# 102: Building Executive Functioning Skills over the Summer

So let's talk a little bit about the summer advantage.

Oh, you know.

And disadvantage-

Well

... to executive functioning skills.

Exactly.

I mean, I think this conversation's gonna be really, really geared towards, a lot towards parents because planning, having an entire summer to plan for and think about what are you gonna do to keep the kids busy, it can be daunting.

And so, like, what do families do?

Right.

If they do nothing, and there's no structure, and there's no organization to it, it can be-

Mm-hmm

... a little bit of a, an executive functioning problem.

It-

However, if it's highly organized, it could be advantageous to executive functioning.

And if you let the kids be involved in the planning, and the time management, and the organization of the whole thing, then-

Mm-hmm

...

it can be an even better executive functioning tool for training executive functioning skills.

Oh, I just think it's yes to all of that, because I think structure is one of those things that a lot of the kids that we work with, they thrive in those conditions.

They need it.

It makes them feel safer, and certainly giving them a role in creating that structure, that ownership, you can get a lot of buy-in.

There's certainly a huge opportunity there.

And at some point, I think we should also maybe touch on the value of how to appreciate the unstructured time, 'cause that's something our kids don't get a lot of.

Sometimes it can set them off the rails, but there's a huge value in, I think, in unstructured time, and dare I say it, the dirty word of boredom.

Yeah.

So let's talk a little bit about the summer advantage.

Oh, you know.

And disadvantage-

Well

... to executive functioning skills.

Exactly.

I mean, I think this conversation's gonna be really, really geared towards, a lot towards parents because planning, having an entire summer to plan for and think about what are you gonna do to keep the kids busy, it can be daunting.

And so, like, what do families do?

Right.

If they do nothing, and there's no structure, and there's no organization to it, it can be-

Mm-hmm

... a little bit of a, an executive functioning problem.

It-

However, if it's highly organized, it could be advantageous to executive functioning.

And if you let the kids be involved in the planning, and the time management, and the organization of the whole thing, then-

Mm-hmm

...

it can be an even better executive functioning tool for training executive functioning skills.

Oh, I just think it's yes to all of that, because I think structure is one of those things that a lot of the kids that we work with, they thrive in those conditions.

They need it.

It makes them feel safer, and certainly giving them a role in creating that structure, that ownership, you can get a lot of buy-in.

There's certainly a huge opportunity there.

And at some point, I think we should also maybe touch on the value of how to appreciate the unstructured time, 'cause that's something our kids don't get a lot of.

Sometimes it can set them off the rails, but there's a huge value in, I think, in unstructured time, and dare I say it, the dirty word of boredom.

Yeah.