Why It’s Important to Focus on Executive Functioning Skills for Students

Statistics show that 45% of teens describe themselves as feeling very stressed out. Statistics also show that 29.2% of students are chronically absent.

Some issues that students face could be the result of executive functioning skills. These are skills that most children are able to naturally develop.

Unfortunately, not all students develop these cognitive skills. Many students between 8th and 11th grade struggle in these areas.

Keep reading to find the best solutions for executive functioning skills for students.

What Are Executive Functioning Skills?

What we call executive functioning skills is also called the brain management system. This is the cognitive process the brain goes through when we do things.

This process is vital in helping people to get through daily tasks. You wouldn’t be able to plan your day or do your homework if you didn’t have this function.

This is something that children start to develop at a very young age. Even toddlers will start having cognitive skills as they work through problems.

Maintaining executive functioning is easier for adults as they join the workforce. Having to stay on top of work and live tasks maintains this skill.

Children reaching early adolescence tend to struggle with this the most. They are in a strange in-between stage where they aren’t young children but they aren’t adults.

This creates a gap in their life where they need structure, but they are lacking it. This can result in a lack of executive functioning skills.

Here are some things that are directly impacted by these cognitive processes.

Independence

One important aspect of executive functioning skills for students is independence. This helps them to self-monitor and self-regulate.

Their brains are at a stage where they can focus on tasks and hold themselves accountable. They will seek a task through completion even if they don’t have someone enforcing this.

Independence is a vital part of developing and becoming an adult. It becomes obvious if adolescent children have not gotten to this stage of development.

It is worth mentioning that some students will have more of this than others. Independence can sometimes be connected to personality.

Gaining independence is very important for those in high school. They need to learn to apply executive functioning skills in classes and homework.

If they aren’t able to do this, their work is going to suffer, as will their grades.

Time Management

Developing executive function skills includes time management. This is a skill that everyone has to have at some point as they become older.

As children become preteens and teens, this becomes more important. It is especially important in school since the entire day is sectioned off by time.

A student will need to be able to prioritize tasks and avoid distractions. They need to be aware of the time and find a way to complete tasks within that timeframe.

Time management is not something that comes naturally to people. This is a cognitive function that has to be practiced on a daily basis.

This is part of why school is helpful in teaching students time management. It sets them up for the future when they will have to work within a timeframe.

Planning

These cognitive processes also include planning and organization. This is an area where high school students often struggle significantly.

Students will need to use critical thinking skills to plan what they need to do. They will need to organize their thoughts and organize the time they have available.

These are tools that have to be worked on to reach a certain standard. It is vital for students to accomplish this, otherwise, their academics will suffer.

Self Control

Executive functioning skills also include self-control. This is an ability that slowly develops as children become older.

A toddler will not have much self-control and will throw a fit whenever they are upset. An eight-year-old child may also be upset, but they most likely will not throw a tantrum.

This process continues through age as teenagers become more aware of themselves. They develop better self-control as long as they have executive functioning skills.

This is very important in helping students to handle school activities. They will need to control their emotions as well as any negative feelings they may have.

Self-control also includes having the discipline to do what you need to do. This can help students to focus when they aren’t interested in what they are doing.

Or it can help them to sit down and do their homework even if they want to play a game.

Critical Thinking

Adaptable thinking is something that is very important as you get older. This is also considered to be critical thinking, where you change your approach to things.

For instance, a student may have gotten home to realize their plan is not going to work. They may have wanted to watch a movie but realized they had a report to write.

They will be able to adapt to their thinking to create a new plan quickly. This will allow them to do what they need to do as well as what they want to do.

Critical thinking skills are very important for students to develop. This is a problem-solving skill that is going to be necessary for all aspects of life.

They will need to use it when they go to college or when they start working. It will also be useful for day-to-day activities when things don’t go as planned.

Without this mental flexibility, people would be stunned by most things. If something didn’t go as planned, they would spend the rest of the day not knowing how to spend their time.

How Schools Help With Executive Functioning Skills for Students

Schools are useful when it comes to executive functioning skills for students. It helps to exercise their brain and encourages more critical thinking.

It also gives them a taste of what life after school will be like. It helps them develop the skills they will need at college and in the workforce.

Some examples of this are problem-solving when they don’t understand the work. Academic work is constantly changing, and they have to learn how to change with it.

Students will also have to develop self-control and independence. They will need to sit down and focus on a task for a long period of time.

How Parents Help Children

Parents can also help their children with executive functioning skills at home. This is going to be a bit different and will depend on the child.

Parents will need to base their approach on their child’s strong points and weak points. For instance, they may want to pay more attention to helping their child with homework.

They can create a specific time for homework and provide plenty of breaks. They also need to encourage concentration without being distracted.

Parents can also encourage their children to do specific activities. These could include activities that improve cognitive function and control.

Some examples of this would be time-intensive activities like woodworking or knitting. These are activities that require concentration and self-discipline for a long period of time.

Activities like cooking and reading have been shown to be very useful in doing this. Parents can set up several activities for their teenagers to choose from after school.

This helps to fill up their free time with activities that will be beneficial. This creates the opposite effect of spending time online or watching movies.

These are examples of some past times that could slow down their progress.

How Coaching Helps Students

Another option that parents have for their children is coaching. These programs have a strong focus on developing these necessary skills.

The coaching will be done online with a qualified expert. They will be there every step of the process, helping your child to develop the skills they need.

Each coach will identify the pain points of the student. Then they will create a plan that the two of them will follow to see the best improvements.

This coaching puts a strong focus on academic skills for students. This will help them to do better in school and be prepared for college and the workforce.

It will encourage students to have healthy study habits. As well as having a goal-oriented mindset that will be useful in all areas of life.

Executive Functioning Skills and Academic Success

You may be wondering if executive functioning skills are correlated with academic success. The reality is that these two things directly impact each other.

Students who lack these skills will usually show this in their academic work. It is very difficult for students to do what they need to do for their education.

Some students may be able to get by, but that isn’t always the case. These skills aren’t just about how they process things and do their work, it is also about their behavior.

Students have to be able to sit for long periods of time and focus. If they aren’t able to do this, their academic success will be hindered greatly.

A child can be very intelligent and understand the work but still struggle with it. That is why cognitive skills are considered to be a necessity for daily life.

If your child is struggling with this in school, it isn’t going to stop there. It will also cause them to struggle when they get to college where the work is more extensive.

It will also make holding down jobs more difficult in the far future. This is especially true if they go into any workforce that requires concentration and independence.

How to Tell If a Student Struggles With Executive Functioning

In most cases, parents can tell if their child is struggling. They may be able to see this when they are doing their homework or if they have other issues.

But it is more common for teachers to notice this in students. They are with students for the better part of the day and see them struggling through their work.

Executive functioning skills for students may not show the signs you expect. These students may struggle with their grades and getting their homework done.

But these could be signs of many other issues a student may be going through. You also want to look at their behavior and how they manage issues at school.

Those with cognitive issues may be quicker to get irritated in their classes. They may not get along with students or teachers well and struggle to focus when they need to.

This is because executive functioning skills center around the brain. Problems with completing schoolwork are just a symptom of a greater issue.

This is why it is important for teachers and parents to communicate. Teachers may see something that parents don’t and vice versa when it comes to students.

It is also a joined task in helping students to develop executive skills. They will need help at school and at home in developing these abilities.

Importance of Executive Functioning Skills for Students

Executive functioning skills for students are very important in their development. This helps with problem-solving and managing day-to-day tasks at home and at school.

If your child is struggling with these skills, you may need to help them more. You can also help them get executive function coaching.

Are you interested in coaching for your child? Contact us today at Peak Academic Coaching to get started with a coaching program.