Building a Key Capabilities for Life: Cultivating Executive Functioning Skills in Early Childhood

A: Very much so. A recent study charted the growth of the frontal lobe of the brain and executive function skills. They found that executive functioning begins to develop shortly after birth in infants, develops more dramatically and rapidly between the ages of three and five years, continues to develop in childhood and early adolescence, then has a more pronounced increase between the ages of 15 and 23 years, and then stabilizes in adulthood, then declines slowly and slightly as we age. Thus, the frontal lobes of the brain and the development of executive function skills do not fully mature until the age of 30.

A： Figure 1 lists and describes Dawson & Guare’s (2012) eleven categories of executive function techniques.

A: According to cognitive psychology, executive functioning can be categorized into basic level and higher level mental cognitive processes. Cognitive psychologists agree that there are three main basic executive skills for young children: inhibition (including inhibition of attention, inhibition of cognitive thinking, and inhibition of behavioral responses), working memory (verbal and visual-spatial), and cognitive flexibility (coping with sudden changes in processes and seeing things from different perspectives, etc.).

A: Executive function skills are the foundation on which early learning needs are built and support early academic achievement. Good executive function skill development helps children develop a working memory to effectively remember and follow multi-step directions; build inhibition and concentration to focus and avoid distractions in learning; develop cognitive flexibility to make appropriate adjustments when rules or situations change; and adapt to new learning environments as quickly as possible to increase engagement in learning. As executive functioning skills (concentration, working memory, cognitive flexibility) support the learning process, young children are able to master the content more efficiently and effectively, which helps to improve language, reading, arithmetic and writing. Research findings show that young children with stronger inhibition, concentration, and working memory show greater growth in early arithmetic, language, literacy, and visual arts development.

A: As children grow up, group play with peers helps them develop social and emotional skills. In these group games/activities, children need to use concentration and working memory to remember the rules of the games/activities (role-playing agreements), to restrain their impulsive behaviors and to manage their emotions so as not to disrupt the rules/procedures (different role-playing positions), and sometimes to add innovative rules and procedures, and they need to use cognitive flexibility and simple organizing and planning skills to cope with and deal with changes in the games. Executive Function Better-developed young children are more attentive to the needs of others and exhibit more pro-social behaviors, which are conducive to good peer relationships and less likely to encounter peer problems during childhood and late adolescence.

A：Children with good executive functioning skills have higher autonomy, better self-care ability, better peer relationships and higher self-confidence. Together with caring and supportive caregiver relationships and a growing environment, these children can learn to manage their emotions, build stronger physical and psychological systems, have greater perseverance and resilience, and have a lower risk of developing psychological and emotional disorders.

A: Young children who are weak in inhibition, concentration or emotion management generally have more difficulty following instructions in school and in restraining impulsive behaviors in daily life or in dealing with others. Not only does this cause problems in learning and school life, but research also shows that they are more likely to engage in defiant and aggressive behaviors with adults and peers, and in the long run, are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors.

A: Slower development in children does not necessarily mean that they are “inferior”. It may be influenced by environmental, physiological factors, or special growth needs. As mentioned above, the most important thing is that even if young children face these influences, if they receive support and guidance from parents, caregivers, or trustworthy adults, they can not only buffer the negative effects of unfavorable factors on their growth, but also create a suitable environment to cultivate primary execution skills, support them in adapting to difficulties, overcoming adversity, and thriving.