During the first years of our children's life it is important to ensure that they receive the necessary care and attention in a healthy environment, as it is in these years when the development of their motor, social, linguistic and cognitive skills will begin and begin to take shape.
But this does not mean that we should saturate them with activities, because according to a recent study, if a child has too many structured activities, the development of his executive functioning could be affected. We tell you what it is about.
In Babies and more We have frequently talked about this topic: not overloading children with activities. Some parents believe that by involving children in endless activities, they will help stimulate and boost their development, but as in everything, there must be a balance.
While it is healthy to have activities for children to begin to develop and enrich their minds, it is also very healthy to give them space and allow them to get bored, because in doing so, we give them time to think and put their neurons to work, thus stimulating their creativity and autonomy.
In Babies and more Why is it good for children to get boredIn the study that I share with you today, one more reason was found to give children that development space, because if we give them too many structured activities, their executive functions could be negatively affected.
And what are they executive functions? They are a set of cognitive abilities that are necessary to control and self-regulate our own behavior, and that help us create and follow a plan to reach a goal, as well as direct our behavior and our cognitive and emotional activity.
According to the study, conducted by psychologists at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver, children who spent less time on structured activities showed a better and more developed executive function. On the contrary, who had a greater amount of structured activities showed worse results in certain metrics, such as working towards a goal, making decisions and regulating their behavior.
In the study, the researchers comment that the executive function is mainly developed in childhood and includes any mental process that helps us work based on goals, as well as inhibit unwanted thoughts and feelings.
In Babies and more Boredom develops children's creativity and autonomyThe executive function is an early indicator of academic performance, and according to previous research mentioned within the study, could even predict the success or performance children will have in their adult livesWell, children with higher levels of executive function would be healthier, as well as more economically and socially stable throughout their lives.
Regarding the type of activities, the researchers divided the activities into two groups: "structured activities" and "less structured activities". It is considered a structured activity to anyone who is supervised by an adult, such as a music class, while the least structured are those in which the child chooses what to do without being instructed (read, play, jump, color, etc.), including free play.
After carrying out various tests on children, in which specific skills were evaluated to measure their executive function, and knowing the results of the study, the researchers conclude that when children are in control of how they use their time, without being able to have more practice in working towards your goals and deciphering on your own what to do next, instead of just following directions.
Naturally and as in many studies, the results should not be taken extremely, but as a guide to better understand how a child's development is, and in this case, find a balance between structured activities and free play.
