Research in educational and developmental psychology offers evidence that children are developing basic capacities (i.e., executive functions) for self-regulating long before they receive formal instruction in school. Importantly, the evidence indicates self-regulation is a strong predictor of outcomes in early childhood and across the lifespan. This comment considers contributions from four studies published in the special issue of "Metacognition and Learning," titled "Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation in Early Childhood: Development, Assessment and Supporting Factors." The studies reveal 2-3-year-old children's spontaneous use of strategies to support success on delay tasks and individual differences in 5-7-year-old children's ability beliefs and goal orientations. They also signal important differences in parents' scaffolding/co-regulation of children's self-regulation. All studies point to the particular importance of attending to developmental trajectories of children judged "at risk" in their development of self-regulation and supporting parents to develop strategies for co-regulating children in the context of challenging tasks. Considerations for future research are raised.