Monthly Tip
August 2021
Monthly Tip
Heading Back to School with Organized Routines
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Having Fun with Executive Functioning Skills!
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Heading Back to School with Organized Routines

Many students, especially those with ADHD and executive functioning disorder, often have a hard time getting their day started. At times, this can be a result of their internal voice giving them a huge to-do list as soon as they wake up. Faced with an enormous number of options, these children tend to move from one task to the next without accomplishing one or the other, frequently growing distracted and discouraged. Watching from the outside, it is easy to boil this tendency down to a lack of desire, laziness, or even apathy. However, in many cases, this challenge stems from poor executive functioning skills and a lack of routine. When presented with multiple choices, such as eating breakfast, getting dressed, or packing a lunchbox first thing in the morning, children can easily feel overloaded with the demands of making decisions. When they become overwhelmed, their emotional brain takes over and can cause them to start a task but not finish it because they are unsure how to accomplish it. Routines are designed to help individuals prioritize tasks and apply more structure to their day. 
The Importance of Routines
If this past year has shown us anything, it is how invaluable a routine can be in our daily lives. During this year of virtual or hybrid learning, some students thrived in the virtual classroom and all it had to offer, while others struggled to manage the lack of predictability. For these students, online school was something to dread because they missed the predictable routine of going to school, seeing their teachers and classmates, and returning home to complete assignments. When students have a predictable schedule, they engage a different region of the brain that takes the pressure off of the prefrontal cortex. In fact, routines have dozens of benefits, including: 

  • Help minimize uncertainty as routines provide us with a greater sense of control.
  • Make space for clearer thinking. The front part of the brain that is responsible for executive functioning skills, such as planning, abstract thinking, and emotional control, can easily get tired; the more we use it, the more tired we get, which in turn affects our ability to think clearly. When we create routines and habits, the brain stores those routines in our habit centers. As a result, routines free up working space in our prefrontal cortex so that we can think and concentrate better on new tasks.
  • Reduce the amount of energy we use in a given day. We start off each day with a certain amount of mental strength that is available for self-control and will power. If we were to use this resource on activities that can be routinized, then we would waste energy that could have been conserved and directed towards more demanding tasks. 
How to Create Effective Routines
As students prepare to return to traditional learning in the fall, it will be important to re-institute daily routines. Here are a few steps to get your children started:

  • Decide what needs to be in the routine and make a list. This list should include everything from school-based tasks to extracurricular activities to chores. It can be handwritten, or typed as a document on a computer or phone. When making the list, add in pictures for younger children so that they can more easily visualize the tasks that they need to accomplish. 
  • Structure the day by grouping tasks based on time of day. This step requires your children to take into account when they work best and group their tasks into the time of day that makes the most sense for when they will best complete their work. Your children should ask themselves a variety of questions, such as, “Does it make more sense to pack my school materials the night before or the morning of? Exercise early in the morning or at some point over the course of the day? Finish my homework as soon as I get home from school or after taking a break?” After grouping tasks, your children should then write down exactly what their routine will look like with time frames. For instance, they can plan to wake up between 6:00-6:15am, have breakfast from 6:15-6:40am, use the bathroom from 6:40-7:15am, and leave for school at 7:30am.
  • Try out the routine for four weeks. It can be tempting to give up on a routine if there are not immediate results; however, habits are not formed overnight. At the end of a month, have your children reflect on their routine. Ask them questions such as, “How did it feel? Did you schedule your tasks or activities at times that made sense? Do you need to adjust things?” This is the perfect time for your children to tweak anything that is not working, and then assess after another thirty days the effectiveness of the instituted routines. 
Adhering to Routines
As adults, adhering to routines can sometimes be challenging. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that your children will also face some obstacles as they work on building consistency in their lives. Here are a few tips to follow as you help them on this journey:

  • Have weekly check-ins. During these check-ins, your children should share their goals/plans for the upcoming week, reflect on their successes and challenges, and make any necessary changes prior to the following week. This weekly check-in can occur at the end of a week so that your children can use it as a benchmark to gauge their progress. It might be a good idea to have a family meeting where everyone sits together and all schedules are discussed and reviewed, including the parents’.
  • Provide support. Your children may not always want to follow their routines, especially as their schedules grow more demanding. It is important to provide reminders and support when needed and to check with your children to determine the level of support that is required. For example, some children may need only positive affirmation, while some may need you to take a more active role. Adjust your assistance as necessary so that your children become more comfortable with independently adhering to their routines. 
Final Thoughts
Routines, even simple ones, can be important anchors to maintaining good mental health and dealing with anxiety as they allow us to focus and avoid feelings of fear, uncertainty, and being overwhelmed. Before the school year begins, encourage your children to create daily routines to help them make the most of their time!
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Having Fun with Executive Functioning Skills!

Summer is almost over, so I’m sure that you and your family are eager to travel in this last month before the new school year starts! Traveling is a great way for your children to practice their executive functioning skills (and yours, as well!).

Before we jump into how to involve your kids with planning a trip, it’s important to consider the benefits of planning ahead.