Preschool life skills: Recent advancements and future directions
PLS is a keep-it-simple classroom package that keeps preventing problem behavior in preschools.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fahmie and her team looked back at every Preschool Life Skills (PLS) study since the program began.
They did not run new kids; they simply mapped what has been learned and what still needs work.
PLS is a 12-skill classroom curriculum that stops problem behavior before it starts.
What they found
Across many replications, PLS keeps working in real preschool rooms.
Teachers like the scripted lessons, and kids learn skills like asking for help or ignoring teasing.
The review lists tweaks others have added, such as peer helpers or shorter lessons, but the core stays the same.
How this fits with other research
Doughty et al. (2015) show the same prevention logic at whole-school scale with PBIS.
Hu et al. (2018) also boost preschool social skills, but use LEGO play instead of a full curriculum.
Celik et al. (2025) teach single safety skills with short BST sessions, while PLS bundles many life skills into one package.
Why it matters
If you run a preschool room, PLS gives you a ready script and data sheets.
You can start Monday with skill one: requesting help.
Track it for a week, then move to the next skill.
No extra staff or gear needed—just the free manual and five minutes a day.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Over the past decade, researchers have replicated and extended research on the preschool life skills (PLS) program developed by Hanley, Heal, Tiger, and Ingvarsson (2007). This review summarizes recent research with respect to maximizing skill acquisition, improving generality, evaluating feasibility and acceptability, and testing predictions of the initial PLS study. For each area, we suggest directions for future research.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2018 · doi:10.1002/jaba.434