Dance requires focus, working memory, and sequencing; however, little is known about the impact of dance on developing these executive functioning (EF) skills in children. The purpose of this study was to review existing literature on dance’s impact on children’s EF. A scoping review, following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology (Aromataris & Munn, 2020), was conducted, using scientific databases, Google Scholar, and citations. The searches were limited to published or unpublished, qualitative or quantitative, original studies in English. Study participants were children from any geographical location ages 3 to 18 years. The participants received one or more weekly structured dance sessions by a trained dance therapist/teacher. Outcomes objectively measured one or more components of executive functioning including, but not limited to, memory, attention, or inhibition. After removing duplicates and reviewing abstracts for relevancy, the initial search (991 results) yielded 26 suitable papers for full article review. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data that met the inclusion criteria and discussed their reviews, resulting in 13 papers. Data were analyzed according to the following aspects: duration/frequency of dance instruction, measures of executive functioning, and author-reported outcomes. The final data set of 13 studies represented 579 participants. Dance intervention studies ranged from 3 to 25 weeks, with sessions occurring 1 to 5 × weekly for 20 to 120 min per session, utilizing a variety of dance forms. EF skills measured included attention, memory, task shifting, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, interference control, processing speed, and organization/planning. 85% of studies reported a positive outcome in at least one EF, providing support that dance can have positive impacts on children’s EF. This finding means that dance/movement therapists can address the cognitive needs of pediatric populations. The combination of mindfulness and movement inherent in dance/movement therapy makes it a research-proven means of building EF.

Jessica Mattingly, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a second-year PhD student at Texas Christian University and has degrees from Calvin University and Vanderbilt University. As an active speech-language pathologist and dancer, Jessica’s research on how dance interacts with cognition and language will help integrate dance therapy and speech-language therapy.

Courtney Trevino, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a second year Ph.D. student at Texas Christian University. Courtney earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from Texas Christian University. Prior to pursuing a Ph.D., Courtney practiced as a school-based speech-language pathologist, primarily treating language disorders.

Emily Lund, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research at Texas Christian University. Consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Speech Language Hearing Foundation, she investigates how oral language use contributes to spoken and written language learning in children with hearing loss.