What Back to School Looks Like Post Pandemic: A Playmaker’s POV
After many hybrid models of play pods & online sessions, February saw us finally going back to our full day programme at Papagoya. For some of our children it was returning to a Kindergarten routine they had left behind for two whole years, for our youngest it was their very first experience of what Kindergarten was all about.
Over the past 4 months, as a community (of Playmakers, parents and children), we’ve been trying to readjust into our original roles — for Playmakers it’s been getting back into the swing of things, trying to remember the old rhythm of our day and having moments of flashback as we recalled some of our best in-person play practices and learnings pre-pandemic and making that switch from online to in-person play in our day.
As Playmakers we were mentally prepared to tackle the learning loss, the lack of routine and the lack of social interaction children had experienced over the past 2 years, but it is over the past 4months that we’ve seen how much of the pandemic has integrated into little moments of play with our over 3s.
The lack of peer to peer learning on the playground over the past two years has led to children struggling with taking turns in a game and waiting, sharing toys and being able to work in groups. Children had also forgotten how to Play and a large part of our days are spent encouraging them to go back to imaginary play and think up fun games. These are skills that a child would have naturally had and nurtured or were picked up while spending time at the Kindergarten. But now they are trying to build these after two years of being isolated at home from their peers and left to play with their own toys.
With our under 3s who’ve largely had interactions only with adults over the past two years, transition and the separation from their parents have been harder, but we do see how much they’ve been craving for social interaction with children their own age. For this age group our focus has been providing care and comfort so they finally have a sense of a routine.
To be able to stay safe while open means that face masks are still an important part of our daily attire. Our biggest realisation is that having half the portion of one’s face covered meant children were not able to pick-up on non-verbal cues, our expressions, our emotions or lip-read while learning new letter sounds and songs, and it was taking the joy out of story time for them — all critical in their skill development at this age.
While we know another wave maybe approaching sooner, rather than later, as Playmakers everyday we see and attempt to unravel the larger impact the pandemic has had on our children and help them slowly build back the life skills and play experiences they lost out on. We hope everyday to give them the tools to be emotionally resilient and gentle little people in the midst of a very topsy turvy world and we truly believe our world of play will help them navigate life.
Pritika leads our Papagoya Kindergarten team and comes from a background of Advertising & Production. Leaving behind the fast paced agency life for a one that allowed her to be with children all day was an easy switch for her. Blessed to have had the opportunity to grow up in a Kindergarten that had a playful approach to learning, Pritika’s own philosophy of play is in the simplicity of it — whether it is doodling on your plate after a meal or going on a bug hunt around the garden. She is passionate about ensuring that every child at Papagoya plays to their heart’s content, and enjoys leading her team in delivering playful learning experiences.
