COVID-19 Pandemic in Pre-Primary Children in Tanzania: Strategies and Challenges

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring challenges faced by pre-primary children during COVID-19 pandemic and the strategies adapted to help them to cope with the pandemic in a Tanzanian context. Fifteen parents whose children were in pre-primary schools were interviewed through mobile phones on the challenges faced children and the strategies used to help their children cope with COVID 19 pandemic. The main challenges reported were loneliness and inactiveness. Majority of the parents could not device strategies that would help their children cope with the pandemic but reported to connect their children with the media such as educative cartoons. Based on the findings, it is recommended that necessary measures should be taken to empower parents to stimulate, play, communicate, and support their children’s learning at home.  Guidance should be provided to parents on how to engage their children in age-appropriate ways in order to develop literacy and numeracy skills at home.