In addition to new outfits and backpacks, face masks are now an essential addition to kids’ back-to-school gear. According to new guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all students and staff should wear masks inside schools, regardless of vaccination status.

But kids used to virtual learning may not have much experience interacting or communicating with their peers or teachers while masked. And parents and child development experts alike are wondering how that will affect children as they return to school.

For instance, to assess whether kids can accurately interpret a masked person’s emotions, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Child Emotion Lab showed children ages seven to 13 pictures of people displaying