"Dependence on screens and the forced isolation of the pandemic interfered with the usual informal and indirect ways nonverbal language is learned and left many children with nonverbal deficits. To counter such loss, parents and teachers need to take an active role in directly teaching children the seven channels of nonverbal language: facial expressions, postures, gestures, personal space, touch, rhythm, and objectics, or what a child wears."
"Smiling and appropriate eye contact are two of the best predictors of children's social adjustment and happiness. In fact, infants and young children smile more often than people of any other age group, somewhere around 200 to 300 times a day. The sad news is that as we get older, we smile less, bottoming out at about 20 or so times a day as adults."
Nonverbal language skills shape relationship development and determine ability to form friendships. Difficulties in nonverbal communication can prevent children from connecting with peers, producing isolation. Dependence on screens and pandemic-related isolation disrupted informal learning of nonverbal cues, producing deficits. Parents and teachers must directly teach seven nonverbal channels: facial expressions, postures, gestures, personal space, touch, rhythm, and objectics (clothing). Facial expressions, especially smiling and appropriate eye contact, are key predictors of social adjustment and happiness. Infants smile frequently (about 200–300 times daily), while adults smile far less (around 20 times daily). Early intervention can prevent social problems as children return to school.
Read at Psychology Today
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