There hasn’t been a lot of play this year’
Teacher perspectives on play at school and young children’s socio-emotional development during Covid-19 restrictions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12724799 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Colin O’Brien (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland), Suzanne Egan (0000-0001-7238-6529, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 308-321 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Early Childhood Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1476-718X • E-ISSN: 1741-2927 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1476718x251325686 |
| OpenAlex | W4408468751 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 27 |
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic many restrictions were placed on primary schools. The aim of the current study was to explore the impact of the restrictions on young children’s play, an important pedagogical strategy for supporting young children’s socio-emotional development and learning. Teachers of young children aged approximately 4–8 years completed semi-structured interviews in February 2022. At this time in Ireland, COVID-19 restrictions were still in place in schools, and had been in place since September 2020 when schools reopened after closures in March 2020. The teachers ( N = 5) responded to a number of questions about how they use play in school, children’s socio-emotional development, and how COVID-19 restrictions affected both play and children’s socio-emotional development. Thematic analysis indicated the importance teachers place on play within the classroom and at break times (recess), how restrictions affected the way in which they used play, and the impact restrictions had on children’s socio-emotional development, particularly the impact of mandatory small groups or ‘pods’. These findings suggest that young children’s play at school and socio-emotional development was disrupted as a result of restrictions, and findings are discussed from an ecological systems perspective. Further research is needed to determine whether nearly 2 years of school closures and hygiene restrictions during this formative period in young children’s lives has had a lasting influence on development
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Child development · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Developmental psychology · Early childhood education · Economic growth · Economics · Emotional development · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Social change · Social emotional learning · Child Development and Digital Technology · Child Therapy and Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Medicine · Psychology · Virology
Effects of Covid-19-Related School Closures on Student Achievement-A Systematic Review
Mental health considerations for children & adolescents in Covid-19 Pandemic
Emotions Matter
Semistructured interviewing in primary care research
Social-Emotional Competence
Long-Term Consequences of Repeated School Closures During the Covid-19 Pandemic for Reading and Mathematics Competencies
‘Uncharted territory’
Streets ahead
Play in a Covid Frame
Using thematic analysis in psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |