Mindfulness Curriculum for Preschoolers (MBKC) – Teacher-Led Implementation

Previous journal articles have explored the impact of mindfulness on elementary, middle school, high school, and college students. But can preschool children benefit from mindfulness? This study takes a bold step in answering that question, demonstrating promising results. While this is not the first nor the last attempt in this area, it provides valuable insights for parents, teachers, and educational policymakers. Let's take a closer look at today’s mindfulness intervention:The Mindfulness-Based Kindness Curriculum for Preschoolers: An Applied Multi-Site Randomized Control Trial (Haines et al., 2023).

Overview of the Mindfulness-Based Kindness Curriculum (MBKC)

The Mindfulness-Based Kindness Curriculum (MBKC) is a teacher-led mindfulness-based prosocial skills training program designed for preschool children (ages 3-5). The curriculum consists of 24 lessons, each lasting 15-20 minutes, structured around themes such as emotion expression, self-calming, and gratitude.

MBKC aims to cultivate non-judgmental acceptance, present-moment awareness, and kindness toward oneself, others, and the environment through children’s literature, music, and movement. The core assumption is that fostering mindfulness will enhance self-regulation, behavioral control, and executive function, ultimately promoting social-emotional competence.

Key Components of Preschool Social-Emotional Skills

1. Self-Regulation

· The ability to adjust attention, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to meet environmental demands and achieve goals.

· Self-regulation is foundational for more complex social-emotional skills and contributes to:

o Increased motivation for learning and academic success.

o Higher social-emotional intelligence, helping children navigate social interactions.

o Greater engagement in empathy and prosocial behaviors, fostering supportive relationships.

· Well-developed self-regulation skills are associated with better social, emotional, and cognitive functioning.

2. Empathy

· The ability to understand and share the emotions of others, which is key to fostering prosocial behavior.

· The study used the Griffith Empathy Measure (GEM) to assess parents' perceptions of their children’s empathy, measuring cognitive empathy (perspective-taking) and affect contagion (empathic responding).

· Teacher Ratings: MBKC children scored significantly higher on empathic behavior than CAU children.

· Parent Ratings: MBKC children had significantly higher cognitive empathy scores, indicating greater ability to take others' perspectives.

3. Prosocial Behavior

· Actions intended to benefit others, such as sharing and helping.

· Teacher Ratings: MBKC children received significantly higher prosocial behavior scores than CAU children.

· Sharing Task: MBKC children were significantly more likely to share with a sick child and demonstrated an overall increase in sharing behaviors.

4. Social Competence

· A broad construct that includes various social skills necessary for effective interaction with others.

· Teacher Ratings (TRSC Scale): 

o MBKC children were rated higher in prosocial behavior and emotional self-regulation.

· Parent Ratings: MBKC children showed a trend toward higher overall social-emotional competency, though the difference was only marginally significant.

5. Emotional Awareness

· The ability to understand one’s own emotions and recognize the emotions of others is a fundamental aspect of social-emotional development.

· Although this study did not directly measure explicit emotional awareness, the MBKC curriculum includes themes such as “Inside Emotions” and “Emotion Expression”, emphasizing its importance.

Development of Executive Function in Preschoolers

Executive function refers to a set of cognitive skills essential for goal-directed behavior and adapting to new situations. It plays a critical role in academic achievement, social interactions, and emotional regulation.

Key Components of Executive Function

Cognitive Flexibility

o The ability to switch between different tasks or ways of thinking.

o Helps children adapt to changing environments, such as transitioning from play to learning or adjusting strategies when facing challenges.

Inhibitory Control

o The ability to suppress impulsive responses and resist distractions.

o Helps children stay focused in the classroom and follow rules instead of reacting impulsively.

Working Memory

o The ability to hold and manipulate information in one’s mind.

o Critical for problem-solving, following multi-step instructions, and learning math and language.

Planning/Organizing

o The ability to plan ahead and manage actions.

o Helps children complete tasks in a logical order and prepare for future activities.

Decision-Making

o Though not explicitly studied in preschoolers, it is recognized as part of the executive function system.

o Children must make choices in social settings, such as whether to share toys or respond to a friend’s emotions.

Conclusion: Executive function development is a fundamental aspect of cognitive growth in preschoolers, influencing their academic success, social interactions, and long-term psychological well-being.

Implementation of MBKC in This Study

· Duration: 12 weeks, delivered by classroom teachers rather than external experts.

· Study Design:

MBKC Group: Received MBKC instruction from trained classroom teachers.

Curriculum-as-Usual (CAU) Group: Continued regular instruction.

· Teacher Training:

26 hours of expert-led training for teachers, agency leaders, and mindfulness coaches.

Goals: Develop teachers' own mindfulness practices and equip them to teach MBKC effectively.

Ongoing Support: Mindfulness coaches provided materials and individual support.

· Parent Involvement:

5 letters introducing MBKC.

Access to a family mindfulness website.

Optional 5-week mindfulness course for parents after MBKC completion.

· Monitoring Curriculum Implementation:

Weekly fidelity reports to track adherence to MBKC.

Post-program teacher evaluation of MBKC’s effectiveness and classroom impact.

Curriculum Structure

24 lessons, 15-20 minutes each, covering eight themes:

1. Emotion Expression

2. Self-Calming

3. Gratitude

4. Mindful Bodies

5. Inside Emotions

6. Emotion Caretaking

7. Caring for Others

8. Caring for the World

Theoretical Foundation

· MBKC posits that cultivating mindfulness enhances self-regulation and executive function.

· Mindfulness is defined as experiencing the present moment with openness and acceptance (Kabat-Zinn, 2005).

· Core Goals of MBKC:

o Strengthen self-regulation (attention, emotions, thoughts, behavior).

o Improve executive function (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, working memory, decision-making).

o Foster social-emotional development (empathy, prosocial behavior, well-being).

Conclusion: The Potential of MBKC in Early Childhood Education

· MBKC effectively enhances preschoolers’ social-emotional and executive function skills.

· Teachers found the curriculum beneficial and intend to continue using it.

· MBKC can serve as a valuable supplement to existing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula.

· Future research should explore long-term effects and the impact on diverse student populations.

This study validates the potential of mindfulness in early childhood education, reinforcing the idea that introducing mindfulness-based programs at a young age can provide lifelong benefits.