Worldwide, millions of children have missed out on early childhood education and care (ECEC) due to the closure of their settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about the socio-emotional impact of these closures on young children. This paper draws upon a study of 506 parents of children aged 1–10 years in Ireland who completed the online Play and Learning in the Early Years (PLEY) Survey during lockdown in May and June 2020. Parents responded to a series of questions about their child’s play, learning and development during lockdown, and described the impact of the restrictions on their children’s lives. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. Findings indicate that most children missed their friends, playing with other children, and the routine and structure of ECEC and school settings. Parents described the negative impact of the closure of these settings on their children’s social and emotional well-being, which they suggested, resulted in tantrums, anxiety, clinginess, boredom, and under-stimulation. However, some parents did report positive aspects of lockdown for their children and the family, including more time to play with siblings and a break from the usual routine. While the findings of the PLEY study indicate that children’s socio-emotional development was severely disrupted during lockdown, with a variety of negative impacts, this experience was not universal. Moreover, the findings suggest that families missed the nurturing environment provided by ECEC programs that supported their children's socio-emotional development, as well as the structure and routine afforded by their children's participation in early childhood programs.

在全球范围内，由于在 COVID-19 大流行期间关闭他们的场所，数百万儿童错过了早期儿童教育和护理 (ECEC)。然而，人们对这些关闭对幼儿的社会情感影响知之甚少。本文借鉴了对爱尔兰 506 名 1-10 岁儿童父母的研究，他们在 2020 年 5 月和 2020 年 6 月锁定期间完成了在线早期游戏和学习 (PLEY) 调查。父母回答了一系列关于他们的问题锁定期间孩子的玩耍、学习和发展，并描述了限制对孩子生活的影响。该研究得到了机构伦理委员会的批准。调查结果表明，大多数孩子想念他们的朋友、和其他孩子一起玩，以及 ECEC 和学校环境的常规和结构。父母描述了关闭这些场所对孩子的社交和情感健康的负面影响，他们认为这会导致发脾气、焦虑、粘人、无聊和刺激不足。然而，一些父母确实报告了对他们的孩子和家庭来说封锁的积极方面，包括更多的时间和兄弟姐妹一起玩，以及从平常的日常生活中休息。虽然 PLEY 研究的结果表明，儿童的社会情感发展在封锁期间受到严重破坏，并产生了各种负面影响，但这种经历并不普遍。此外，研究结果表明，家庭错过了支持孩子的社会情感发展的 ECEC 项目提供的培育环境，以及他们孩子的结构和常规。