Executive functions are trainable

How do we train them? Here’s a little example:

We play the story of the Careless Wizard: a child and his powerful magic wand has the power to turn anyone who tries to escape into a statue. The objective is for children to use their listening skills. The child with the wand is to point to one child, but to name of another child that will turn into a statue.

With this simple exercise we dynamically train an important executive function, the inhibitory control. Inhibitory control, or response inhibition, is the foundation of impulse control and is essential for behavioural adjustment.

Executive function and cognitive processes start rapidly developing at birth

Promoting deliberate development of a child’s executive functions with Motor Fairy Tales, will set her up to enter primary school with an advantage.

Once acquired, they last forever

Healthy and developed executive functions during childhood serve as building blocks for the cognitive and mental processing an adult uses to adapt and manage his social position. These skills prove useful in one’s  work/career, marriage and any other social scene.

Recent scientific studies revealed that subjects who constantly exercised during pre school activities have then proceeded to enter college, showing the relationship between successful study plans and the constant practice of structured physical activity since the early ages.

They are very useful when faced with demanding tasks

Self control and focused attention are essential for school development, even more essential than a child’s intelligence quotient (IQ) (Blair & Razza, 2007)

✓Children with good work memory and inhibition capabilities are good at maths and reading (Borella, Carretti & Pelgrina 2010).

✓Good Inhibition capabilities are key to being able to wait for one’s turn, being less distracted, being more determined and less impulsive (Moffitt 2011, Diamond 2014)

✓Child with low level of executive function have problems in establishing relationships with classmates and teachers, over school problems.

✓Children with poor executive functions are easily distracted, they have low attention spans and are not able to wait for a long time.

✓ A child with good executive functions will tend to have a more balanced lifestyle as an adult, in work, marriage and any other field.