Back-to-School Executive Functioning Refresh: Getting Back in the Groove
Summer is wonderful, later bedtimes, relaxed schedules, fewer alarms, and possibly a little too much time spent saying, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” But then September arrives, and suddenly students are expected to remember homework, deadlines, backpacks, passwords, sports schedules, and dozens of other things!
After a few months of a more flexible routine, getting back into the rhythm of school can feel overwhelming. The good news is that students don’t need to have everything figured out on day one. A quick executive functioning refresh can help them rebuild routines, regain focus, and start the year feeling more confident and in control.
A few simple strategies can help get them back into shape.
Re-Establish Daily Structure
A consistent routine is a great place to start. Gradually adjusting sleep schedules, setting regular homework times, and creating a daily routine that includes schoolwork, activities, and downtime can make the transition much smoother.
Predictable routines reduce the number of decisions students have to make each day, and let’s face it, deciding what to do with a free afternoon is much easier than deciding what to do when three assignments are due tomorrow!
Refresh Organizational Routines
Before assignments start multiplying, students can take some time to get organized, clean out that backpack, organize digital folders, update the planner, and make sure school materials are ready to go.
These small steps can save a lot of frantic searching later.
Strengthen Time Management
Time management is a skill that takes practice. Encourage students to record assignments, break larger projects into smaller steps, estimate how long tasks will take, and schedule focused work time. It is also important to keep track of how long it takes to do a task to learn how long it actually takes to do something.
Learning to recognize how long something actually takes, not how long we wish it would take, is an important part of becoming a more independent student.
Practice Getting Started
Sometimes the hardest part of an assignment is simply starting it.
The “five-minute rule” can help. Instead of thinking, “I have to finish this entire project,” students can commit to working on it for just five minutes. Once they get started, they may find that continuing is much easier.
Five minutes may not sound like much, but it’s often enough to turn “I don’t want to do this” into “Okay, I’m already doing it.”
Make Weekly Planning a Habit
A short weekly planning session can make a big difference. Encourage students to look ahead at assignments, tests, activities, and other commitments. They can then decide when they will study, work on projects, or prepare for busy days.
Planning ahead helps students feel more in control and reduces those stressful Sunday-night surprises of, “Wait, that’s due tomorrow?”
Encourage Independence
Parents play an important role in helping students develop these skills, but they don’t have to manage every detail. Instead of immediately solving a problem, try asking questions such as:
“What’s your plan?”
“What do you need to get started?”
“What’s your next step?”
“Is there anything that might get in the way?”
These simple questions encourage students to think, problem-solve, and take ownership of their responsibilities, skills that will serve them well throughout high school, college, and beyond.
A Fresh Start
The beginning of the school year is the perfect time for a reset. Students don’t need a perfect system or flawless routine, they just need a place to start.
Small changes, practiced consistently, can make a big difference. With a few refreshed executive functioning strategies, students can move from “Summer was so much easier!” to “Okay, I’ve got this.”
