Focus and Organization for Back-to-School
It’s back-to-school season, and the only people more excited than parents of school-aged children are our executive function coaches! It’s helpful (and yes, fun!) to maintain executive function skills over the summer. But it’s downright exciting to put them back to use as we head back to school. At least, we think so! To show you what we mean, here are some ideas to stay organized as we head into the 2023-2024 school year.
Fidgets, Widgets and Apps
Before we talk about keeping up with schedules and assignments, let’s start with the basics – staying focused. Harnessing some of that kinesthetic energy can help calm your body and mind to maintain attention. Here are some tools to help:
Fidgets. We’ve all seen the popularity of fidget spinners (not always appreciated in school). There are many other ways to quietly keep your body busy and focus your attention. Good old fashioned stress balls or other squeeze toys are great. So are resistance bands to use around your ankles. For those who need sensory input, items of varying texture can serve as focus aids. Some ideas are a square of felt or velvet, a ball of clay or therapy putty, or even a hard plastic toy.
Widgets. Do you know the difference between a widget and an app? A widget is something that’s already programmed and running in the background of your phone. An app needs to be started separately. One widget already available on your iPhone is the “Health” widget, popular as a way to keep track of your daily steps. But did you know that you can also use it to track mindfulness? Click on the “browse” icon at the bottom and tap on “Mindfulness” for options to track and set reminders to practice active, focused attention.
Apps. There are a wide variety of apps to help maintain focus. Free timer apps (such as Pomodoro) allow you to set a time either on your phone or computer to study or stay focused, and a time for breaks. Creative apps such as Forest (which costs $3.99) allow the user to plant a virtual tree which grows while you stay focused. Enough time off task, and your tree may die. (Forest also partners with real-life environmental organizations to plant real trees.)
Organizational Supports
There are so many types of calendars and reminders for deadlines and for chunking out assignments. How do you choose which one is best for your child?
Age, Needs and Learning Preferences
Your child’s age is the first determinant of which type of support to use. For younger children, a system that utilizes icons might be more appropriate. For older students, a color-coded planner, either online or paper, might be more age appropriate.
The strategies and preferences for learning that your child is most comfortable with also dictate what type of organizational supports will be most effective. Is your child most comfortable with information presented visually? Take advantage of that with something that they need to look at. If they tend to respond better to auditory information, setting an alarm as a reminder can be a more effective strategy than a confusing visual aid.
Needs form the foundation of all decision concerning which types of organizational supports are best for your child. What are you trying to accomplish? Make sure that whatever study aid or organizational system you choose, it isn’t adding on overly complicated supports that aren’t necessary. Overkill will only overstimulate!
Keep these strategies in mind as you set up your back-to-school executive function supports, and consult Kathy and our coaches if you need more information!