Unleashing children’s potential: An evidence-based narrative review of strategies to enhance cognitive function and intelligence in school-age children

Figure 9 Integrative model linking mindfulness, social–emotional learning, and executive functions in cognitive development. It depicts an integrative model linking mindfulness and social-emotional learning (SEL) to the development of executive functions and higher-order cognition. Mindfulness practices enhance attention regulation, self-monitoring, and emotional control by modulating prefrontal-limbic systems. SEL programs strengthen social cognition, empathy, and emotion understanding, which further support inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and goal-directed behavior. Bidirectional interactions between mindfulness and SEL reinforce adaptive self-regulation and stress resilience. These converging pathways promote improved learning engagement, academic performance, and long-term cognitive and psychosocial outcomes, with effects moderated by developmental stage and implementation context.