How do you set your child up for success at the beginning of the school year? By focusing on your child’s Executive Functions.

Back to school. 

This three-word phrase can conjure up different emotions for different populations of people. For students, it could be a mixture of excitement, apprehension, and guarded optimism.  For parents, it may be like this commercial, featuring a dad frolicking through Staples to the holiday classic “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year,” tossing school supplies into a shopping cart while his two children follow and scowl. 

Whatever your thoughts and emotions about back to school are, one thing parents can do now is prepare their children to start the school year with a focus on their Executive Functions. We have written about Executive Functions before, but this article will focus on preparing your child to start the school year off in an organized, thoughtful, and intentional way.

In the article Executive function in children: Why it matters and how to help from Harvard Health Publishing, it says executive functions “supervise and coordinate a multitude of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional tasks.” The article goes on to say that although our executive function skills begin to develop in the first year of life, they are not fully developed until early adulthood. And, executive functioning skills do not develop in a linear progression. 

What exactly are Executive Functions?

There are several good analogies for Executive Functions. One is as the conductor of a full city orchestra, manipulating each section of musicians to elicit a coordinated, sometimes nuanced, and beautiful result. Another comparison is that of an air traffic controller, who helps a multitude of planes of various sizes take off and land safely. Whichever analogy you prefer, one can see the complexity and interlocking elements that make up the skill set.

According to the Center on the Developing Child, the major components of executive functions include:

Working memory: which governs our ability to retain and work with pieces of information over short periods of time. 

Mental flexibility: which helps us sustain or shift our focus in response to different demands or to apply different rules in different settings.

Self-control: which allows us to set priorities and resist impulsive actions or responses to stimuli.

Focus on the whole child

One aspect of Executive Functions that perhaps does not get enough attention is that the whole child is involved in successfully navigating school and life. Marydee Sklar, who is fabulous and operates the company Executive Functions Success, focuses on three key foundations at the beginning of her Seeing My Time course: nutrition, exercise, and sleep. 

Clearly your child must be healthy in order to thrive in school and extracurricular activities. Ensure your child is eating well, getting the proper exercise, and the prescribed amount of sleep. If these three cornerstones are in place, then your child will be ready to accept coaching and guidance in Executive Functions.

Strategies to promote Executive Functions success

Once your child – with your guidance and encouragement – has a handle on their nutrition, exercise, and sleep, try the following six strategies to organize, plan, and establish routines.

Create a “Landing Pad” at home for backpacks, jackets, etc. 

Somewhere in your home create a landing pad, where your child can drop off school items such as their backpack, sports equipment, and or jackets. Perhaps the location is inside the front door or in a mudroom. The point is to have one location for all the belongings so everyone knows where the items are.

Establish routines

If your child attends a traditional brick and mortar school, then the two blocks of time to schedule are before school and after school. Establish a routine for before school by communicating what must be done. Tasks may include showering, eating breakfast, packing a lunch (or having lunch money), ensuring all school materials and homework are in the backpack, and/or laptop charged. Creating a routine for after school may include completing homework, practicing a musical instrument, having a snack, attending a sports practice or game, completing chores, free time, and eating dinner. 

Routines ease anxiety because your child knows what to expect. Obviously you will need to tailor the items for your child.

Use checklists

Going along with establishing routines, creating and printing checklists and placing them in high-traffic locations, will be visual reminders for your child of what is expected of them. Understood has some examples that you can print. If your child has a locker at school, a separate checklist can be created and taped in it so your child remembers to bring everything she needs home. Or, if there is no locker, a checklist can be attached inside their backpack.

Use a planner

For some reason students seem to balk at using a planner. And ironically it is the students who need the planner the most who protest the loudest! From the first day of school, encourage your child to use some version of daily planner. It may be a physical paper planner that some schools supply. Or, it could be using a digital planner such as the “notes” or “reminders” that most smartphones have. Students should include all of their activities in the planner: homework, upcoming tests or projects, sports practices, play rehearsals, doctor’s appointments, etc. All of their responsibilities ought to be in one place!

Use clocks to make time visual

A refrain heard often during the school year from children is that they do not have any time for themselves. They complain the day is taken up with school, homework, and chores. Perhaps there is a “I hate you!” sprinkled in there too.They gripe there is no time for friends, tv, or video games, the trifecta of the traumatized teenager. 

A parent can help their child visualize their time and assist them in seeing that if they manage their allotted time correctly, there is time every day for the fun stuff too! Placing an analog clock (one with a face and hands) in the study area is one way for children to see time tick by. (Another option is to use a kitchen timer.) Encourage your child to estimate how long an assignment ought to take. Then refer to the clock, do some quick mental math, and calculate when the assignment ought to be completed by. This can be an eye-opening exercise for students who tend to waste time while allegedly studying.

Model the behaviors

In a study in the journal Early Child Development and Care, it was found that students who successfully developed Executive Functions skills had a positive family environment along with parents who practiced and modeled the skills. So use a planner and explain how it helps organize and prioritize your day. Keep your belongings organized – the kitchen island is not a good “Landing Pad!” Share your checklists that you may use at work to accomplish your goals. Allow your child to see these skills in action in the real world.

Final thoughts

Back to school can be an exciting and stressful time of the year for students. To help put your child in the best position to succeed, and relieve some of the anxiety, parents can focus on their child’s Executive Functions. Establish routines, employ checklists, and insist that your child use a planner. You can reenforce their importance by modeling these strategies in your own life! Encouraging these skills from the first day of school will allow your child to be proactive and thrive throughout the year. 

If you feel like your child struggles with Executive Functions, contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to learn how a Learning Specialist could help your child develop these critical skills.