Executive function: Thinking ahead

My New Life

Kate Garlinge

Loveverytoddler, Toddlerplay, Toddlereducation, Playtolearn, Smartbaby, Babymilestones, Toddleractivities, Loveverybaby, Babyeducation, Strongtoddler, Toddlermilestones, Toddlersubscriptionbox, Toddlertoys, Earlylearningprogram, Babydevelopment, Sustainabletoys, Learningtoys, Learningthroughplay, Strongbaby, Babysubscriptionbox, Educationaltoys, Playkits, Parenting, Babytoys, Playtime, Toddlerdevelopment, Babyactivities, Smarttoddler, Lovevery, Kids & Family, Babyplay

4.7 • 654 Ratings

🗓️ 6 March 2024

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Executive functioning skills are important, because they help us achieve our goals. Children with strong executive functioning skills have the focus, patience, flexibility and resilience to succeed in—and out—of school.

While children continue to develop these skills into adolescence, research shows they surge at 4 years old. And they can be really fun to practice! In this episode, My New Life Host Jessica Rolph welcomes Whitman Professor of Psychology Dr. Melissa Clearfield a second time.

She first appeared on the show 3 years ago to discuss her research demonstrating differences in executive function in infants. This time, the focus is on executive function in older children, specifically a child’s ability to think ahead, a component of working memory.

Takeaways:

The three pillars of executive function are: impulse control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. The Lovevery Reach for the Stars Matching Cards — where you sort by shape, and then code switch to sort the same cards by color — are a great way to practice cognitive flexibility.
Executive function stems from attention, being able to focus on the right things and block out distractors. This is challenging at ages 3, 4 and 5 because of a child’s still-developing impulse control. Working on that selective, sustained focus is primary at this stage, and is best achieved through play with an adult.
The concept of time is still very vague before the age of 5. “We’re leaving in 15 minutes” has little meaning. Sequencing, however, is something they can do! “We have three things to do. Can we get them all done before your sister gets home?” The Lovevery countdown timer helps reinforce this skill visually.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to My New Life, a love every podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Rolf. This mini-series
0:11.6	helps us more deeply understand the importance of executive function skills, the principles
0:16.6	around which we designed are four-year-old play kits.
0:27.2	Executive functioning skills are important because they help us achieve our goals.
0:33.9	Children with strong executive functioning skills have the focus, patience, flexibility, and resilience to succeed in and out of school. While children continue to develop these
0:39.2	skills into adolescence, research shows that they surge at four years old. And they can be so
0:45.6	fun to practice. Today, I have the privilege of hosting Whitman Professor of Psychology Dr. Melissa
0:52.2	Clearfield, a second time. She first joined us three years ago when the podcast launched.
0:57.7	We discussed her research in demonstrating differences in executive function in infants. This time, we talk about executive function in older children.
1:06.6	My conversation with Melissa focuses on a child's ability to think ahead, a component of working
1:12.0	memory. In future episodes, we'll look at other aspects of executive function, like flexible
1:17.4	thinking and managing frustration. Let's get into it. I asked Melissa for her definition
1:23.0	of executive function. So generally, we talk about three pillars of executive function. One of them
1:30.3	is inhibiting inadvisable actions or impulse control, something that is notoriously difficult
1:37.2	for this age group of four to five year olds. The second pillar is enhancing working memory,
1:42.5	and the third pillar is cognitive flexibility.
1:45.7	I think I get it on inhibition. Can you explain an example of where a four or five year old might be
1:52.5	in their ability to inhibit an impulse and where we want to go with that, why this matters?
1:58.8	So it is really difficult for four-year-olds to inhibit a dominant
2:03.1	response. It is them thinking about what they want right in that moment and wanting it and that
2:09.8	feeling being so big for them. And then sometimes they need to not do what they want or not get what they want right away.
2:19.6	And they need to kind of hold on to that want.
	...

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