Rough and tumble: a playground for the development of executive functions?

Executive functions underlie children’s healthy development and predict lifespan outcomes, with inhibition, working memory and shifting emerging in early childhood. Parenting characteristics such as sensitivity and scaffolding, and children’s motor development are both linked to executive function development. Father-child rough-and-rumble play (RTP) thus may be a salient context to investigate. RTP is highly rewarding, and physically and cognitively demanding play, peaking in frequency in early childhood. Studies of RTP show robust positive relationships to self-regulation and prosocial behaviours and the few investigating executive functions showed evidence that high-quality RTP was also positively associated. The current study measured the relationship between the quality and frequency of father-child RTP and children’s everyday difficulties with inhibition, working memory and shifting. Parent sensitivity, cognitive stimulation, and intrusiveness were included as covariates. Results showed RTP frequency was negatively, and parent intrusiveness, positively, related to problems with inhibition and working memory, but not shifting. The study contributes further evidence of a link between RTP and executive functioning. It also contributes evidence for further investigations of a novel and highly enjoyable intervention for parents to help develop their children’s executive functions.