It’s unquestionably the case that things would be much better in the world were it not for the Coronavirus pandemic – it’s caused irredeemable problems for people, families, and organizations alike, and no side benefit in existence could make that loss worthwhile.

With that being said, it is still true that the last 19 months have been a learning experience for us all. And that includes children, despite the suggestion that lockdown and restrictions have meant that they’re not learning anything at all.

Whether academically or otherwise, our children have had the opportunity to learn in a way that we could not have imagined in advance of the pandemic. Time will tell what the ongoing benefits of this learning will be, but it’s hard to deny that the experience of something so all-encompassing so early on in life will have provided a test that means things are easier for most in the future. Below, let’s take a look at some of the key lessons kids have been learning.

Collective action and self-sacrifice

Although the kids themselves wouldn’t refer to their learning in this way, the last year or so has delivered a major lesson in both how we can work together to get the best results for everyone, and also how sometimes it is best to take a step back for the benefit of others. There is no doubt that staying at home and washing hands helped to break early transmission curves, and even if kids felt put out at missing out on parties, it’s been beneficial for them to know that having a few social gatherings over Zoom has meant better health for the adults they care about.

Self-motivated learning and IT

As schooling moved online early in the pandemic, it wasn’t just kids who had to undertake a crash course in online learning. Parents faced new challenges involved with setting up devices to stream classes and, with many schools getting Lenovo Chromebooks and LanSchool software in a bundle, it was a big change. Even as kids return to schools, the benefits of digital learning are expected to mean that devices will have a place even in a more traditional classroom setting, and for many shyer kids, this may be very good news.

Cooking

There were several stages to our experience of sheltering in place and living in a pandemic world. Among those stages was a point where nobody much knew what to do, and so found activities to keep adults and kids occupied while providing something useful at the end of it. Plenty of kids learned a lot about baking and cooking more generally, and this is something that will certainly stand them in good stead in later life – the principles of knowledge about ingredients and food prep are lessons that will never go to waste.

Science and nature

Very early on, before any authorities had really got a plan together for dealing with this pandemic, it was up to people to make their own provisions. When we learned that the virus could be transmitted by touching surfaces and then touching our faces, it became all the more important to regularly wash our hands – a message that will stay with kids. Along with that science lesson, there has also been one about nature. When it has been advised not to drive, family outings have involved more walks among local beauty spots, which has been a fine learning experience for kids (and for some of us adults, too!).