Less is More When it Comes to Back-to-School Planning

I couldn’t believe that in July, Target is already showcasing school supplies. It seems like Summer has just begun and now we are planning for August already!  I tend to keep myself busy, but the latest research suggests that parents resist the temptation to fill up their children’s schedules with too many activities. Psychologists at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver recently released a study revealing that children who have free play and unstructured time demonstrate better self-directed executive functioning than children who have very little or no unscheduled time. Self-directed executive functioning develops mostly during childhood and is closely tied to decision making, switching between tasks, and the ability to tune out unwanted thoughts and feelings. It is an early indicator of future academic performance and even success in adulthood.  Conversely, the researchers found that children who spent most of their time in structured activities (defined as any endeavor planned or supervised by adults; this could include anything from soccer practice to community outreach) were worse than their unscheduled peers at decision-making, behavior regulation, and striving towards goals. Though the researchers could not conclude that free play directly caused better executive functioning in the study’s participants, they postulate that when children can control how they spend their time, they are able to practice such skills as setting goals and planning activities. Read more about the study here.
As you are looking to schedule back to school activities, keep in mind that sometimes less is more and allow for some down time.
ATFG will be starting our new Fall groups in mid-September. Groups are limited to only 8 participants so space will be limited.  Be sure to check the website for updates on Fall groups.
Enjoy the last month of summer!