My New Life

Executive function: Flexible thinking


Listen Later

Have you ever played “hot/cold” with your child? It’s good for a laugh, particularly when a child can’t find something in plain sight. But it’s also great at teaching young children flexible thinking, or the ability to adapt to change. As they are searching for the lost item, they are listening to directions and staying flexible when they have to change course.

In this series on executive function, we’ve been looking at ways to help our children build these skills, which include working memory, impulse control and cognitive flexibility. These mental tasks take practice and must be learned and relearned. All the while, you’re laying the foundation for school-age success. Joining Host Jessica Rolph to explain the neuroscience behind flexible thinking is Dr. Stuart Marcovitch, a professor in the Department of Psychology at UNC Greensboro.

 

Takeaways:

  1. While routines help children know what to expect, you can start mixing up the routine a bit at age 4. It gives your child an opportunity to practice flexible thinking. Maybe you brush teeth and then take a bath, instead of the other way around.

  2. Games like 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 great for building flexible thinking.

  3. Offering children choices is another cognitive flexibility technique, because it allows them to consider various alternatives simultaneously. Stuart recommends offering choices while cooking with your child: Do you want to cut the carrots into rounds or slice them into sticks?

 

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Lovevery.com 

Receive weekly emails about your child’s development, and stay in the know about new play essentials, promos, and more by signing up at Lovevery.com

Follow Lovevery and Jessica Rolph on Instagram

 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

My New LifeBy Lovevery

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

646 ratings


More shows like My New Life

View all
The Mom Hour by Mom Hour Media

The Mom Hour

1,691 Listeners

Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled by JLML Press

Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled

3,665 Listeners

The Simplicity Parenting Podcast with Kim John Payne by Kim John Payne/Center for Social Sustainability

The Simplicity Parenting Podcast with Kim John Payne

331 Listeners

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast by That Sounds Fun Network

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

2,064 Listeners

Life Kit: Parenting by NPR

Life Kit: Parenting

634 Listeners

Raising Good Humans by Dear Media, Aliza Pressman

Raising Good Humans

1,860 Listeners

Momwell by Erica Djossa

Momwell

302 Listeners

HERself by Abby and Amy

HERself

1,734 Listeners

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom by Dr. Mona Amin

The PedsDocTalk Podcast: Child Health, Development & Parenting—From a Pediatrician Mom

1,471 Listeners

Good Inside with Dr. Becky by Dr. Becky Kennedy

Good Inside with Dr. Becky

4,366 Listeners

ParentData with Emily Oster by ParentData

ParentData with Emily Oster

274 Listeners

Toddlers Made Easy with Dr Cathryn by Dr. Cathryn

Toddlers Made Easy with Dr Cathryn

151 Listeners

Learning To Mom ™ Pregnancy and Newborn Life Podcast for First Time Moms, New Moms and Expecting Mothers by Laila | The best pregnancy podcast for first time moms! If you're looking for a natural pregnancy podcast, postpartum podcast, baby's first year podcast, birth podcast, podcast about birth, podcast about pregnancy, motherhood podcast, new mom podcast, ent

Learning To Mom ™ Pregnancy and Newborn Life Podcast for First Time Moms, New Moms and Expecting Mothers

190 Listeners

After Bedtime with Big Little Feelings by Dear Media and Big Little Feelings

After Bedtime with Big Little Feelings

5,507 Listeners

Raising Parents with Emily Oster by The Free Press

Raising Parents with Emily Oster

667 Listeners