What is Executive Functioning and How to Improve Your Child’s Skills in Your Homeschool
You may have heard of executive functioning before, but what is it exactly? Executive Functioning is the cognitive skills that allow us to manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions in order to achieve our goals- whether those are big goals like going to the Olympics one day or little goals like getting our laundry done. These skills are essentially our brain’s management system, they allow us to plan, focus our attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks at once. For those of us homeschooling our children, particularly those who are neurodivergent, understanding and supporting the development of executive functioning may be crucial to our child’s success. Let’s explore what executive functioning is, break down its key components, and talk about strategies for improving these skills in your homeschool environment.
Understanding Executive Functioning
Executive functioning is a term that includes a range of cognitive processes that are essential for our goal-directed behaviors. These functions develop throughout childhood and adolescence and are important for academic success, social interactions, and daily living. Here are the 12 key components of executive functioning:
Task Initiation & Initiative:
This function is about our ability to start tasks independently and take proactive steps without external prompts. People with strong task initiation skills can begin tasks like work or chores without needing constant reminders. People with poor task initiation and initiative may know what tasks they should do, but struggle with how to get started or just making the movement to initiate the task. If you regularly find yourself thinking things such as, “I really need to get up and turn the laundry over” and there’s no reason not to (ie. you aren’t too tired or don’t want to) but you just can’t seem to get up and do it, you may be struggling with task initiation.
Task Monitoring & Task Completion:
This function is all about the capacity to track progress and follow through on tasks until they are finished. This includes recognizing when a task is complete and ensuring that all aspects have been addressed. It can also include the ability to see when a project needs to be modified in order for successful completion. If you ever struggle with starting multiple projects or tasks and not finishing any of them, you may struggle in this area. Task Completion is often considered an outcome of several other executive functions working together such as Planning and Prioritization, Time Management, Sustained Attention, Organization, Response Inhibition, and Working Memory, so poor Task Completion can also be a dysfunction in one or more of these other functions.
Planning and Prioritization:
This is the ability to create a plan or strategy to accomplish goals and being able to prioritize the steps needed to reach them. This is crucial for managing our time and resources, making it a cornerstone of executive functioning. Many of us struggle with jumping into a task or project without taking time to plan first, and many of us struggle as well or alternatively with prioritizing our time and resources (resources being anything from money to our own energy) in a way that gets things done most efficiently.
Organization:
Some people seem to be perpetually well organized, while others are constantly struggling with mess and order! The ability to create and maintain systems for keeping track of information or items, including organizing a workspace, managing time, keeping a schedule, and sorting tasks by importance all fall under the Organization function.
Time Management:
We tend to talk about time management in simple terms- you’re on time or you’re late- but time management as an executive function is about having the capacity to estimate how long tasks will take and then having the ability to allocate time efficiently to complete them within deadlines or by set times. This is a key aspect of executive functioning. Whether you’re on time to meet friends for a movie or handing in an assignment before the deadline, time management is the skill needed to have the oversight to figure out when to start and how to divided the needed tasks over the time period available in order to manage your time.
Working Memory:
Working memory is different than short term memory. Short-term memory refers to the temporary storage of information that is held in your mind for a brief period, usually around 15-30 seconds. It is where information is kept for immediate use but is not manipulated or actively worked on. For example, short term memory allows you to remember a phone number just long enough to dial it before the information is forgotten. Working memory is a more complex cognitive process that involves not only holding information in mind but also manipulating and processing it. It’s the ability to retain and use information to complete tasks, solve problems, or respond to situations in real-time. For example, working memory allows you to perform tasks like mental math, problem-solving, and following multi-step instructions. If you struggle with things like doing math in your head, or brainstorming, you may have poor working memory.
Metacognition & Self-Monitoring:
This is also sometimes referred to as self-awareness. It’s all about the capacity to think our own thinking and to self-evaluate our performance. This includes being aware of our strengths and weaknesses, as well as assessing how we handled a situation and what we might want to do differently next time. It’s a lot of self-reflection and considering the how and why of how we think or act. Without good metacognition and self-monitoring, we’re destined to repeat old habits, not take accountability for mistakes, and struggle to grow and change in positive ways.
Response Inhibition (Impulse Control):
Our Response Inhibition, or Impulse Control, is our ability to think before acting and to resist behaviors that are inappropriate, unnecessary, or that we’ve decided previously we don’t want to do. Impulse control is critical for staying focused, avoiding distractions, and remaining in control of our words and actions. Many of us with neurodivergencies such as ADHD struggle with impulse control, in fact it’s a hallmark symptom of ADHD. You can read more about ADHD and Impulse Control here.
Emotional Regulation:
The ability to manage emotions to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control our behavior is an executive function known as Emotional Regulation. Emotional regulation is key to handling frustration, stress, anger, or setbacks, which is vital for success. When we improve our emotional regulation skills, we improve our personal resiliency and perseverance, which helps us succeed. Another interesting fact about emotional regulation is that science has shown us that a child who is emotionally dysregulated cannot learn. Therefore, emotional regulation in our homeschools is crucial.
Sustained Attention:
Sustained Attention is something everyone struggles with at some points. This is our ability to maintain focus on a task or goal despite distractions, fatigue, or boredom. While everyone loses focus sometimes, especially with tasks we’re not interested or invested in the outcome, for someone who struggles with this executive function, it can be very debilitating to accomplishing tasks and goals.
Cognitive Flexibility:
Cognitive Flexibility is the capacity to adapt to new situations, switch between tasks, or change strategies when necessary. Rigid thinking is a hallmark of some neurodivergencies, particularly Austism. Cognitive Flexibility would be what we casually refer to as, “going with the flow”- being able to adapt and change directions mentally when the situation around us changes, or the needs of a project or task change. For people who struggle with cognitive flexibility this is really difficult and uncomfortable.
Goal-Directed Persistence:
This executive function is our ability to set and pursue goals. This skill is what allows us to maintain the effort and focus required to achieve goals, even in the face of obstacles. Our goal-directed persistence helps us be resilient and maintain drive and motivation.
Why is Executive Functioning Important?
Executive functioning is essential for almost every aspect of our lives, from the big goals to the little daily tasks. In a homeschool setting, these skills help our kids manage their workload, complete assignments on time, and handle the challenges that come with learning new concepts. Without strong executive functioning, our children may struggle to organize their thoughts and spaces, manage their time, stay focused on tasks, and achieve their goals. All of these contribute to avoiding frustration, having good self-esteem, and being successful.
How to Improve Your Child’s Executive Functioning Skills in Your Homeschool
As homeschooling parents, we have the unique opportunity to tailor our teaching methods and environment to support your child’s executive functioning development. We also have the motivation and desire to make sure we’re teaching our kids all the things they need to be successful in adulthood, and not just the core academics that a school usually teaches.
Here are some strategies to help improve executive functions skills:
1. Create a Structured Environment
Children thrive in environments where there is a predictable routine. This doesn’t mean you need a strict schedule with timed learning blocks, it just means that you have a regular structure and flow to your days. This models good executive functioning habits for your kids, and they’ll develop good habits. Using visual schedules, checklists, or planners can help your child understand what is expected and to learn to manage their time and tasks independently in time.
2. Break Tasks into Manageable Steps
Large tasks can feel overwhelming, especially for children who struggle with executive functioning. Break down assignments into smaller, more manageable steps, and set short-term goals that lead to the completion of the larger task.
Tip: Encourage your child to check off each step as they complete it to build a sense of accomplishment.
3. Use Timers and Alarms
Time management is a crucial aspect of executive functioning. Timers and alarms can help children stay on track and manage their time more effectively. Use timers for specific tasks or school work sessions, and set alarms for transitions between activities.
Tip: Try the Pomodoro Technique, where your child works for 25 minutes and then takes a 5-minute break, to maintain focus and productivity.
4. Organize Your Learning Space
A well-organized space can help reduce distractions and make it easier for your child to focus on their work. It doesn’t matter where you do your homeschool work- some families have designated spaces and others don’t- but ensuring the places your child frequents stay reasonably tidy can help your child a lot. Prepping tools and materials you’ll need for your lessons in advance can also help limit distractions and break your child’s focus.
Tip: Involve your child in organizing their spaces! Doing all the tidying and decluttering for them may help them focus, but doesn’t teach them how to develop the skill for themselves. Help them take ownership of their environment and develop their organizational skills by taking part, but don’t overwhelm them by giving them big clean-up tasks to handle on their own. Teach and demonstrate how to get the job done by doing it together.
5. Teach Planning and Prioritization
We can help our children learn to plan their day and prioritize tasks, a skill they will use their entire lives! Consider some sort of daily or weekly planner such as an agenda, a whiteboard, or simple lists that you create together. Start by sitting down together to list all the tasks that need to be completed, and then discuss which ones should be done first based on importance and deadlines. Modelling these skills will help them learn to do them themselves as they get older.
Tip: Use a whiteboard or planner to visually lay out tasks and priorities. This can help your child see the big picture and manage their time effectively, enhancing their executive functioning.
6. Develop Emotional Regulation Skills
Emotional regulation is key to managing frustration and stress, which are common obstacles to completing tasks and make executive functioning more difficult. Teach your child to manage their thoughts and feelings, practice mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing, and know strategies and skills for emotional regulation, in order to help them stay calm and focused.
Tip: Incorporate social-emotional learning into your homeschool and regularly talk about how we manage how we think and feel.
7. Encourage Self-Monitoring and Reflection
Teach your child to self-monitor by regularly asking them to assess their progress on tasks and how they are feeling. Encourage them to reflect on what went well and what could be improved, fostering metacognition and self-awareness.
Tip: Try to get in the habit of reflecting- this can be about school tasks like a big project, about something around the home like way chores are distributed, or even about a family trip. Talk openly and honestly about what you enjoyed, what went according to plan and what didn’t, and what you would do differently next time. This fosters open communication between you and your child as well as cognitive flexibility and self-reflection.
8. Promote Cognitive Flexibility
Encourage your child to think about problems in different ways and to try new approaches when they encounter obstacles. This can help them become more adaptable and improve their problem-solving skills.
Tip: Use games and activities that require flexible thinking, such as strategy games, to build cognitive flexibility in a fun way.
9. Foster Goal-Directed Persistence
Help your child set long-term goals and then help them break them down into smaller, actionable steps. Celebrate progress towards these goals to keep them motivated and focused on achieving them.
Tip: Create a vision board with your child to visually represent their goals and the steps they need to take to achieve them.
What is Executive Dysfunction?
While many children can develop strong executive functioning skills with practice and support, some may struggle with executive dysfunction. Executive dysfunction refers to significant difficulties in one or more areas of executive functioning, which can impact a child’s ability to manage tasks, control impulses, and regulate emotions. This is common in neurodivergent kids, particularly those who are ADHD or autistic. If your child exhibits persistent challenges in these areas, it may be helpful to explore strategies and supports specifically designed to address executive dysfunction.
Conclusion
Executive functioning is the foundation for effective learning and daily living. By understanding these skills and actively working to improve them in your homeschool, you can help your child become more organized, focused, and successful in their academic and personal endeavors. With the right support and strategies, your child can develop the executive functioning skills they need to thrive.