Brain Games: A Crèches-Based Early Intervention Program to Improve Children's Executive Function and Self Control Skills in São Paulo, Brazil

A growing body of research has highlighted the critical importance of children’s self-regulation and executive function skills for their school performance as well as for their later life outcomes. Starting around age three, children have a unique potential to improve these skills and establish positive behaviors that will support them in school and life.In this project, we propose to adapt, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the Brain Games intervention package as a tool to improve children’s self-regulation and executive function skills. Brain Games were developed as part of larger behavioral intervention package in the US, and are designed to build the fundamental self-regulation skills that children need to be successful in school as well as later in life. We will adapt the Brain Games curriculum to Brazil, and conduct a 12 month randomized controlled trial with 60 crèches in São Paulo to assess its impact on children’s self-regulation and executive functioning skills.