Thursday, January 31, 2013

Developing Good Executive Function in Children

Executive Function Development
Proper executive function development is important to a Childs: positive behaviors, good health, school achievement, and their ability to successfully work with people and groups. Executive function consists of working memory, mental flexibility, task switching, verbal reasoning, and self-control. We are not born with these abilities it is something that must be fostered by parents and adults involved in your Childs life (teachers, family members, coaches). The ability to gather information, while filtering distractions, and switching gears, is paramount to good development.
There are some critical factors in developing a strong foundation. Many of these things you probably already do: good relationship development and activities that engage them where they live, enabling them to learn and play. The development of healthy relationship starts in the home and extends to teachers, friends, medical professionals and others. Engaging your child in activities reduces stress, fosters social connection and creates open ended creative play. The incorporation of vigorous physical exercise into daily activities, such as a martial arts class, has been shown to positively influence stress levels, social skills, and brain development. As a child begins to develop skills the complexity of the skill should be increased in a step by step manner. Each child is different so you have to find the zone where there is challenge without frustration. This has to be followed with repetition of the skills. Look for an activity that your child will enjoy and that allows for development of these skills. Most sports activities cultivate the ideas represented here: baseball, soccer, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, etc. The key is finding something they enjoy forcing them into the activity will not foster a memorable experience for you and them.





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