Self-regulation skills help children and adults perform better, resisting the temptation to do something that might not be good for us, waiting for rewards, taking turns, working well with others, recognising and managing our feelings, dealing with difficult emotions (anger, fear, anxiety, frustration etc.) and more. Self-regulation is a skill, and skills can be improved with practice. These skills can (and should) be taught to preschoolers.

1. Some BestStart New Zealand Early Childhood Centres are trialling a games-based programme to help teach self-regulation to pre-schoolers called ENGAGE.

2. Self-regulation has been proven to be an essential part of well-functioning adulthood, and these skills can be taught in the magic window of 3-7 years of age when children are receptive to them.

3. Developing self-regulation skills in the early years of life is now widely understood to be one of the most important interventions for societal wellbeing – with major impacts on a wide range of childhood, youth and adult life outcomes including physical health, mental health, education, employment, criminality, substance use and future parenting outcomes.

4. Self-regulation helps us manage our emotions, thoughts and behaviours – the three self-regulation domains that ENGAGE focusses on are feeling (emotional), thinking (cognitive), and doing (behavioural skills).

5. The games can also be played at home. However, group games have many benefits, and can therefore be much easier to set up and play in an early childhood education environment.