Many parents striving to raise successful children often emphasize test scores, GPAs, and additional tutoring as keys to academic and intellectual growth. However, one academic expert argues that true success isn’t rooted in IQ. Instead, the foundation lies in developing strong executive functioning skills.

Executive functioning encompasses the abilities to focus, organize, and manage emotions. These skills are crucial indicators of future success. “Mastering these skills early on enables individuals to handle responsibilities effectively and build meaningful relationships,” Ana Homayoun noted in a piece for CNBC.

Homayoun cautions that prioritizing grades and accolades as the sole motivators for academic achievement can be counterproductive. This approach may strain family bonds and leave children unprepared for real-world situations due to the absence of tangible reward systems. Instead, she advocates for establishing supportive environments that foster independence.

When students face challenges in managing assignments, meeting deadlines, or finding essential materials, the expert suggests families create tailored organizational systems. “To evaluate the effectiveness of these systems, ask your child if they can locate a needed document or file in under a minute,” she recommended. “If they struggle, discuss possible improvements to make their systems more efficient.”

With today’s youth balancing academics, sports, extracurricular activities, and social media, establishing routines and accountability becomes essential. This often exceeds the capacity of their developing brains. Simple daily routines, like setting aside time to plan the upcoming week, can help children manage their responsibilities and build self-regulation skills.

Sometimes, all they need is the gentle accountability of someone nearby. “Sometimes, kids just need the accountability of someone nearby to motivate them to start or finish tough tasks,” the expert said.

Homayoun stresses that parents need to switch from nagging children when they think that they are procrastinating to helping them find solutions. When parents mistake procrastination for laziness, it can lead to unnecessary conflict. “What we often call ‘procrastination’ is actually task avoidance — a task initiation issue, not a motivation problem,” the advisor noted.

Instead of nagging, families can create rituals that cue the brain to start working such as tidying the workspace together or making a small list of to-dos to build momentum.

And as we all know, rest, stress, and regulation is key when it comes to how one will perform, especially academically. Sleep and stress play a huge role in how well kids can focus and follow through. Research shows teens need eight to ten hours of rest each night for healthy brain development. The expert suggests creating an “emotional toolkit” with three to five go-to stress relievers, like listening to music, drawing, or spending time with a pet.

Of course, kids mimic what parents do; therefore, you need to model the behavior.

“Kids are watching how we handle stress, manage our time and adapt when plans change,” the advisor said. Showing adaptability, or “buoyancy,” as they call it, helps kids see that success isn’t about perfection but about how you recover when things go wrong.

“When parents model adaptability, kids learn to do the same,” the expert added. “Make sure you’re showing them what success actually looks like.”