Children who were infants and toddlers during the COVID-19 pandemic are showing signs of delays in their development and academic success in school, according to The New York Times.

Younger students struggle with fine motor skills, like holding a pencil, and social skills, like playing with other kids and communicating their needs, The New York Times reported. reportCiting interviews with dozens of educators, pediatricians and early childhood experts, the report noted that the pandemic appears to have hindered the early development of children of an age who would normally be at home because adults are not around as much as before, they can't play with their peers and are increasingly behind screens.

“I've spent a lot of time teaching kids to sit on the carpet while I read a book, something that wasn't necessary before,” David Feldman, a kindergarten teacher in Florida, told The New York Times.

According to the New York Times, some preschoolers are unable to properly regulate their emotions and become violent by throwing objects or hitting others.

“We're talking about 4- and 5-year-olds who are throwing chairs, biting, hitting chairs with no self-control,” Tommy Sheridan, vice president of the National Head Start Association, told the outlet. (Related article: Math scores plummet across the U.S. as students lose learning)

Children are also struggling with physical strength — Michigan kindergarten teacher Sarah Hovis told The New York Times that some have trouble opening bags of potato chips — and Tennessee kindergarten teacher Michaela Frederick explained that she swapped out the small building blocks for larger, softer blocks so her students could manipulate them.

“Kids don't have the strength, so all they do at home is screen time. They're just swiping,” Hovis told The New York Times.

The pandemic has also affected older children as schools reverted to online learning during school closures, with elementary school students who used virtual learning falling behind by more than a half year in math grades, The New York Times previously reported.

“If the pandemic was a dam breaking, the dam has been blocked and the reservoir of learning is filling again. While we are not yet in a position where we need it, investments in the American Rescue Plan, the Administration's clear guidance and strong implementation, and the heroic efforts of America's educators have helped turn things around,” a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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