Mindful movement has uncertain developmental benefits for young children
Pooled results did not reach statistical significance for social-emotional or cognitive outcomes, and findings varied substantially across studies.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review tested whether combining movement with mindfulness improves children's social, emotional or cognitive development. Neither pooled outcome showed a statistically significant effect. This abstract-based reading leaves possible benefits uncertain: the estimates pointed in a favorable direction, but the evidence does not establish improvement or prove that these practices have no effect.
Studies differed substantially, and there were too few data for subgroup analyses. The abstract does not identify comparison activities, follow-up periods or the specific effect-size metric used.
What the review brought together
The interventions combined physical activity with mindfulness practices. The review included controlled studies with and without random assignment, so its evidence came from different designs rather than a uniform set of experiments.
Why uncertainty remains
Both pooled confidence intervals crossed the value representing no effect. Considerable differences between studies also make the average results harder to generalize, and the available data could not support separate analyses of participant or intervention subgroups.
The original publication
Examining the Effects of Mindful-Movement Interventions on Social, Emotional and Cognitive Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Harrison Z, Bourke M, Gomersall SR
Child Care Health Dev · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41429606
- Record checked
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