Examination of the Effects of a Play-Based Mindfulness Training Program on Resilience, Emotion Regulation Skills, and Executive Functions of Preschool Children

Background/Objectives: The cognitive processes underlying learning are critical for educational practices. While mindfulness-based approaches to strengthening these cognitive processes have become widespread, studies focusing on game-based development of executive functions, particularly in preschool settings, are limited. The primary objective of this study is to develop a play-based mindfulness intervention program for preschool children and to examine the effects of this program on preschool children’s resilience, emotion regulation skills, and executive functions. Methods: The study employed a pretest–post-test control-group experimental design. The study group consisted of 40 children (20 experimental and 20 control) aged 5–6 years, attending a kindergarten in Malatya province, Türkiye. The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Scale (DECA-P2), Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS), and Childhood Executive Functions Inventory (CHEXI) were used as data collection tools. Independent-samples t-tests were used for baseline analysis, and a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the program’s effects. Results: Findings showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the children in the experimental group compared with those in the control group for resilience, emotion regulation, and executive function (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Strong evidence was obtained that play-based mindfulness training has positive effects on the cognitive and emotional development of preschool children.