Children's Self-regulation Research Articles

Emotional competence and problem behavior of left-behind preschool children—the roles of self-regulation and authoritative grandparenting styles

IntroductionWhen parents migrate to other cities for work, their children who are left behind show a high prevalence of behavioral problems, which affect social function. Although previous studies have found that emotional competence significantly predicts problem behavior, little is known about the mechanism(s) through which self-regulation and authoritative grandparenting styles affect emotional competence and problem behavior. This study examined the associations between emotional competence and problem behavior of preschoolers and the mediating role of self-regulation and the moderating role of authoritative grandparenting styles.MethodsParticipants included 449 left-behind preschool children (46.3% girls, mean age = 53.65 months). Grandparents reported their parenting styles with children and teachers reported children’s problem behavior. Children’s emotional competence and self-regulation were completed one-on-one by trained research assistants, following a standard protocol.ResultsThe results revealed that children’s emotional competence is negatively related to problem behavior. Self-regulation partially mediates the effects of emotional competence on problem behavior. Authoritative grandparenting styles moderated the relationship between emotional competence and problem behavior in children, but not the relationship between self-regulation and problem behavior. Significantly, authoritative grandparenting styles enhanced the promoting effect of emotional competence and reduced children’s problem behavior.DiscussionOur findings underscore the importance of intrinsic elements of child self-regulation, as well as adopting more authoritative parenting behaviors in their daily interaction with children, on developing stronger emotional competence and reducing problem behavior in preschoolers.

Appetite Self-Regulation in Childhood: A Narrative Review and Conceptual Model of Processes and Mechanisms With Implications for Research and Practice.

The purpose of the present narrative review was to propose a unifying generalized conceptual model of mechanisms and processes in appetite self-regulation (ASR) in childhood. Appetite self-regulation, along with other domains of self-regulation, develops across childhood and contributes to energy intake and balance, diet quality, weight, and therefore long-term health outcomes. There have been efforts to conceptualize and measure components of ASR and associated processes/mechanisms, but, at present, there is no unifying conceptualization of ASR in childhood. A search of key databases supplemented by snowballing was undertaken for definitions/conceptions and theoretical models of ASR with a focus on children. An interpretive synthesis approach was used to identify themes from the definitions and models. The themes formed the basis of the proposed unifying generalized model of ASR in childhood, which is the main contribution of the article. At the center of the model is bottom-up reactivity to food, food cues and hunger, satiation and satiety signals, together with top-down regulatory control. An additional contribution is the proposed 5 interacting and overlapping domains (biological, hedonics, cognitive, behavioral, and traits) that function in and influence both bottom-up reactivity and top-down regulation. The domains also contribute to ASR outcomes of enactment and competence. External contextual and intrapersonal factors are conceived as impacting the domains and the bottom-up, top-down processes. The relevance of the model for explanations of ASR phenomena in childhood and children's food choice and diet quality, as well as its implications for research directions and approaches to preventive intervention, including food parenting practices, are discussed. The model provides a framework for researchers and practitioners to support and interpret children's problems and competence in self-directing food choices, energy intake, and nutrition.

A strategic mindset enhances children's generation of effective strategies and delay of gratification across tasks.

Overcoming challenges to achieve success involves being able to spontaneously come up with effective strategies to address different task demands. Research has linked individual differences in such strategy generation and use to optimal development over time and greater success across many areas of life. Yet, there is surprisingly little experimental evidence that tests how we might help young children to spontaneously generate and apply effective strategies across different challenging tasks. We test this in an area important to development: delaying gratification. To do this, we developed a "strategic mindset" storybook that encouraged children, when waiting felt hard, to ask themselves strategy-eliciting questions, such as: "What can I try to be better at this?" In two experiments (N = 237), 5- to 6-year-old children who read the strategic mindset storybook with an experimenter (vs. a control storybook) waited significantly longer to receive desirable treats (Experiments 1 and 2) and to watch an appealing YouTube video (Experiment 2). Moreover, they were able to wait longer because they spontaneously generated and applied a greater number of effective waiting strategies. Going beyond classic research that taught children specific strategies to delay gratification, our results suggest that our new "metacognitive" approach can empower children's self-regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

재혼가정 아동의 자아존중감과 자기조절에 대한 대상관계 미술치료 연구

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of subject-related art therapy on the self-esteem and self-regulation of a maladjusted child from a remarried family. The subject was an 8-year-old maladjusted boy from a remarried family. The study was conducted twice a week with each session lasting 50 minutes, for a total of 20 sessions from August 30 to November 14, 2022. The self-esteem and self-regulation scales were used as research tools, and a comparative analysis was conducted between the pre-test and post-test results. Additionally, qualitative analysis was conducted for each stage and session based on the themes using observation records from each session. The results of this study were as follows. Firstly, it was confirmed that the subject-related art therapy has a positive effect on the self-esteem of maladjusted children in remarried families. Secondly, it was confirmed that subject-related art therapy has a positive effect on self-regulation of maladjusted children in remarried families. Thirdly, an examination of the qualitative changes by stage and session in subject-related art therapy programs for maladjusted children from remarried families demonstrated positive changes in their self-esteem and self-regulation. Through the above research results, it was confirmed that the subject-related art therapy has a positive effect on self-esteem and self-regulation of maladjusted children from remarried families.

Temperament Characteristics of Children in Residential Care and Perceived Acceptance/Rejection and Style of Discipline Used by Care Workers.

The ability to adapt interpersonal interactions to temperamental characteristics is essential for high-quality care. We analyzed how temperamental and self-regulation differences among children in residential care were related to the affective relationships and discipline styles of their caregivers. A total of 144 children aged 9-16 years (42.6% boys) and their caregivers from 22 residential care homes (Spain) participated. The Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R) was used to assess temperament, the Affect Scale and Rules and Demands Scale was used to assess children's perceptions of affective relationships and discipline styles among their caregivers, and BRIEF-2 was used to assess children's self-regulation. Perceived warmth/communication was significantly higher than criticism/rejection and children perceived more inductive than rigid or permissive styles. Temperamental-scale fear was positively related to warmth/communication and an inductive style, and negatively related to criticism/rejection and a rigid style, whereas high-intensity pleasure showed the opposite pattern. In addition, some self-regulation and temperament scales explained 26% of the perception of warmth/communication, while others explained 15% of the variability of the rigid discipline style used by care workers. These results can help care workers to adjust their educational strategies according to the temperamental characteristics of this specific population.

Enhancing Executive Functioning: The Impact of Cognitive Rehabilitation on Cochlear-Implanted Children

Background and Aim: Executive Functions (EFs) are essential for learning and self-regulation in children. This study explored the transformative potential of Cognitive Rehabilitation (CR) in enhancing EFs among children with Cochlear Implants (CI). The focus was on assessing key areas of cognitive flexibility, rule acquisition, attention, spatial planning, working memory, and strategy use. Methods: Utilizing a semi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test evaluations, our study focused on children aged 8 to 11 years. A total of 24 children (13 girls and 11 boys) were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group underwent 12 sessions of targeted computerized CR, while the control group received no intervention. Post-intervention, we compared the outcomes of both groups. Results: The results revealed a significant improvement in the EFs of the experimental group compared to the control group (p=0.01). These findings underscore the effectiveness of CR in enhancing executive functioning in children with CI. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that cognitive rehabilitation could improve and enhance cognitive flexibility, rule acquisition, attentional set shifting, spatial planning, motor control, working memory capacity, and strategy use.Keywords: Cognitive rehabilitation; executive functions; deaf children; cochlear implant

The Integration of ICT in the Sustainable Educational Processes of Children’s Emotional Self-Regulation: A Study Contextualised in Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Times

This article concerns the analysis and strengthening of children’s emotional self-regulation as a key process in the sustainable and comprehensive educational development of students from 6 to 8 years of age. The objective of the present study was to design a didactic proposal for technological mediation (WhatsApp) that contributes to emotional self-regulation and underpins the sustainable education of children in the context of the prevalence of COVID-19. The research design involved documentation, field, and propositional work. Regarding the documentation design, the content analysis technique of the Institutional Educational Project and the Coexistence Project of an official educational institution located in Bogotá, Colombia, were used. Regarding the field design, the survey technique was applied through a structured questionnaire for populations made up of second grade primary school students, parents, and teachers of the institution. Among the main results, it stands out that the prevalence of COVID-19 and its post-pandemic implications have generated greater use of available technologies, such as the WhatsApp application, evidencing a positive relationship between the level of emotional self-regulation of children and its use as a didactic mediation agent. These findings serve as input for the design of the interactive TICSR-WA proposal.

Measuring resilience in young children: The Child and Youth Resilience Measure- Early Childhood (CYRM-EC)

Early childhood is a particularly important time to nurture resilience. Strengthening measurement of resilience processes for young children is essential to advancing resilience science and application. The current study provides an initial validation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) for parent/caregiver-report during early childhood (CYRM-EC). Participants included 265 children in the U.S. ages 4–5 years (M = 5.07 years) in the spring prior to kindergarten. The sample varied substantially by annual household income (36% earning ≤ $35,000; 43% ≥ $75,000) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; 47% had ≥ 1; 17% had ≥ 3). Diversity in child race/ethnicity was limited (69.5% White/Caucasian, 17.9% more than one race, 9.4% Latinx/Hispanic, 1.6% Asian, 0.4% Native American/Alaska Native, and 1.2% other races/ethnicities). The 11-item Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Early Childhood demonstrated strong internal reliability (α = .81) and a single factor structure. This measure also exhibited concurrent validity with both individual (children's self-regulation and social skills) and relational (positive parenting) promotive and protective factors and processes, accounting for covariates including child age, gender, race/ethnicity, ACEs, parent education, and nesting by classroom. Findings further indicated evidence for predictive (concurrent) validity of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Early Childhood to better overall child health status and fewer teacher-rated externalizing behaviors, but not to early literacy or math scores. Longitudinal research with young children of varying ages and from more diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds is needed to advance understanding of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Early Childhood and to inform application for preventive interventions.

Does Play-Based Learning Support Children's Everyday Resiliency? A Cross-Case Analysis of Parents' and Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions of Play-Based Learning as a Precedent to Young Children's Coping During the Pandemic-Affected 2020-2021 School Year.

Play has long been credited with fostering self-regulation in young children, though few studies have examined how children draw upon early childhood experiences with play to navigate adversity later in childhood. The purpose of this study is to describe the facets of the children's everyday resiliency that were attributed to their play-based experiences by parents and teachers as they reflected on the children's kindergarten experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a cross-case study design to examine the positive coping strategies parents and teachers observed in three five-year-old girls and one six-year-old boy entering kindergarten during the 2020-2021 pandemic-affected school year. We recruited parent participants based on their child's enrollment at a Reggio Emilia-inspired, play-based early childhood center in Northern Colorado for three or more years prior to entering kindergarten. Once parents enrolled in the study, we extended an invitation to their child's kindergarten teacher to participate. Data included three one-hour interviews with each participant, field visits during remote learning, and artifact collection over the course of the school year. Cross-case analysis revealed four themes: "Willing to Adjust", "Understands the Situation", "Uses Advanced Language", and "Embraces Challenge". Participants describe these children as willing to adjust to public health orders, having a deep understanding of the pandemic's societal repercussions, using sophisticated language to process adversity, and embracing the challenge of becoming kindergarteners. Participants believed these children's experiences with play-based learning promoted the interdisciplinary development of their social language, persistence, altruism, and cognitive flexibility; these traits fostered the children's positive coping strategies throughout the pandemic-affected kindergarten year.

Occupational therapy in the Snoezelen® Room: Teachers’ and therapists’ knowledge and perceptions of the changes in children's behaviour and performance

Introduction: The Snoezelen® room, a multisensory environment (MSE), is often used in conjunction with sensory integrative techniques. Therefore, it may be of support in school-based occupational therapy intervention. Research has documented positive changes in children’s performance in the MSE. However, research to suggest that changes could be carried over to external environments is limited. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perception of teachers and therapists regarding changes in children's behaviour and performance after therapy in the Snoezelen® room. Methodology: A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional survey design by purposive sampling was used. Teachers and therapists working with children who received occupational therapy intervention in the Snoezelen® room participated. Results: Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to determine strong positive, significant correlations found between the total impact of the Snoezelen® room and the children’s level of arousal, as well as their behaviour and scholastic performance, as conveyed by 30 participants. After therapy in the Snoezelen® room, improvement in level of arousal was ranked as the biggest change, which appeared to improve for hours upon return to the classroom. Conclusion: Children’s arousal levels changed positively due to sensory input, which carried over to the external environment. Due to this, most teachers and therapists perceived that the Snoezelen® room positively changed behaviour and scholastic performance, through improved level of arousal. Implications for practice: The use of Snoezelen® rooms in schools, combined with sensory integration therapy (SIT), enhances children's self-regulation, which in turn positively impacts behaviour and academic performance. Strong, positive correlations were found between children's level of arousal and improvements in their behaviour and scholastic performance. Thus, Occupational therapy interventions in the Snoezelen® room significantly contribute to children’s ability to self-regulate, a key factor in achieving positive classroom behaviour and learning outcomes. Teachers and therapists perceive Snoezelen® rooms as beneficial, with 96.7% supporting their presence on school campuses to improve child behaviour through better self-regulation. Consistent with extensive research surrounding self-regulation of children, acquiring self-regulation skills in the early years lays the foundation for positive classroom behaviour and academic performance later.

Self-regulation in elementary school: Do teacher-reported effortful control and directly assessed executive function codevelop?

Self-regulation (SR) is a central developmental task of early childhood and is considered essential for children's success during elementary school. It has typically been conceptualized as effortful control (EC) or executive function (EF), drawing respectively on research traditions in temperament and cognitive development. These aspects of SR are theorized to emerge from an intertwined developmental process, but the nature of their relation throughout elementary school has not been established. In particular, it is not known whether ratings given by teachers based on behavioral observations align with those directly assessed via novel performance tasks. This article addresses this gap in the knowledge by examining the codevelopment of EC and EF with regard to intraindividual trajectories of change. Drawing on a national sample (N = 8,742) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 2010-2011, two longitudinal modeling approaches (parallel-process latent growth curves with structured residuals, Curran et al., 2014; multidimensional growth mixture models, Wickrama et al., 2021) were applied to examine children's SR between second and fifth grade. Overall, results do not reveal a systematic codevelopmental relation between EC and EF when accounting for intraindividual processes. Findings are discussed with regard to developmental theory and application. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Coregulation between parents and elementary school-aged children in response to challenge and in association with child outcomes: A systematic review.

Parent-child coregulation, the active dyadic adaptation of biological states, behaviors, and emotions, is an important developmental process. Especially in challenging situations, children need coregulatory support from their parents, which supports the formation of their self-regulation skills. While research has established that coregulation occurs in various contexts across the developmental period, less is known about what constitutes coregulation in terms of child adjustment and the contextual factors that affect coregulation. This systematic review examined what constitutes parent-child coregulation in response to an experimentally induced challenge and in association with child socioemotional outcomes. Systematic searches were conducted in Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, and PubMed, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Fourteen full-text, peer-reviewed, empirical journal articles that were available in English were included. Children were between the ages of 3 and 12 (Mage = 5.37 years, 44%-100% male, 6.3%-90% White). Findings indicate that behavioral and emotional coregulation in response to challenge is positively associated with better child self-regulation. Coregulation associated with positive child outcomes seems to be characterized by high flexibility and dyadic synchrony in mutually responsive and engaged states. Findings regarding physiological coregulation suggest that high levels of physiological synchrony can be maladaptive for child outcomes in the presence of risk (e.g., poverty, maltreatment). In addition, this review highlighted the current ambiguity surrounding the diverse terminologies and concepts used to measure coregulation. The findings of this review reveal a significant link between parent-child coregulation and child socioemotional outcomes, while supporting the idea that contextual factors need to be considered to understand its significance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship Between Self-Regulation Difficulties and Adaptive Functioning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ABSTRACT Research on the self-regulation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has revealed that their inability to regulate is associated with challenges and delayed development. This study aims to assess self-regulation difficulties (SRD) and adaptive functions (AF) among children with ASD. SRD and AF were evaluated using a quantitative research design. The research sample comprised 92 children with ASD, aged 6–12, with an average age of 8.719 and a standard deviation of 2.025. The self-regulation difficulties Scale and the Adaptive Function Scale were utilised for assessment. The results showed statistically significant negative correlations between all domains of SRD (physiological difficulties, emotional difficulties, facing transitions challenges/difficulties) and AF (conceptual domain, practical domain, social domain). The analysis revealed statistically significant negative correlations across all domains, with coefficients ranging from r = -0.291 to r = -0.466 (p < 0.01) indicating strong relationships, except for emotional difficulties which showed weaker but still significant correlations (r = -0.243 to r = -0.267, p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between males and females regarding AF and SRD in children with ASD. Additionally, AF in children with ASD were predicted by the total degree and domains of SRD (physiological difficulties, facing transitions challenges/difficulties), except for emotional difficulties. The findings were interpreted and contextualised within the framework of extant literature in the field.

Center-based childcare during infancy: The relations with functional brain networks and self-regulation in young children

Given the substantial increase in children attending center-based childcare over the past decades, the consequences of center-based childcare for children’s development have gained more attention in developmental research. However, the relation between center-based childcare and children’s neurocognitive development remains relatively underexplored. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the relations between quantity of center-based childcare during infancy and the neurocognitive development (both functional brain networks and self-regulation) of 584 Dutch children. Small-world brain networks and children’s self-regulation were assessed during infancy (around 10 months of age) and the preschool period (2–6 years of age). The findings revealed that the quantity of center-based childcare during infancy was unrelated to individual differences in children’s functional brain networks. However, spending more hours per week in center-based childcare was positively related to the development of self-regulation in preschool age children, regardless of children’s sex or the levels of exposure to risk and maternal support in the home environment. More insight into the positive effects of center-based childcare on children’s development from infancy to toddlerhood can help to increase our insight into a better work–life balance and labor force participation of parents with young children. Moreover, this study highlights that Dutch center-based childcare offers opportunities to invest in positive child outcomes in children, including self-regulation.

The parental perspective of residential environments associated with children's self-regulation

BackgroundThe lack of early development of self-regulation (SR) skills in children can significantly impact their future success. Multiple theories emphasize the role of the environment on child development including SR skills, with income level influencing this relationship. The research used a framework that ties together theories on environmental design and establishes a relationship between the physical environment and a child's ability to self-regulate and manage stress. Limited research exists on addressing physical environmental factors in low-income households and how these factors affect children's self-regulation. PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify physical environmental factors that can help children deal with stress. The study uses Shanker's self-regulation model and the ecological model to guide the study's data collection and analysis concerning the home environment in relation to child self-regulation from the perspective of caregivers. MethodThis research qualitatively explores affordances factors in the home physical environment in relation to child self-regulation. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and included participants from different income levels and diverse ethnicities. FindingsFifteen affordances factors in the home environment were derived from caregivers' perspectives. The key findings of the study include: (1) The more affordance aspects applied to the home physical design, the better the design is for the child's stress management; (2) Supportive environmental factors can be used to solve hindering effects generated by the environment.

Zoom to the Virtual Room: The Shift to Remote Early Childhood Observational Assessments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led prevention researchers to increasingly use remote observational procedures given social distancing directives associated with the pandemic. However, few studies have used remote observational procedures with children and their caregivers, with scant literature describing procedures with socioeconomically, racially, and ethnically diverse families. This manuscript describes processes to pivot to remote assessment of parent and child observations in the context of a longitudinal study examining the effects of a postpartum depression preventive intervention on responsive parenting and child self-regulation. We conducted remote assessments across three timepoints-42, 48, and 54 months-with 133 low-income and racially and ethnically diverse parent-child dyads. Details are provided on remote observation preparation and setup, as well as adaptation of observational assessments. Lessons learned are shared on the use of technology, scheduling considerations, parent's role as facilitator, maintaining child engagement, and cost considerations. We demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability between independent coders on all assessments, suggesting the quality of remote assessments was conducive for analysis. Surveys with families completing a remote assessment found that most felt it was easy to participate in remote assessments and their child had a positive experience. Most parents preferred virtual visits if given an option for future assessments. Much prevention research utilizes observational measures that are less subject to bias. Our study demonstrated that research teams can effectively and reliably pivot to remote assessment with racially and ethnically diverse, low socioeconomic families, thereby providing guidance to other prevention researchers considering similar remote assessments with diverse samples.

An early parenting intervention focused on enriched parent-child interactions improves effortful control in the early years of school.

This study examined long-term mediating effects of the smalltalk parenting intervention on children's effortful control at school age (7.5 years; 2016-2018). In 2010-2012, parents (96% female) of toddlers (N = 1201; aged 12-36 months; 52% female) were randomly assigned to either: standard playgroup, smalltalk playgroup (group-only), or smalltalk playgroup with additional home coaching (smalltalk plus). Multi-informant data indicated that smalltalk plus had unique indirect effects on children's effortful control, through parents' capacity to 'maintain and extend' children's focus during joint interactions. Possible mediating pathways via parent verbal responsivity, home learning activities, and descriptive language use were not supported. When parents received a structured playgroup program with additional home coaching, sustainable benefits were evident in children's self-regulation, assessed in the early school years.

Self-regulation through storytelling: A demonstration study detailing the educational book Game On for resilience building in early school children

ABSTRACT Resilience to cope with setbacks has acquired a prominent place within Australia’s school curricula. One core component of resilience is children’s capacity to resolve conflict. Conflict resolution is the ability to regulate emotions, understand your temperament, and solve problems. This article demonstrates how a storytelling book, titled Game On, helps early school children understand their temperament and regulate their feelings. Using qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with teachers and sport deployment officers, as well as structured focus groups with children aged 4–7, this case-study evaluated the participants’ perspectives of Game On to improve self-regulation and stress control in young children. It demonstrates that teaching self-regulation through storytelling at an early age has the potential to equip young children with strategies of coping with normative stress. Such strategies include regulating or altering one’s psychological state or behaviour, and voluntarily inhibiting, activating and changing attention or behaviour through self-authored responses.

INSIGHT responsive parenting intervention effects on child self-regulation at ages 3 and 6 years.

Self-regulation encompasses the ability to modulate behavior, cognition, and emotions. Parents can promote child self-regulation with responsive parenting (RP). RP shapes various components of self-regulation and is associated with numerous developmental outcomes. Here, we examine long-term effects of an early-life RP intervention designed for obesity prevention on later child self-regulation and temperament. Participants were from a randomized clinical trial comparing the RP intervention against a safety control (n = 279). RP intervention content in the domains of feeding, sleep, emotion regulation, and interactive play was delivered to primiparous mothers and infants at four home visits during the first year after birth, followed by clinical research center visits at ages 1 and 2 years and phone calls at 1.5 and 2.5 years. Child self-regulation and temperament were assessed with behavioral tasks and the Children's Behavior Questionnaire at child ages 3 and 6 years. A path model tested whether the RP intervention affected child self-regulation in comparison to the control group. At 6 years, children in the RP group had lower parent-reported negative affect (b = -0.34, SE = 0.15, p = .023) and better observed emotion regulation (b = 0.45, SE = 0.16, p = .007). Findings indicate that an RP intervention designed for early obesity prevention promoted emotional aspects of self-regulation in middle childhood, highlighting RP as a strategy for promoting healthy behavior across multiple domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of the Partners in Play Intervention on Parents' Autonomy-Supportive Guiding Behaviour and Children's Self-Regulation.

Compelling evidence supports the foundational importance of early self-regulation (SR). It also supports parents in the home environment as having the foremost influence on early development. Yet, prevailing approaches to support early SR growth have tended to leverage early education and clinical settings. Partners in Play (PiP) was developed as a sustainable approach for parents to learn how and when to support children through experiences of self-regulation challenges in the home learning environment. This study reports the first randomised control trial evaluation of the PiP program, with 21 parent-child dyads (consisting of twelve girl-mother dyads, eight boy-mother dyads, and one boy-father dyad; mean child age = 4.12 years, SD = 0.65). Dyads were randomised to a PiP intervention group (n = 10), which entailed four online parent information sessions and four out-of-home guided practice dyadic play sessions across 8 weeks, or an active control group (n = 11). The primary outcome was parent autonomy support, and the secondary outcome was child SR. Results indicated a significant increase in parents' use of autonomy support and a non-significant but moderate-sized effect on child SR. This innovative proof-of-concept program and evaluation provides a roadmap for effecting change in parental support during children's play, to the prospective benefit of important abilities such as child SR. Analyses show promise for a parent-based model toward parent behaviour change and child SR improvement.