Learn about the research

Learn about the research behind our games

It took neuroscientists and psychologists 2000 years to realize the benefits of yoga meditation, and mindfulness. Our games spare you the dense academic jargon behind this realization and incorporates it into practical, and playful routines you can implement simply and easily into your busy, daily life with kids.

But just in case you’re a research nerd like us, here are some references.

Music & Rhythm

Positive effects of music on reading and writing in preschool children, 
The Effects of Music Instruction on Emergent Literacy Capacities among Preschool Children: A Literature Review. Bolduc et al. Early Childhood Research & Practice, v10 n1 Spr 2008
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ848819

Rhythm and movement support self-regulation skills in children 
Williams KE, Berthelsen D. Implementation of a rhythm and movement intervention to support self-regulation skills of preschool-aged children in disadvantaged communities. Psychology of Music. 2019;47(6):800-820. doi:10.1177/0305735619861433

Effects of rhythm on executive functioning in children 
Ewa A. Miendlarzewska and Wiebke J. Trost2
Front. Neurosci., 20 January 2014
Sec.Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2013.00279

Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing could improve sustained attention, affect, and cortisol levels. Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, Zhang H, Duan NY, Shi YT, Wei GX, Li YF. The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Front Psychol. 2017 Jun 6;8:874. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874.

Taking a few deep breaths significantly reduces children's physiological arousal in everyday settings: Results of a preregistered video intervention. Obradović, J., *Sulik, M. J., & *Armstrong-Carter, E. (2021).  Developmental Psychobiology, 63, e22214. doi:10.1002/dev.22214

A better state-of-mind: deep breathing reduces state anxiety and enhances test performance through regulating test cognitions in children. Khng, Fannie Kiat Hui. (2016). Cognition and Emotion. 31. 1-9. 10.1080/02699931.2016.1233095. 

Breathing Rhythm and Pattern and Their Influence on Emotion. 
Ashhad S, Kam K, Del Negro CA, Feldman JL. 
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2022 Jul 8;45:223-247. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-090121-014424. Epub 2022 Mar 8. PMID: 35259917.

Breathing matters. Del Negro CA, Funk GD, Feldman JL. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 2018.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness supports emotional resilience in children during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Treves, IN, Li, CE, Wang, KL, Ozernov-Palchik, O, Olson, HA, Gabrieli, JDE et al.. medRxiv. 2022; :. doi: 10.1101/2022.11.18.22282510. PubMed PMID:36415463 PubMed Central PMC9681054.

Mindfulness training preserves sustained attention and resting state anticorrelation between default-mode network and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: A randomized controlled trial. Human brain mapping, Bauer, C. C. C., Rozenkrantz, L., et al. (2020).  41(18), 5356–5369. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25197

Mindfulness training reduces stress and amygdala reactivity to fearful faces in middle-school children. Bauer, C. C. C., Caballero, C., Scherer, E., West, M. R., Mrazek, M. D., Phillips, D. T., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2019). Behavioral neuroscience, 133(6), 569–585. https://doi.org/10.1037/bne0000337

Parental Mindfulness and Preschool Children’s Emotion Regulation: the Role of Mindful Parenting and Secure Parent-Child Attachment. Zhang, W., Wang, M. & Ying, L.  Mindfulness 10, 2481–2491 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01120-y

A randomized trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children: promoting mindful attention to enhance social-emotional resiliency in children. Semple, R. J., Lee, J., Rosa, D., & Miller, L. F. (2010). Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2), 218–229.

Enhancing cognitive and social–emotional development through a simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children: A randomized controlled trial. Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Oberle, E., Lawlor, M. S., Abbott, D., Thomson, K., Oberlander, T. F., & Diamond, A. (2015).  Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 52-66

Mindfulness and dynamic functional neural connectivity in children and adolescents. Marusek, H.A, Elrahal, F., Peters, C.A. (2018) Behavioural Brain Research, 336:211-218. 

Research Review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents - a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Dunning DL, Griffiths K, Kuyken W, Crane C, Foulkes L, Parker J, Dalgleish T. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019 Mar; 60(3):244-258. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12980. Epub 2018 Oct 22. PMID: 30345511; PMCID: PMC6546608.

Hippocampal circuits underlie improvements in self‐reported anxiety following mindfulness training. Sevinc G, Greenberg J, Hölzel BK, Gard T, Calahan T, Brunsch V, Hashmi JA, Vangel M, Orr SP, Milad MR, et al. Brain and Behavior. 2020;10 (9) :e01766

Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum. Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L. J., & Davidson, R. J. (2015).  Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 44–51. doi:10.1037/a0038256 PMCID: PMC4485612

Yoga

Afonso RF, Balardin JB, Lazar S, Sato JR, Igarashi N, Santaella DF, Lacerda SS, Jr. EA, Kozasa EH. Greater Cortical Thickness in Elderly Female Yoga Practitioners-A Cross-Sectional Study. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2017

Streeter, C. C., Gerbarg, P. L., Brown, R. P., Scott, T. M., Nielsen, G. H., Owen, L., Sakai, O., Sneider, J. T., Nyer, M. B., & Silveri, M. M. (2020). Thalamic Gamma Aminobutyric Acid Level Changes in Major Depressive Disorder After a 12-Week Iyengar Yoga and Coherent Breathing Intervention. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 26(3), 190–197. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2019.0234

Dongdong Jiang, Zongyu Liu, Guoxiao Sun. (2021). The Effect of Yoga Meditation Practice on Young Adults’ Inhibitory Control: An fNIRS Study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.725233
Nanthakumar C. (2018). The benefits of yoga in children. Journal of integrative medicine, 16(1), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2017.12.008

Kaur, M., & Bhat, A. (2019). Creative Yoga Intervention Improves Motor and Imitation Skills of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Physical therapy, 99(11), 1520–1534. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzz115

James-Palmer, A., Anderson, E. Z., Zucker, L., Kofman, Y., & Daneault, J. F. (2020). Yoga as an Intervention for the Reduction of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in pediatrics, 8, 78. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2020.00078

Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4 to 12 years old. Science (New York, N.Y.), 333(6045), 959–964. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204529

Rashedi, R. N., Rowe, S. E., Thompson, R. A., Solari, E. J., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (2021). A Yoga Intervention for Young Children: Self-Regulation and Emotion Regulation. Journal of child and family studies, 30(8), 2028–2041. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01992-6

Kanhere, S. V., Bagadia, D. R., Phadke, V. D., & Mukherjee, P. S. (2018). Yoga in Children with Epilepsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of pediatric neurosciences, 13(4), 410–415. https://doi.org/10.4103/JPN.JPN_88_18

Hagen, I., & Nayar, U. S. (2014). Yoga for Children and Young People's Mental Health and Well-Being: Research Review and Reflections on the Mental Health Potentials of Yoga. Frontiers in psychiatry, 5, 35. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00035

Hagen, I., Skjelstad, S., & Nayar, U. S. (2021). "I Just Find It Easier to Let Go of Anger": Reflections on the Ways in Which Yoga Influences How Young People Manage Their Emotions. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 729588. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.729588

Child development and emotion regulation

Developmental Patterns of Emotion Regulation in Toddlerhood. Sarah E. Halligan, Lynne Murray, Peter J. Cooper, and Alan Stein. "Developmental Patterns of Emotion Regulation in Toddlerhood." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 54, no. 2, 2013, pp. 121–128.

The Importance of Emotional Competence and Self-Regulation from Birth: A Case for the Evidence-Based Emotional Cognitive Social Early Learning Approach". International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, vol. 11, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1-20

Parents' and Toddlers' Emotion Regulation: The Importance of Parent Characteristics". Early Child Development and Care, vol. 195, no. 3, 2025, pp. 1-12.

Supporting Children's Emotion Regulation and Well-Being in the Classroom: The Role of Teacher Support". School Mental Health, vol. 17, no. 2, 2024, pp. 345-359

The Role of Emotion Regulation and Children's Early Academic Success. Paulo A. Graziano, Rachael D. Reavis, Susan P. Keane, and Susan D. Calkins. "The Role of Emotion Regulation and Children's Early Academic Success." Journal of School Psychology, vol. 45, no. 1, 2007, pp. 3–19

Fostering Child Development Through Perinatal Emotion Regulation". Nature Reviews Psychology, vol. 2, 2023, pp. 252-263. 

Emotion Regulation, Parenting, and Psychopathology: A Systematic Review"
Lotzin, Annett, et al. "Emotion Regulation, Parenting, and Psychopathology: A Systematic Review." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 6, 2015,

Meditation

A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind. MATTHEW A. KILLINGSWORTH AND DANIEL T. GILBERT.Science. 12 Nov 2010. Vol 330, Issue 6006, p. 932. DOI: 10.1126/science.1192439

Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators, Julia C. Basso, Alexandra McHale, Victoria Ende, Douglas J. Oberlin, Wendy A. Suzuki, Behavioural Brain Research, Volume 356, 2019, Pages 208-220, ISSN 0166-4328.

Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state, Gaëlle Desbordes1,2*, Lobsang T. Negi3, Thaddeus W. W. Pace4, B. Alan Wallace5, Charles L. Raison6 and Eric L. Schwartz,  Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2012 Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00292