Frontiers | School-based mindfulness education and children’s emotion regulation: the mediating role of executive function

March 4, 2026 - 09:21

New research provides compelling evidence for how school-based mindfulness programs help children manage their emotions. The study reveals that the significant benefits for emotion regulation are primarily driven by improvements in core cognitive processes, known as executive function.

Mindfulness education, involving practices like focused breathing and present-moment awareness, has become a popular tool in classrooms aiming to enhance students' socio-emotional well-being. While its positive effects are often observed, the specific psychological mechanisms behind these changes have been less clear.

This investigation focused on unpacking that "how." Researchers found that children who participated in mindfulness training showed marked improvements in their ability to regulate feelings like frustration, anxiety, and excitement. Crucially, the analysis demonstrated that these gains in emotional control were largely mediated by enhanced executive function.

Executive function acts as the brain's command center, encompassing skills such as working memory, mental flexibility, and inhibitory control—the ability to pause before reacting. The findings suggest that mindfulness exercises strengthen these foundational cognitive skills. As children get better at focusing their attention, holding information in mind, and choosing their responses, they become more adept at navigating their emotional world.

The study underscores that the value of mindfulness in education may extend beyond a moment of calm. By systematically training attention and awareness, these programs appear to build the underlying mental architecture that supports both academic success and healthier emotional development throughout the school day.