Scarf tying: A great Executive function activity for teens

I love a good scarf with an outfit. I think it really adds a nice layer of fashion even for those who feel fashion challenged and/or don't care for jewelry. I especially love that the scarf seems to be something that transcends generations. Many conversations have occurred between myself and my teen clients, daughter's friends and son's girlfriend regarding scarves; colors, styles, different ways to tie-so much to talk about. Speaking of which, scarf tying is a phenomenal 
activity to use to strengthen executive function skills. How you ask? Let me share with you.

Below, you'll see my friend, Lauren. You may recognize Lauren from a series of posts back in 2012 regarding her car accident that resulted in a Traumatic Brain Injury and other challenges for her and her family. Prior to her accident, Lauren worked in a popular teen clothing store. Many of her early high school pictures, show her with scarves tied in various fashions. We've recently begun to focus on more functional skills in our sessions both because she is ready for it and because she has expressed, on more than one occasion, that she is "19" and should be able to __________. It's been weighing on my mind a lot and while cruising Pinterest one day, it hit me, we needed to bring back some of her pre accident activities like tying on that perfect scarf to accessorize her outfit. The bonus? It would also work on the executive functioning skills that we are working so hard to strengthen and support. 

When we began, I asked Lauren to tie a scarf style she remembered. She was feeling really GREAT because she did the one loop and "ta da!" LOL. After this celebration, I had her instruct me on how to tie it. I knew she was accessing those meta-cognition skills when she didn't have the ends matched up and started over. She then included that in her instruction "make sure you have the ends even."

Please note the lack of a true, reach your eyes smile here. She had just gotten done telling me "you frustrate me." To which I replied, "it's my job and I live to frustrate you. " ;) She laughed. The issue here was that I showed her how to tie this style BUT she struggled with getting her hand through the loop-she had to access her meta-cognition skills big time here.

{note: I often ask her take pictures of me during our sessions as that is also a great EF skill-using an iPhone or the like}. Here is my demonstration of how she can "plan ahead" for the loop issue. The next scarf style was a double loop and I was scaffolding by having her complete the first style to the left of this picture before the one to the right which had one more step.

Note that she has a smile here but it's still not a to your eyes smile. She struggled with this one BUT I didn't let her give up. I verbally walked her through it by reminding her to look at her notes she made and to take one step at a time. We also talked a lot about it not being perfect the first time and that was ok.

How to use Scarf Tying as an Executive Function Activity

• Ask your client/student to teach you a style they may already know {great for working memory, sequencing, sustained attention and meta- cognition}
• Use Pinterest to find a plethora of ideas {check out ours here}
• Find styles that build on one another-this is a natural way to "scaffold" skills. As they become proficient at one style/steps, then they can move on to a more challenging step
• Encourage note taking if you do a live demonstration. Notes might include tricks like "make sure your ends are even" or "twist the scarf first so your hand can get through the loop easily." 
• Encourage them to set a goal from the beginning-use "levels" so they feel accomplished no matter the outcome. For example, perhaps the first goal is to do it with fewer than 3 cues, then 1 and then independently. There are many ways to have a leveled goal concept-I'll be covering this concept here on the blog within the next few weeks. 
• Keep in mind how the client learns best. Perhaps a live demonstration isn't best. Try using diagrams and written instructions from Pinterest or other publications. 

I can't wait to continue challenging Lauren with this activity and using it with future clients as well. There are so many different ways to tie a scarf that this will stay current and interesting for quite some time. It also allows your teen clients and young adult clients to "own" the activity because it is relevant for them. A comparable activity would be learning to tie a necktie {although I must admit, I don't know how!}. 

Get access to more creative ideas for working on executive functioning!

What do you think? Do you have a favorite website where you find ideas for how to tie scarves and ties? I'd love to know. 

Until next time, keep growing and blooming. 

If you would like to follow Lauren's progress, please visit her Caring Bridge site. 

Jen