This study is a theoretical review that examines the contributions of mindfulness-based approaches in early childhood to children’s social-emotional development. The concept of mindfulness is addressed within developmental, neuroscientific, and pedagogical contexts, and studies conducted in these fields have been synthesized to evaluate their implications for early childhood education. The research does not include the collection of empirical data; instead, existing findings in the literature were systematically analyzed, and three original mindfulness activity examples specific to early childhood were presented as illustrative practices. These activities were designed to support children’s fundamental skills such as attention, self-awareness, empathy, and compassion. Findings from the literature suggest that mindfulness practices have positive effects on attention span, self-regulation, and social-emotional competencies. Neuroscientific studies indicate that mindfulness strengthens interactions between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, thereby contributing to self-regulation processes. From an educational perspective, mindfulness overlaps with social-emotional learning approaches and emerges as a pedagogical tool that supports children’s self-awareness and empathy. The activity examples presented in this study demonstrate that mindfulness can be integrated into daily educational routines through short and play-based practices. Moreover, family involvement plays an important role in the process, as mindfulness practices sustained in the home environment strengthen children’s emotional resilience. The findings also suggest that mindfulness contributes not only at the individual level but also positively influences children’s peer relationships and classroom interactions. These outcomes highlight that mindfulness-based gains developed in early childhood are closely associated with long-term academic achievement, social adjustment, and psychological well-being. In conclusion, mindfulness-based pedagogies appear to hold strong potential for creating inclusive, compassionate, and sustainable learning environments in early childhood. Nevertheless, the current literature on this age group remains limited, and future experimental and longitudinal studies conducted across diverse cultural contexts are recommended to provide significant contributions to the field.

Mindfulness, Mindfulness, earlyt