Worried socially for my 4 yr old

[Newmums16]

My DD is very, very shy. If someone so much as smiles at her she freezes. She is only comfortable with a handful of people but truly she is most comfortable when just with me & her dad. She started nursery last September, but her confidence hasn’t improved. She still never really settled or joined in with any group activity. She is due to start school this September (lockdown permitting) and I am really worried for her. Since we’ve been in lockdown I feel all the hard work we’ve tried to do has been broken and I’m not sure how she’s going to cope once we are back in the ‘real world’. She wouldn’t even wave at her nan and grandad last week (dropped off prescription) and they were 2 of her favourite people!

Bump

My four year old son is the same and he is also due to start school in September. He is shy, has speech delay and prefers to be at home or with the adults at preschool. He has really taken to lockdown and social distancing and has now become terrified of everyone we see outside the house, even if they are across the road from us. I’m worried about how he will transition to school in September as I know he will find it tough. I think there is a limit to what we can do at the moment. I talk about big school with him and do lots of role play with his teddies/toys with him to help him with social skills. I’m also planning to send him back for a couple of sessions if preschool opens in June. I would prefer not to, but am having to weigh up the health risks with his need to have at least a partial transition up to school.