Opinion

Urgent action needed to address the impacts of the pandemic on children under six

Coronavirus Health Child Development Wellbeing Physical Development Viewpoint
The pandemic has left its mark on all of us, but particularly young children and their physical development, says Max Stanford, of the Early Intervention Foundation
Max Stanford: 'We know that when children fall behind in their physical development it is hard for them to catch up and can impact other aspects of their cognitive and behavioural development'
Max Stanford: 'We know that when children fall behind in their physical development it is hard for them to catch up and can impact other aspects of their cognitive and behavioural development'

At the Early Intervention Foundation we recently published an evidence review of the impact of pandemic life on physical development in the early years, which found that the pandemic has had a significant impact on key factors known to impact on physical development in children aged 0–5. The evidence showed:  

We’ve all had to change how we live our lives – but for the youngest children, some of whom were born during the pandemic, or have lived the majority of their young lives under some form of social restrictions, the changes in their living situation have been so fundamental that they pose a meaningful risk to their ability to grow up healthy and to reach their full potential. 

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