The Effect of Yoga on Anxiety, Attention and Social-Emotional Symptoms in Preschool Children: A Pilot Quasi-Experimental Study

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a short yoga session on behavioral and cognitive outcomes in preschool children. 72 children ages 4-6 from a local preschool were divided into an intervention group (n = 32), and a control group (n = 40) that completed a 15 min, age-appropriate yoga video consisting of interactive poses including: sun salutation, cat, cow, downward dog, upward dog, warrior, gorilla, etc. Three teacher-rated questionnaires and a cancellation task (Cx) were administered pre-intervention and post-intervention. Significant improvement was demonstrated in the yoga group on the teacher-rated questionnaire scores, but not the control group. Correct cancellations increased more in the yoga group compared to the control group, with remaining cancellation metrics demonstrating interaction effects. Findings indicated that a short yoga session improves measures of anxiety, social-emotional behavior, and attention in preschool children. This study suggests that a short 15-minute yoga session may improve behavior and attention in preschool children.