Hands On, Minds On: How Executive Function, Motor, and Spatial Skills Foster School Readiness

A growing body of research indicates that three foundational cognitive skills—executive function, motor skills, and spatial skills—form the basis for children to make a strong academic, behavioral, and social transition to formal school. Given inequitable early learning environments or “opportunity gaps” in the United States, these skills are also a source of substantial achievement and behavioral gaps.

Hands On, Minds On describes the importance of children’s foundational cognitive skills ...