Seven in 10 parents have revealed they are worried their kids forgot how to socialize with other children after being home during the pandemic, según una nueva investigación.

Una encuesta de 2,000 parents of children ages 5 para 14 found that two in three parents are concerned that their child has gotten more awkward around others, y 62 percent don’t think their kid will be able to pick up where they left off socially when they go back to school this fall.

Específicamente, parents are worried that their children won’t be keen on making conversation with friends (41 por ciento), meeting new people (40 por ciento), or remembering their manners by saying “please” and “thank you” (37 por ciento).

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Osmo, the survey revealed that parents are big on socializing, con 85 percent believing it is a necessary skill to use in school.

Forty-four percent of respondents place academic learning and socializing on the same level of importance and four in five (81 por ciento) think schools should implement more activities that encourage and teach social skills.

And despite being home most of the time during quarantine, 77 percent of parents encouraged their child to be social from afar.

Whether it was motivating their child to play video games or online games with others (52 por ciento), call and text their friends often (49 por ciento), or spend time with friends outdoors (46 por ciento), parents tried their best to keep their kids social and active over the past year.

Four in five parents also emphasized that school was as important as ever before and made sure their children succeeded academically even through tough times.

Over half of parents (52 por ciento) stuck by their child’s side when they struggled with an assignment and another 43 percent tried to make learning fun through games or educational activities.

Forty-two percent of parents even took the time to create extra homework to ensure their children understood the material they were learning during homeschooling.

sin embargo, three in four parents believe their child lost a year of proper education because of the Covid-19 crisis – and the majority (71 por ciento) are concerned that it will be difficult for their kids to catch up on learning materials they may have missed.

“The pandemic was difficult for all of us, but especially for kids and their parents,” said Osmo CEO Pramod Sharma.

“This past year has taught all of us that learning is about so much more than academics.”

When it comes to academics, parents express the most concern about their child not remembering their school supplies and books (42 por ciento), focusing in class (41 por ciento), or using a full keyboard not attached to a tablet (36 por ciento) de nuevo.

When asked what subject they think their kids are most likely to struggle with, parents said math (41 por ciento) followed by science (37 por ciento) and language arts (34 por ciento).

With those concerns in mind, four in five parents (81 por ciento) believe that certain technology or entertainment tools may be the solution to improving both their child’s social and educational skills.

De media, parents think their kid would spend 26 more minutes in front of something educational if it were entertaining, y 77 percent would be interested in purchasing fun learning tech.

“Kids also need an outlet for social-emotional learning, multiplayer experiences, and social-strengthening activities that positively shape their active characters,” added Sharma.