Author: Ms Wong Hei Yin
Speech Therapist at YWCA Centennial Child UPlace
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Childhood Language Development
In recent years, children have experienced many “New Normal” due to the pandemic: 1) school closures; 2) online classes; 3) social distancing measures; 4) remote work; 5) mask mandates; and more. How do these measures affect the language development of young children? Let’s explore together!
- Schools are excellent places for social learning, where children can naturally use language (speaking) and non-verbal communication (eye contact, facial expressions, gestures) to express their feelings and thoughts. The closure of schools significantly reduces their opportunities for social learning, especially for children without siblings.
- Online classes have replaced physical classrooms; online classes have become a substitute. Electronic learning tools and online platforms have indeed made learning more convenient, but direct communication with others is still the best way for young children to learn to speak. Despite efforts to make online classes interactive and engaging, they are still more one-way compared to physical classrooms. Research shows that children who watch TV for two or more hours a day are six times more likely to have language delays. Therefore, before using electronic learning, children must have sufficient time to communicate with others.
- Social distancing measures have reduced cross-family gatherings with relatives and friends, where children can learn social skills, such as sharing, taking turns, and playing games.
- With parents working from home and children learning at home, outdoor activities have significantly decreased. Apart from affecting gross motor development, this also impacts children’s understanding of the outside world. They miss out on valuable life experiences such as playing in the park, dining in restaurants, barbecuing, swimming, and traveling, which directly affect their opportunities to learn specific vocabulary and social language.
- Today, masks have become an essential item for us. For infants who have been accompanied by masks since birth, not wearing a mask feels as awkward as not wearing clothes. They are more vigilant about wearing masks than adults. Although there is no research indicating the negative effects of wearing masks on language development, for some hearing-impaired children, not being able to see others’ moving lips results in a lack of visual information for learning pronunciation. Furthermore, our non-verbal communication, including facial expressions and gestures, carries deeper meanings. Children not being able to see our facial expressions indeed affects their understanding of others’ feelings and thoughts.
- Since children’s language development is closely related to the language stimulation they receive, the impact of the pandemic is particularly evident in low-income families. During the pandemic, low-income families either need to work longer hours or face heavy financial pressure, leaving them with no time or energy to interact with their children. In contrast, wealthier families, as they can work from home, have more time to spend with their children. As a result, the socioeconomic disparity in families widens the gap in children’s language development.
The infancy and early childhood stage (0–6 years old) is a crucial period for developing listening and speaking abilities. Therefore, professionals should encourage parents to make the most of this “Prime time” by enriching the language environment at home and enhancing their children’s language skills.
1. Encourage more speech
Follow the child’s interests and try to speak more with them. We can use two techniques: “self-description” and “balanced description.”
“Self-description”: describing our own actions at that moment. For example: “I’m cutting carrots; I’m washing a towel.”
“Balanced description”: describing the child’s actions at that moment. For example, “You’re pushing the bus; you’re blowing bubbles.”
The length of our speech can be adjusted according to the child’s language abilities. If the child doesn’t understand or is in the single-word stage, we can introduce different vocabulary, including actions, everyday objects, animals, clothes, food, etc. If the child is already using sentences, our speech demonstration can add one or two more meanings. For example, if the child says a two-element sentence (action + object: eat cake), we can say a three-element sentence (person + action + object: Dad eats cake). Additionally, we can lengthen or enrich the child’s speech. For example, if the child says, “red ball,” we can respond with “you’re holding a red ball” or “a big red ball.”
2. Engage in more discussions
When reading books, in addition to using the speech techniques mentioned above and telling stories to the child, you can also discuss the content of the story based on their comprehension abilities. For younger children, we can ask simple questions about the story, such as: Who is playing with the ball? Where is the small animal playing? What colour is this car? For children with better language skills, we can ask more thought-provoking questions, including: What do you think will happen next? Are there any other solutions? Why do you think the child lost their backpack? What do you think the teacher will say to them? If you were that child, how would you feel? This helps enhance their logical thinking abilities.
3. Reduce one-way screen time
Reduce the use of electronic devices for one-way games and increase the child’s interaction time with others. Engage in activities such as role-playing games, turn-taking games, cooperative games, etc., to increase their opportunities to use social communication skills.
With the current relaxation of pandemic measures, parents can take the opportunity to take their children on outings or visits, such as to libraries, farms, parks, beaches, theatres, museums, etc., to learn different vocabulary and gain life experiences. With consistent effort, children will surely become more articulate.
References:
- Barrow, J. (2022, May 26). How has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Children’s Language Development? ALTA Language Services. Retrieved December 30, 2022, from https://www.altalang.com/beyond-words/lockdown-speech-in-english-for-students/
- Drennen, P. (2022, August 2). The Impact of Covid-19 Responses on Speech Development Kidmunicate. Kidmunicate. Retrieved December 30, 2022, from https://kidmunicate.com/negative-impacts-of-the-covid-19-responses-speech-development/
- Wren, Y. (2021, May 19). How lockdown has affected children’s speech – and what parents can do to help. The Conversation. Retrieved December 30, 2022, from http://theconversation.com/how-lockdown-has-affected-childrens-speech-and-what-parents-can-do-to-help-160886
