Short Playful Interactions Improve Executive Functions in Children

Executive Functions (EFs) are foundational for lifelong flourishing, supporting crucial capacities such as planning, decision-making, and self-regulation. Research indicates that EFs in children are malleable, with both long-term and short-term interventions facilitating the acquisition of these vital skills. Consequently, there is significant interest in enhancing EFs from early childhood. Social playfulness, a natural core aspect of children's lives, supports broad developmental benefits and may improve EFs. This study examined the effect of a short playful interaction compared with an active control interaction on children’s EF performance and mood. Sixty-two children aged 6 to 10 years participated in either a playful or control interaction with an adult female. The results showed that the playful interaction, but not the control interaction, improved attentional performance as measured with the Flanker task. Furthermore, playful interaction enhanced children’s positive mood and led to stronger social bonds with the co-player. These promising findings imply that playful interactions are multidimensional natural activities that target cognitive, emotional, and social functions simultaneously. We suggest that social playfulness holds unique potential for interventions aimed at training EFs in primary school children, as it is highly enjoyable and easy to learn and integrate into daily activities.