Spread the Love: Building Executive Function Skills with Conscious Discipline

This article is part of our weekly series, Executive Function Tips for Families.

What is Executive Function?

Executive function (EF) refers to a set of mental skills that includes working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. These skills are essential for planning, focusing, and managing multiple tasks. By building EF skills early, we set children up for long-term learning success.

Conscious Discipline's Role in Executive Functioning

Research has shown that a child’s early executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills build the foundation for greater academic performance and good mental health. This week, we’re breaking down a study about the impacts Conscious Discipline programs have on childhood academic environments. Read on to learn about the different ways Conscious Discipline can be useful to cognitive development!

Before We Continue: Understanding the Study

This article explores findings from the paper Teacher Fidelity to Conscious Discipline and Children’s Executive Function Skills by Kirsten L. Anderson et al (2020), published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 51.

This study dissects the benefits of Conscious Discipline, a social-emotional classroom management program used in Head Start classrooms across the United States and in several other countries. Conscious Discipline uses activities and routines to teach children problem-solving skills while creating a sense of safety in the classroom.

Key Takeaways

1. Why is a Conscious Discipline Program Important?

The Conscious Discipline program wants all children to feel safe and loved.
- Conscious Discipline programs foster a sense of safety by creating a positive emotional climate for children.
- Feelings of safety and love can help increase a child’s learning capabilities and improve their behavioral and emotional control.
- When children are able to practice behavioral and emotional regulation, their problem solving skills also improve. Conscious Discipline builds these skills through classroom activities and routines.

2. How Do Students Learn Self-Regulation and Executive Functioning in a Conscious Discipline Program?

Conscious Discipline encourages teachers to manage their own thoughts, feelings, and actions so they can effectively model these skills to their students.
Teachers set routines to help students better adjust from one task to another to avoid the student frustration that occurs when there is inconsistency or unmet expectations in the classroom.
Conscious Discipline teaches children to become aware of their emotions. Tools such as naming feelings, breathing, and visualization assist in emotional regulation.

3. What Are the Research Findings for Conscious Discipline Programs?

EF and self-regulation skills strongly predict long-term success in school.
Stress affects children’s thinking skills and their EF skills.
Conscious Discipline helps children feel safe in class, which leads to students being comfortable with trying new things and building their EF skills.
Children make more EF gains when they are learning in classrooms with a more positive atmosphere.
Programs like Conscious Discipline may help a child’s academic performance in elementary school and beyond.

Actionable Steps for Parents

Here’s how you can support your child’s EF development at home:

Executive Function Skills and Self- Regulation Development

- Read Teaching Children Self Control with the Marshmallow Test and Self Regulation in Children to learn more about how to work on these critical skills for improved long term success in your child.

The Effects of Stress on Executive Functioning

- Read Mindfulness, Reflection, and Executive Function to learn how to practice stress relief with your child and improve their executive functioning.

Modeling Behavior to Your Child

- Practice talking to your child about how you manage your own thoughts, feelings, actions, and why you make the choices that you do. These conversations will assist your child with better Executive Function understanding of their own impulses and behaviors.

Creating a Positive and Safe Environment

- Praising your child’s appropriate behavior will assist in building a positive relationship with your child. You can also use rules and discipline as an opportunity to teach new rules while creating a consistent environment.

Why It Matters

Research shows that Conscious Discipline programs contribute to safer classrooms for children. The use of Conscious Discipline programs are very benefical in reducing stress in children whilst improving their cognitive development and executive functioning. Advocating for these kinds of practices in the classroom will benefit the long term success of children.