Executive functioning refers to the major processes that the frontal lobes of our brains complete. These functions or skills are essential for our children to use and develop, as they control three integral areas of processing: Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, and Inhibitory (or Self) Control. Executive functioning is also where your child’s development of attention, concentration, organisation, planning, initiating/staying on tasks, and transitioning of focus skills originate.

Breakdown:

Working Memory refers to the ability in which our brains store and draw upon information in a productive manner. These include skills such as remembering the correct way to shower, the steps to dress ourselves, or the correct way to form and handwrite letters and numbers. It also refers to our child’s ability to sequence and process instructions from parents, teachers, and friends. Some children may have difficulty when attempting to remember a sequence of instructions, for example “turn the Xbox off and brush your teeth” (a simple two-step instruction) may be too difficult for them to remember and carry out. Providing a ‘just right’ challenge such as giving one instruction at a time may be more appropriate and draw better results.

Cognitive Flexibility supports us to consider more than one perspective and think about things in multiple ways. We often notice that our children have difficulty dealing with change, becoming upset when something new or different arises. This can be attributed to a lack of conceptualising different views or alternate circumstances. For example, a child has been told that they are going to the beach on Saturday. However, when the weekend rolls around, it is storming, and you are unable to go to the beach. Some children have difficulty understanding that there are alternate factors that contribute to our ability to carry out plans and go to the beach.

Inhibitory (Self) Control encompasses skills such as emotional regulation, sensory processing, and behaviour control. Children with poor self-control, find it challenging to manage impulsive behaviours, such as waiting for their turn to speak or play a game, and have trouble discerning what important or distracting sensory input is. For example, it is difficult for some children to filter out the sounds of the fans/air conditioner in the classroom whilst bring their teachers commands and instructions to the forefront of their mind due to poor sensory processing. Furthermore, it may be difficult for these children to manage their emotions or to simply understand them.

It is important to note that children are not born with any of these skills, they are simply born with the ability to learn and master them. Like all skills, some children become proficient quickly, whilst others take time and effort. Here are some great home activities you can try to support the development of your child’s executive functions.