A Systematic Review of Mindfulness Research with Preschool Children

Mindfulness is a skill that enables individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings without judgement and to focus on their immediate experiences. It is important to determine the effects of mindfulness activities on children during the preschool period, as this is critical for their development. In this study, the systematic review method was used to examine the effects of mindfulness practices conducted with preschool children on their development. It is expected that the study will contribute to the scientific literature in terms of understanding the effects of mindfulness on children's different developmental areas and behaviours; it is also expected that it will be serves as a guide on the development of educational programmes and intervention practices to support mindfulness skills at an early age. The research included scientific studies and theses on mindfulness in preschool children (36-72 months) in Google Scholar, YÖK Thesis Centre, Tandfonline, ProQuest, EBSCO, Wiley Online Library, MEDLINE, Sage Journals, DergiPark, and JSTOR databases, which were conducted between 2015-2025 and could be accessed in full text. The databases were searched using the keywords "mindfulness" and "preschool" in English and "okul öncesi,” "mindfulness,” and "bilinçli farkındalık" in Turkish, which were determined by considering the subject title and the relationship with the purpose of the study. As a result of the search, 51 sources, 11 theses, and 40 studies were included in the review. The research results show that mindfulness-based programs have the potential to positively affect children's executive functioning, self-regulation skills, and social-emotional development. This study highlights the importance of early interventions and offers evidence-based guidance for future educational programs.