The effect of structured play-based psychoeducation on emotion regulation skills in four -to -five-year-old children

Emotion regulation is fundamental for managing stress, developing healthy relationships, and adapting to challenges in various social and emotional contexts. This ability enables individuals to navigate their emotions constructively, fostering resilience, mental well-being, and effective problem-solving. The preschool period is particularly crucial for developing the capacity to regulate emotions. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Play-Based Psychoeducation Program in enhancing emotion regulation skills in children aged four and five. A quasi- experimental design utilizing pre-test and post-test measurements was employed. The research was conducted with children from a Private Kindergarten School in Ankara, Turkey, during the 2023-2024 academic year. Eleven children in the experimental group participated in the Play-Based Psychoeducation Program, which consisted of six sessions held twice a week. The control group consisted of seven students. The psychoeducational content was developed based on the play-based approach and aligned with the existing literature on the subject. To evaluate the program's effectiveness, the Preschool Emotion Regulation Scale was administered to the children. Non-parametric tests, including the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and the Mann-Whitney U Test, were used to assess whether the intervention was effective in improving emotion regulation skills. The data were analysed using SPSS 25.0 software. The findings of the study indicated that children in the experimental group, who participated in the Play-Based Psychoeducation Program, showed significant improvements in their emotion regulation skills. The results suggest that the psychoeducation developed in this study may be effective in enhancing children's ability to regulate their emotions. Keywords: Emotion regulation, emotion, play-based programs, pre-school period, psychoeducation