Executive functions can be taught. What are they and some strategies for parents to try.

It’s December and New Year’s Day and resolution-making time are quickly approaching. As you begin to ponder some possible resolutions – lose weight, exercise more, eat better – perhaps there is a different approach you could take this coming year. Why not pledge to polish up your Executive Functions? After all, these are the set of skills that will allow you to accomplish ALL your goals. Or not.

Executive functions (EF) are a specific set of skills that we all need and use to succeed in life. They help us plan, organize, and manage our time to accomplish a goal. So what are they? The 7 executive functions are: adaptable or flexible thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management, and organization.

Harvard University defines it this way. Working memory is the ability to hold information in your mind and use it. Inhibitory control is the ability to master thoughts and impulses to resist temptations and distractions and to think before acting. And cognitive flexibility allows us to switch gears and adjust to changing schedules and priorities.

Are you thinking of your school-age child right now, shaking your head and muttering something like, “I knew (fill in your child’s name) was smart but has just not been able to put it all together. It must be their Executive Functions!”

Unfortunately people are not born with them in place. They need to be developed. Like most skills, some people tend to pick them up rather easily while others struggle to meet their daily goals. The good news is EF skills can be taught!

Struggling Student with EF Weakness

What does a student with EF weakness look like? There is no one description but some common things a parent might see are:

• a messy backpack, locker, or desk space
• numerous missing or late assignments
• starting a long-term project the night before it is due
• forgetting about a test

Often these EF deficiencies reveal themselves early in a child’s schooling. Parents need to be aware of why their child is struggling, and more importantly, that there are tools and strategies that can be directly taught.

Strategies for EF Success

First and foremost, a student needs to be coachable. If a student is struggling in school due to an EF weakness, then they must be willing to try a different approach. Wasn’t it Einstein who said that trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity?!

Fortunately there are tools and strategies that can be implemented.

1. Use a homework planner

Writing down assignments and due dates is critical for consistent success in school. Teachers today often post assignments on either a learning management system such as Canvas or on a school website. While the information is available, often students must look in more than one place to get all their assignments and test dates. Having it all written down in a homework planner keeps all assignments and the due dates in one place.

2. Make and use lists

Students who struggle to remember assignments or materials will benefit from using a list. A list could be created and placed on a student’s home desk that has all the necessary materials and tasks for a successful day of school. For example, the list may contain: homework completed; all papers, folders, and notebooks in backpack; laptop charged; all work submitted electronically. Another list could be taped in a student’s locker at school listing all materials that need to come home for the day after school.

3. Use apps

In today’s electronic, always-connected age, more schools are going to digital instructional platforms. Each student is presented with a laptop on the first day of school and virtually all work is completed on it. As stated above, there is still a place for good old-fashioned paper for homework planners and lists. However, there are some excellent organizational apps available to supplement planners.

Habit List – This app allows you to “build a better you.” (Who doesn’t want a better version of themselves?) In addition to setting goals, it proclaims to motivate you and keep you on track to achieving those goals. Students can track homework assignments, plan long-term projects, and set test dates. There is one time $4.99 purchase price.

Remember the Milk – This app purports to “get the to-do’s out of your head.” It is easy to use and allows you to assign a priority level to each entry. Reminders can be set to alert you of due dates via email, text, or social media. There is a basic free version with in-app purchases available.

My Homework – This app is designed specifically for students. Like the other apps, it allows the student to track assignments and long-term project due dates. It synchs across platforms, which is a nice feature given the variety of websites and learning management systems schools tend to use. There is a basic free version and a premium version available for $4.99.

Practicing Executive Functions with your Student

There are many fun activities parents can do with their children to promote their EF. Playing card games such as Uno or Hearts exercises working memory to track the cards. It tasks mental flexibility while planning strategy on how to win. Other card games like Spit or War that require quick decision-making are great for building attention.

Playing organized sports is another great avenue to building EF. Children must hold (sometimes) complicated rules and strategies in their minds while playing the respective game. And there is evidence that high levels of physical activity can improve focus and attention.

Encourage your child to take up an instrument. Playing an instrument challenges attention and self-monitoring and working memory to hold the music in their head. And if your child is more of a diva and prefers to be front and center, singing holds the same benefits, requiring coordination of working memory, monitoring, and selective attention.

And don’t forget brainteasers and puzzles. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and even the evil Rubik’s cube (mine may have ended up in a thousand pieces, but that it is not here nor there) all require a sophisticated mix of EF skills to solve. Lumosity and Cogmed offer excellent online options for students to practice a variety of EF skills.

Putting it All Together

Executive Functions are a complicated mix of brain skills required to plan, monitor, and achieve goals. An EF Coach who has been properly trained can teach them. Engage the Brain has several such experts on staff ready to help guide your child to school and life success, using the best in research-backed strategies. If your child is struggling in school, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to contact us and start your child on the road to sustained school success.

Contact us to learn more.