EXPO Skills
Which skills will my child and I practice during expo activities?
EXPO activities are designed for practicing and building executive function skills. Executive functions are the thinking skills that support our ability to reach everyday goals.
For example, children use executive function when they plan how to play with a new toy or game, and when they are learning how to count and read.
EXPO Practices four EXecutive Function Thinking Skills:
Working Memory
Working memory helps us remember and use information when we try to complete tasks. For example, children use working memory when they follow a parent's directions to find a pair of matching socks and then put them on.
Inhibition
Inhibition helps us hold back from automatic thoughts or behaviors, and it helps us choose a behavior after giving it some thought. Children use inhibition when they take just one cookie from a plate and pass the rest around the table.
Flexibility
Flexibility helps us change our thinking or behavior from one situation to another. Children use flexibility when they can go from one place (home) to another (preschool) and respond to the changes in each place. Children can also show flexibility when they respond to changes in their routines, like taking a bath in the morning instead of the evening every once in a while.
Planning
Planning helps us choose the steps needed to reach a goal. Planning involves identifying which step should go first, second, and third, and sometimes changing the steps when things don't go according to plan. Children use planning whenever they do things like brushing their teeth or getting dressed. They also use planning when they play with toys or choose their next step in a game when they play with others.
Science has shown that children who develop these four skills are able to learn more from their environments. The goal of EXPO is to provide you and your child with opportunities to develop executive function foundations at a young age to start out strong!