers love getting letters or postcards and being pen pals! -Jan Bird PLINKIT POST [How to Teach 3 Key Social Skills]( Teach your child basic social skills to experience social success in 3 key areas: greet others, make eye contact and join an activity or group. [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2017%2F08%2Fteach-child-social-skills%2F) [Share]( PLINKIT POST [Kindergarten Readiness - Social + Emotional Skills]( A framework for supporting social integration and social success with action items to try at home. 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