If you’ve ever seen your child have a meltdown over a small frustration—like a broken crayon or a change in plans—you know how challenging emotional regulation can be. While big feelings are common in toddlers, older kids, teens, and even adults can also struggle to manage emotions effectively.
Emotional regulation—the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in a healthy way—doesn’t always develop on its own. The good news? Kids can learn strategies like deep breathing, positive self-talk, and reframing. Even better, research shows that LearningRx brain training strengthens the cognitive skills that support emotional control.
What Is Personal Brain Training?
Also called cognitive skills training, personal brain training is a one-on-one program that uses targeted exercises, drills, and games to strengthen the brain’s core learning and thinking skills. These cognitive skills work together to process new information and store it in the “mental filing cabinet” we use every day in school, work, and life.
Core Cognitive Skills That Affect Emotional Regulation
1. Attention Skills
- Sustained attention: Staying focused over time. Weakness = unfinished projects, jumping between tasks.
- Selective attention: Ignoring distractions. Weakness = easily pulled off task.
- Divided attention: Remembering information while doing two things at once. Weakness = frequent mistakes, trouble multitasking.
2. Memory Skills
- Working memory: Holding information while using it. Weakness = forgetting multi-step directions, losing track mid-task.
- Long-term memory: Storing and recalling information from the past. Weakness = poor test performance despite studying; forgetting learned material.
3. Logic & Reasoning
Enables problem-solving and decision-making. Weakness = trouble with complex tasks, feeling stuck, asking “What do I do next?”
4. Auditory Processing
Understanding and manipulating sounds. Weakness = reading struggles, poor fluency or comprehension.
5. Visual Processing
Thinking in images. Weakness = trouble reading maps, following directions, or recalling visual details.
6. Processing Speed
Performing tasks quickly and accurately. Weakness = slow work completion, lagging behind peers.
How Stronger Cognitive Skills Improve Emotional Regulation
Strengthening Executive Function Skills
Executive function is like the brain’s management system, helping you plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. Weak executive function can lead to distraction, overwhelm, and big reactions to small frustrations.
When these skills improve, kids can:
- Pause before reacting (impulse control)
- Adapt to change (flexibility)
- Stay focused despite distractions (attention control)
- Work toward goals (planning)
Building Working Memory for Emotional Awareness
Working memory helps kids label and understand their emotions in real time (“I’m frustrated because I spilled my juice”), making it easier to respond calmly.
Improving Processing Speed to Reduce Overwhelm
When kids process information more quickly, they can adapt to changes in routines with less anxiety and fewer meltdowns.
Enhancing Focus to Minimize Emotional Outbursts
Better sustained attention helps kids ignore irritations instead of reacting impulsively, even in noisy or busy environments.
Boosting Resilience and Confidence
Stronger cognitive skills help kids bounce back from challenges, believe in their ability to handle setbacks, and stay calm under pressure.
Take the First Step: Assess Your Child’s Cognitive Skills
Want to know how your child’s cognitive skills compare to same-age peers? A Brain Skills Assessment at LearningRx can pinpoint strengths and identify areas for growth.
You’ll get clear results—often with an “aha” moment for parents—whether or not you choose to pursue one-on-one brain training.
*Results are from surveys and studies of past clients. You or your loved ones may or may not achieve the same outcomes, but you can read more about our research & results here!