Covid learning loss - preschool

I've been reading several discussions and reports of studies about students starting G1 or returning to G1-3 who lost certain development or who never achieved it because of two years of disruption due to Covid. I can't find where I noted them right now, but as soon as I do I will post the links below.

The first loss is around social skills such as sharing, taking turns, listening to others, offering to help and so on. Apparently these younger learners are used to being the center of their families' lives and so can't wait, want whatever it is now and shout and scream until they get what they want. Alternatively, they were largely left to their own devices and so are used to taking whatever they want, taking it all and even deviousness and subterfuge in order to do so.

The second is around language skills. Reports suggest six year-olds with the language skills of pre-covid three year-olds, and with an almost complete lack of more formal or "polite" language. 

The third concerns academic and learning skills such as completing tasks, filling in tables, solving puzzles, putting things away.

The fourth concerns academic skills such as math or reading. 

The fifth concerns motor skills. Reportedly, boys have lost fine-motor development such as painting threading, picking things up like buttons, and of course handwriting. Meanwhile, girls have lost gross-motor skills like running, jumping, kicking and throwing.

Many commentators of course bemoan the loss of content knowledge like the capitals of the states or the maiden names of the pressidents' wives' mothers. Regular readers will know that I do not see this as particularly important, especially at PS / ES level. What does concern is the loss of skills development I have mentioned above.

Skills take time, and every skill builds on others, complements others and is necessary for the future acquisition and development of others. I suspect that skills in the 3 - 6 years are more important than those which come later and I wonder what effect we will see in 3, 5 and 10 years from now.

Clearly, in the short term, schools and teachers need to adjust programs to focus much more and much more intensively on these skills. Are they doing so? Do they have the knowledge, skills and support to do so? I hope the answer to these questions is "yes". I fear it is not.

**Please leave your comments below.**