If you're looking for a fun way to help manage your child's executive functioning skills, consider investing in Chinese Checkers! This strategy-building game is perfect for developing impulse control, improving your ability to plan ahead, and increasing your cognitive flexibility.
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MENTOR SPOTLIGHT
Jennifer Sax
We are pleased to welcome Jennifer Sax to the Thinking Organized team! Jennifer is a
Speech-Language Pathologist who
has worked with clients from birth to 18 years of age treating a variety of speech-language needs.
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Picture the scene: it's 7:00 AM, the school bus will arrive in 10 minutes, and your child is frantically searching for her binder. She looks in every room, overturns every pillow, but her binder is nowhere to be found. The bus arrives, and your child sadly shuffles out the door, knowing that she will receive an "incomplete" on today's homework. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, this is a scene many parents are all too used to. For students with executive dysfunction, it's incredibly hard for them to keep track of their materials, be it binders, books, pencils, or calculators.
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With students back at school after their Winter Break, you've probably noticed a common trend: many of them lack the motivation to get back into "school mode."
After having a week or more off from school, it can be difficult for students to return to their normal schedules and academic responsibilities. We're here to help you find ways to boost your children's motivation level.
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THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
It's never too late to start thinking ahead. For students in high school, chances are they are aware that they will eventually be taking placement tests or national tests that will help determine whether they get into the school of their dreams. Have your child sit down and compose a list of the schools he wants to attend in the future, and then have him look up the standard requirements to get into the school. When your child sees that the schools want a certain grade point average or test score, this can work as a motivating factor to get him to study more, do homework, and seek assistance when he does not understand the material.
For a student in middle school, have him set a goal to join a sports team or the school musical. A student is often more motivated to accomplish something when he is interested in the subject, and because it's important for him to be involved in after-school activities, encourage your child to identify an activity he would like to take part of. Then, have your student outline a list of steps he needs to take in order to accomplish his goal. For example, if your child wants to join the soccer team, he should meet with current members on the team to see what the team requirements are, attend a practice on the sidelines to see what training is like, and schedule time to practice elements of his game that need improvement (such as throw-ins or free kicks).
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THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
Post-School
All students, no matter their age, are asked what they want to be when they grow up. Whether they want to be an astronaut, a teacher, or a professional videogame player, there are certain things they need to do in order to make their dream come true.
Have your child seriously consider what career she would like to have post-school, and have her brainstorm various activities that profession requires. For example, a teacher will likely have to be able to come up with lesson plans, learn how to hold a class's attention, and grade dozens of tests in a short amount of time. If these activities sound like something your child is interested in, ask her to consider how she can start working on similar skills, such as her material organization or time management skills, that will prepare her for this job.
The easiest way to work on these skills would be to apply them to school; have your student use a planner or create a homework schedule so she can start developing the necessary skills for her dream job.
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At the beginning of each quarter or semester, have your child write out a list of goals he wants to achieve for the month. These goals should be specific and, above all, realistic. Instead of saying, "I will ace everything" or "I will do better," encourage your child to create goals such as "Improve Algebra grade from a C+ to a B+," or "Meet with AP Language teacher weekly."
As the quarter goes on, have your child track his progress to see whether he has met his goals. The goals your child sets should also be measurable. For example, if your student wants to improve his grade in a certain class, then he can track how attainable this goal is by seeing how long it takes him to do homework, whether he is able to follow along in class, and whether his test grades improve. These measurements can indicate whether your child is on his way to achieving his goal or whether he needs to change the plan to accomplish his goal.
At the end of the quarter, have your child reward himself for any goals he achieved; for example, he is allowed to stay out longer with friends or is allowed to stay up later. If there were any goals your child did not achieve, discuss why the goal was not met and set a new plan for the new quarter.
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Getting your children to self-motivate can be challenging, but it is not impossible. Having your children think about what they achieve not just in school but in the future can inspire them to apply themselves to their academics.
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