Abstract:

This study addresses a critical gap in early childhood education research regarding how gamified embodied digital games can strengthen executive functions, and particularly cognitive flexibility, in typically developing preschool children. While prior work has shown benefits of embodied learning activities and digital games separately, very few studies have examined their combined impact on executive functions in the sensitive preschool period or explored how these interventions operate in real classroom conditions.The main aim of the study is to investigate the role of gamification through embodied digital games in enhancing executive functions of preschoolers aged 4–6, with a specific focus on cognitive flexibility.

The research concentrates on three key objectives:
(1) to examine the extent to which embodied learning with digital games promotes cognitive flexibility,
(2) to explore how this approach affects children’s overall progress in executive functions, and
(3) to investigate whether gender influences the development of cognitive flexibility within a gamified embodied learning environment.

A further qualitative objective is to explore how children’s motor skills and self-regulation interact with their executive performance during game play. The study follows a mixed-method, pre–post intervention design with 50 children attending a private kindergarten in Greece. Over six months, children participated in a four-month intervention using Kinems embodied digital games (the following games were used: Shape in Place, Paleo, Tika Bubble, Melody Tree, UnBoxIT) integrated into the daily programme once a week. Executive functions were assessed with the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and Advanced DCCS tests, while classroom video recording and observations were analysed qualitatively using Atlas.ti. Results show statistically significant improvements in executive functions, and especially cognitive flexibility, between pre- and post-tests across both age groups, with high reliability indices. No significant gender differences were found, challenging common assumptions reported in the literature. Qualitative analysis revealed that children progressively developed more effective strategies, improved eye–hand coordination, gross motor skills and self-regulation, and learned to manage frustration and errors more constructively. The study is significant for early childhood practice and policy, as it demonstrates that carefully designed gamified embodied digital activities, embedded in everyday kindergarten routines, can systematically enhance executive functions. The findings support the design of low-cost, scalable interventions that may not only boost school readiness and academic trajectories but also benefit children at risk due to biological or environmental factors.

Keywords:

Gamification, cognitive flexibility, pre-school children, embodied learning games.