Posted on 11/08/2021
One of the benefits of learning about executive function skills is acquiring a vocabulary for the types of skills you want to help your child improve. We're not labeling or shaming, but being able to both recognize strengths and categorize weaknesses is the first step toward improvement (see Part 5). We can demonstrate a growth mindset by talking to our kids about our own weaknesses and how we compensate and work on them. It might feel clumsy and awkward to you at first, especially if the adults in your life as a child didn't admit to any of their own weaknesses (which you noticed anyway, though, right?). It's actually good for your children to know that not everything comes easily to us, either - we're all human, after all!
Executive Function 9: Metacognition
"Cognition," of course, is a word that refers to thinking skills, so "metacognition" refers to thinking about how we think, or a person's ability to pick apart how he or she approaches various situations. (In fact, your ability to consider your own executive skill strengths and weaknesses is a direct result of your own metacognition skills!) This kind of self-monitoring and self-evaluation allows a person to make necessary adjustments and relates to problem-solving skills. For a teen, this might translate into evaluating and correcting any mistakes in an assignment before turning it in, perhaps involving a comparison with a sample "A+" assignment that the teacher has on display. A younger child might adjust behavior based on visual cues or verbal responses from a coach or other instructor.
Executive Function 10: Working Memory
If you have the ability to hold information in your memory while you perform a multi-step task and keep relevant past experiences in mind as you plan for the future, you're using the skill referred to as working memory. Young children can demonstrate good working memory by following multi-step instructions such as getting out a book and pencil from their desks and then going to the teacher's desk to get a worksheet. When a tween enters middle school, working memory is needed in order to remember the different requirements of various teachers.
Executive Function 11: Time Management
Adults, high school students, and even elementary-aged children can learn to better manage their time. Time management skills come more naturally for some of us than for others, involving accurate estimation of the amount of time a given task will take, how much time is available, and how to best allocate that time in order to achieve goals and complete tasks. (Of course, this overlaps significantly with other executive skills, such as planning and prioritizing.) Time management also involves the general concept that time is significant and valuable. Teens can demonstrate time-management skills by creating a schedule for studying for an important test or completing a lengthy project in order to meet a given deadline. Children can exercise time-management skills by completing a task within a given timeframe set by a parent or teacher.
Continue reading with Part 7.
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