How children spend their day, and the family environment in which they grow up, are associated with the development of their executive function, according to new analysis from a Singapore study. Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that help children regulate their thoughts, behaviours, and emotions, such as focusing attention, managing impulses and working towards goals. These skills are an important part of self-regulation and support children’s learning and everyday functioning from early childhood throughout the school years.
Published in Developmental Psychology, the study was conducted by researchers from the A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP) and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine). It drew on nationally representative longitudinal data from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study (SG-LEADS). For this study, the researchers focused on 2,542 children from the three largest ethnic groups in Singapore: Chinese, Malay and Indian families.
The researchers assessed two components of executive function: delay of gratification, which is the ability to wait for a larger reward rather than choosing a smaller immediate one, and working memory, which is the ability to hold and work with information in mind to complete a task. These children were aged three to six during the initial assessment and were assessed again approximately two years later. Parents reported on family resources, parenting behaviours and their children’s daily activities.
Clear Rules, Screen Time, Enriching Activities And Active Play Are Linked To Children’s Executive Function
Among the parenting behaviours examined, consistent rule-setting stood out as a key factor in shaping children’s daily routines. Parents who reported more consistent rule-setting tended to have children who:
- Spent less time on screens;
- Spent more time in achievement-oriented activities, including schoolwork and academic learning as well as organised extracurricular activities such as arts, music and sports;
- Slept more; and
- Took part in more household chores.
These activity patterns were, in turn, associated with children’s executive function, including both delay of gratification and working memory. Children who spent more time watching television or using electronic devices tended to show weaker executive function, while those who spent more time in achievement-oriented activities tended to show stronger executive function.
Physically active play showed a longer-term link with executive function. Although it was not associated with executive function at the initial assessment, children who engaged in more physically active play showed stronger delay of gratification and working memory approximately two years later, even after accounting for their earlier executive function.
This suggests that opportunities to move, play and explore may provide valuable experiences for practising and developing cognitive and self-regulation skills over time.
“Our findings show that children’s self-regulation is closely tied to the routines and experiences of everyday life. Seemingly ordinary parts of a child’s day, such as screen use, learning activities, physical play and family routines, can collectively provide valuable opportunities for children to practise attention, persistence and impulse control. A balanced day, with consistent rules, time to move and play, more enriching activities and less passive screen use, may support the development of executive function skills that are important for children’s learning and everyday functioning,” said Dr Chen Luxi, lead author of the study and Senior Scientist at A*STAR IHDP.
Parents’ Resources Also Affect Children’s Executive Function
The study found that parents’ resources were associated not only with children’s executive function, but also with the parenting behaviours and children’s daily activities that may shape its development. For example:
- Parents with stronger verbal cognitive ability were more likely to set consistent rules around children’s daily activities.
- Parents with stronger self-control reported greater warmth and less punitive discipline, and their children tended to spend less time on screens and more time in achievement-oriented activities.
- Higher economic stress was associated with lower parental warmth and more screen use among children.
Together, these findings suggest that parents’ resources are connected to the home environment and daily routines in which children develop their executive function. Parents’ verbal cognitive ability and self-control were linked to stronger executive function in children, while higher economic stress was associated with weaker executive function. Some of these associations may occur through differences in parenting behaviours and children’s daily activities. The findings highlight that children’s development is associated with not only what parents do, but also with the resources and circumstances available to families as they create nurturing everyday environments for their children.
Shared Patterns Observed Across Singapore’s Major Ethnic Groups
The study found broadly similar pathways linking family environments, children’s daily activities and executive function across Chinese, Malay and Indian families, although some associations differed in strength or were observed only in particular groups. Overall, these findings suggest that many of the pathways supporting children’s self-regulation are common across cultural communities in Singapore.
“This study adds to a growing body of SG-LEADS research showing that children’s development is shaped by the interplay between family environments, relationships and everyday experiences. In this study, we found that parental resources, parenting behaviours and children’s daily activities are interconnected and associated with self-regulation, an important foundation for learning, behaviour and well-being. While consistent routines and supportive parenting appear broadly important across Singapore’s major ethnic groups, support for children and families should remain responsive to families’ circumstances and cultural contexts,” said Professor Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, Director (Social Sciences) at A*STAR IHDP and Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at NUS Medicine.
Chen, L., & Yeung, W.-J. J. (2026). Family environments and daily activities shape children’s executive function: Cross-ethnic evidence from a multicultural Asian society. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0002233
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