Self Regulation and Academic Abilities

More research is being published in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly on self regulation skills in young children. The researchers studied 1298 children from birth through first grade. After controlling for at risk factors such as ethnic minority status, low maternal education, low family income and chronic depressive symptoms in the mother, children with strong self regulation skills in preschool and kindergarten did significantly better on math, reading and vocabulary at the end of first grade. The researchers recommend that we teach young children how to self regulate.

Need ideas for teaching self regulation? Check out these self regulation activities suggested by one of the authors of this research study.

Reference: Michaella Sektnana, Megan M. McClellanda, Alan Acocka and Frederick J. Morrison Relations between early family risk, children’s behavioral regulation, and academic achievement Article in press Early Childhood Research Quarterly doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.02.005