Background <p>This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a structured basic gymnastics education program on the social-emotional and behavioral skills of preschool children. The study sample consisted of 40 typically developing children aged 48–69 months who were enrolled in private early childhood education institutions in Çorum province, Türkiye.</p> Methods <p>A mixed-method research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component adopted a pretest–posttest control group quasi-experimental design, whereas the qualitative component was conducted using a case study approach. The experimental group (<i>n</i> = 20) participated in an eight-week structured basic gymnastics education program, whereas the control group (<i>n</i> = 20) continued with the regular preschool curriculum without additional intervention. Group assignment was based on existing classroom structure. Quantitative data were collected through teacher-reported measures, including the Self-Regulation Skills Scale, the Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Social Competence and Behavior Assessment Scale. Qualitative data were obtained via semi-structured interviews with parents. Quantitative analyses were performed using SPSS software. Data normality was examined using the Shapiro–Wilk test, and depending on distributional assumptions, independent samples t-tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were applied. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s d for parametric analyses and r coefficients for nonparametric analyses.</p> Results <p>Quantitative findings indicated no statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups at baseline across all outcome variables (all <i>p</i> &gt; .05; d &lt; 0.20), confirming baseline comparability. Posttest comparisons revealed that children in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in self-regulation, emotion regulation, and social competence compared to those in the control group (all <i>p</i> &lt; .05). The associated effect sizes ranged from moderate to large (<i>r</i> = .46–0.82), indicating meaningful intervention effects. Within-group analyses further demonstrated significant and substantial improvements across all measured variables in the experimental group from pretest to posttest (all <i>p</i> &lt; .05; <i>r</i> &gt; .80). Consistent with these quantitative findings, qualitative analyses identified themes reflecting notable improvements in children’s emotional awareness, self-control, social interaction, and behavioral regulation skills.</p> Conclusions <p>The findings suggest that basic gymnastics education represents an effective intervention for supporting the social-emotional and behavioral development of preschool children.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>