PLANNING AS AN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILL: CONCLUDING A PROJECT EVEN BEFORE IT BEGINS .

PLANNING AS AN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILL: CONCLUDING A PROJECT EVEN BEFORE IT BEGINS.  

 “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail”- Benjamin Franklin

 As we continue our discussion on the various skills that make up executive functioning skills, we will be looking at yet another important skill every child should have and that is planning skills. Planning is the aspect of executive functioning skill that involves one’s ability to carefully look at future goals and aspirations and set up a detailed working strategy to actualize those goals in order of highest priority. Little wonder a popular quote by Benjamin Franklin goes “He who fails to plan, plans to fail”

Planning as an executive functioning skill will make a child who knows that he would be required to sit for an exam at the end of the term, carefully draw up a study plan. His plan could include; Engaging in intensive reading for 2 hours every day, cutting down on screen time, and having a discussion session with either a friend or family member at a stipulated time and he will stick to the plans and achieve the goal of passing his exams in flying colours. A child with high-level planning skills can draft a detailed daily plan, where he itemizes all the activities he has for the day in order of importance and then sees them through

A child who has great planning skills will always get things done excellently well and even handle their businesses well

 

Importance of Planning:

a.       Planning helps the child to complete tasks accurately without omitting any aspect of the task

b.      It also helps the child carry out activities and tasks in order of importance

c.       It helps to prevent the child from getting overwhelmed especially with tasks that are a bit cumbersome

d.      Planning increases the chances for success in carrying out a goal, and success when it occurs repeatedly boosts the self-esteem of the child.

e.      It also improves academic performance. Every class assignment/problem given will require a working methodology to provide a solution, so the child’s ability to create a suitable working plan to solve the problem is the beginning of academic success.

f.        Planning also promotes effective and efficient decision-making. In the process of planning, one can identify what steps and processes will work favourably and what won’t so the child is better equipped to make a sound decision.

g.       Also having a detailed working plan on paper helps a child communicate his goals and expectations better.

 

How to Help Your Child Build on Planning as a Skill.

       1.       Encourage the child to plan an activity or event like a meal, a friend’s birthday party, a small family get-together, etc. Practice makes perfect.

       2.       Teach your kids how to order tasks in order of priority.

       3.       Baking is an activity that helps children develop their planning skills. To have a well-baked bun, the child has to plan all the steps involved in the baking process. Form getting the items required to measurement, to the actual preparation and then the baking proper.

       4.       Encourage your kids to mingle with their peers who have stronger planning skills.

       5.       Encourage journaling and the use of daily planners.

       6.       Also teach them how to use visual clues and diagrams in setting up a plan.

       7.       Games like Chess, Checkers, Monopoly, and Battleship board games help to improve planning skills.

       8.       Another amazing and interesting game is “Tower of Hanoi”- This is a mathematical game/puzzle which consists of 3 rods and discs in sequence. The discs are arranged in sequence on one stick and the goal is to move all the disks to form another tower without violating the sequence of arrangement. This video can help you understand the game better https://youtu.be/JqQFf775wZU. This game also improves problem-solving skills.

 Planning is a skill that is indispensable if one must succeed in life because as a popular quote goes “A goal without a plan is just a wish”. It is like seeing the end of a journey even before embarking on the journey.  As is the case with every other executive functioning skill, it can be learned by those who don’t have them, and for those who already have them, it can be improved upon. 

Did you get value, please don’t forget to drop a comment, question, or contribution. Also, read up on other posts on the other executive functioning skills in our blog.