Mindfulness and Executive Functioning

Do you work with students who struggle with their executive functioning skills such as inhibition or emotional control? Mindfulness interventions may help students with their executive functioning skills. A research study took a closer look at mindfulness and executive functioning.

What Are Executive Function Skills?

Executive function skills include planning, organization, working memory, initiation, task monitoring, self-monitoring, inhibition, emotional control, and shifting/flexibility.

Inhibition – The ability to stop one’s own behavior at the appropriate time.

Shift – The ability to move freely from one situation to another. To think flexibly in order to respond appropriately to the situation.

Emotional Control – The ability to modulate emotional responses by bringing rational thought to bear on feelings.

Initiation – The ability to begin a task or activity and to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies.

Working memory – The capacity to hold information in mind for the purpose of completing a task.

Planning/Organization – The ability to manage current and future- oriented task demands.

Organization of Materials – The ability to impose order on work, play, and storage spaces.

Self-Monitoring – The ability to monitor one’s own performance and to measure it against some standard of what is needed or expected.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a mental state where you focus your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Often times, yoga exercises include mindfulness activities.

What Does the Research Say About Mindfulness and Executive Functioning?

A recent research review investigated the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions. It included mindful movements such as yoga on attention and executive function in children and adolescents.

Following a systemic search, 13 randomized control trials were identified as meeting inclusion criteria, including mindfulness-based psychological interventions (n = 7), yoga (n = 3), and traditional meditation techniques (n = 2). The participants in the studies included adolescents or children that were neurotypical and not neurotypical.

The results indicated that 5 of the 13 studies found a statistically significant intervention effect for at least one outcome measure of attention or executive function with medium to large effect sizes.

The researchers concluded that mindfulness-based interventions are a promising approach to targeting attention and executive function in children and adolescents.

Reference: Mak, C., Whittingham, K., Cunnington, R., & Boyd, R. N. (2018). Efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for attention and executive function in children and adolescents—A systematic review. Mindfulness, 9(1), 59-78.

Mindfulness Resources

Created by certified yoga instructor and former primary school teacher, Giselle Shardlow, Mindful Kids in 10 Minutes a Day: PreK-2nd Grade can help you easily bring mindfulness to children in preschool through 2nd grade!

This Mindfulness Middle School done-for-you workbook will provide you with daily activities to help middle schoolers find quietude, calm, and focus in the midst of their otherwise-busy day. MINDFULNESS MADE EASY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS!

What makes you shine bright? This Rainbow Mindfulness and Movement Activity will walk your students through a peaceful journey on their colorful strengths while practicing motor skills and handwriting. Encourage a growth mindset and teach new relaxation and calming skills to add to your students tool kit.