Children (Nov 2023)

Impact of Innovative Emotion Training in Preschool and Kindergarten Children Aged from 3 to 6 Years

  • Anne Lafay,
  • Carole Berger,
  • Laura Alaria,
  • Sonia Angonin,
  • Nathalie Dalla-Libera,
  • Sylvie Richard,
  • Thalia Cavadini,
  • Edouard Gentaz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children10111825
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 11
p. 1825

Abstract

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Children’s emotional abilities have been shown to be related to academic performance, peer acceptance, and in-school adjustment. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of innovative emotion training designed to promote the emotional abilities of 316 preschool/kindergarten children aged from 3 to 6 years old enrolled in public schools in the first three levels (L1, L2, and L3). Another objective was to examine the transfer effects on language comprehension and mathematics abilities. The emotion training (eight sessions) focused on the identification, comprehension, and expression of emotions and were co-constructed with teachers. Children were tested before and after the training on emotion, language, and mathematics skills. Results showed an improvement in emotional abilities in young children of L1 (3–4 years) and L2 (4–5 years) in the intervention group compared to those in the non-intervention group. Also, although children’s emotion basic abilities were correlated with their language comprehension and mathematics abilities, the nature of this link was not demonstrated to be causal. Findings are discussed in regard to the influence of the level and in regard to links with academic variables.

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