Beach again?
I’m not sure about you, but if the sun is out, I feel like I HAVE to go to the beach, even if I’m just as happy spending time inside. When my boys were younger, we headed to the beach almost every sunny day, but inevitably there would be the question “Do we have to go to the beach again?” Maybe I needed to switch it up a little. So I did. Out came the goggles, flippers, bucket and net. We were now explorers looking for animals to examine and we even could set up our own “zoo” of sorts. Or we had played kadima (paddle ball) one too many times. Well then it was time to make our own mini golf course that took hours to build by digging with a shell and using a flip flop to send the paddle ball careening down the slope into the hole dug in the sand. One of the best days we had was when I encouraged my then eight year old to create field day for our family. With some help, he planned, set up, created rules, and got us all pumped up for our own field day. Looking back now, this fun activity was an exercise in executive functioning skills, as he put in motion Sara Ward’s “Get Ready, Do, Done” model, as he planned, organized, and problem solved. There were models provided, stations to complete in order, and the participation medal at the end…although we all know I won ; )
Executive functioning skills are so important for school and job success. When planning for any multi-step task, there are many skills required in order to plan, organize and eventually evaluate how we did in order to learn from our mistakes, or continue to do things that worked. Not only are these things important when completing tasks, but they are essential for communication exchanges. Included in these skills are the ability to be a flexible and adaptable thinker while remaining emotionally regulated, planning, self-monitoring our performance, applying working memory, managing our time, and organizing it all. By targeting these skills in fun ways, we help children become more proficient in their ability to manage themselves and their responses when presented with more challenging tasks. One of the best workshops I ever attended was presented by Sarah Ward, MS CCC-SLP, the guru of Executive Functioning Skills. If you haven’t heard her speak, take the time to check her out.
Children who have weaknesses in executive functioning skills are often challenged in:
Completing homework/bedtime routines within a set time, often taking hours to complete with multiple distractions along the way
Keeping their work space organized, including backpacks, desks, etc.
Following routines
Getting started
If you see these challenges in your child, now is the perfect time to address these skills and I am more than happy to help you along the way :)