As parents of toddlers, you may have heard the term executive functioning thrown around a lot--by friends, your pediatrician, or your child's teachers. But what is executive functioning, and why is it so important?
Executive functions are the set of cognitive skills that help to control all other aspects of child's cognition. Typically, the primary executive functions are considered to be working memory, impulse inhibition, and the ability to shift from one task to another. You can think of these skills as a control panel, or as a conductor leading an orchestra--they are the top-level skills that are responsible for the rest of the child's thinking (Miller, 2021).
But just how important is executive functioning? Well, studies have shown that executive functioning is predictive of success later in life. Executive functions have been positively correlated with school readiness and later academic success (Best, Miller, & Naglieri, 2011; Blair & Raver, 2015). These skills are not just vital for academic success, but social skills, as well: executive functioning has been linked to increased social competence (Razza & Blair, 2009). One study found that children with higher impulse control were healthier both physically and mentally, earned higher salaries, and were more lawful--30 years later (Mofitt et al., 2011)!
So how can we protect and nurture this vital set of skills in children? One way is by being careful about the television that our toddlers watch. Television that depicts impossible events, like a pair of shoes walking away on their own, or someone disappearing behind an object that is too small to actually conceal them, has been shown to disrupt executive functioning. Often, these effects are achieved by using animation or camera tricks. Even watching just 10-20 minutes of this sort of harmful television is enough to erode its viewers' executive functioning, compared to children who watched realistic television (Lillard et al., 2015).
The creators of Fairy's House are dedicated to creating safe, educational television for your toddler. As a live-action, slow-paced, 100% practical show, Fairy's House avoids those harmful impossible effects. The result is a show that children will love, and parents can trust.
Miller, P. H. (2021). Theories of developmental psychology. Worth.
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