UCLA

Recent investigations on mindfulness training and child outcomes have found positive effects on executive function, social skills and academic performance. The majority of research on mindfulness practices with children has focused on school-age children. To explore the impact of mindfulness training on preschool children’s self-regulation and prosocial skills, this investigation utilized a mindfulness-based social skills program randomly assigned to one of two preschool classrooms serving children (3-5 years-old), the second classroom was assigned waitlist-control (treatment as usual). No significant differences were found between the mindfulness-based social skills program and waitlist-control classrooms on measures of self-regulation and pro-social skills. Teachers reported children benefiting from the mindfulness-based social skills program and demonstrated further interest in mindfulness-training for themselves and their students. Results and implications for future directions in research on mindfulness practices for children will be discussed.