Helping Kids Build Executive Function Skills

Executive function skills are reflected in a child’s ability to plan, organize, and make decisions. Without these skills, children may become too dependent on their parents and struggle to maintain a daily routine.

Learn why executive function skills for kids are essential to daily life and what you can do to provide the appropriate support.

What are Executive Function Skills?

Executive function skills are mental processes that children develop to manage daily tasks and problem-solve. Its core principles include [*]:

• Cognitive flexibility: The ability to shift between tasks while maintaining focus and adapting to new situations.
• Working memory: The ability to recall information to follow multi-step instructions or apply it to daily life.
• Inhibitory control: The ability to think before acting and resist irresponsible and impulsive behavior.

Why are Executive Function Skills Important for Kids?

Executive function skills are essential for kids because they help make them academically successful, socially competent, and self-regulated. By developing executive function skills, children can sustain their focus and resist distractions, which improves their academic performance and ability to relate with others.

Executive function skills allow children to organize their thoughts and time effectively—a must in school and for managing daily tasks at home. Because children with good executive function skills can weigh consequences and think critically, they can make healthy and effective decisions.

What are the Signs of Weak Executive Function Skills in Kids?

Children with weak executive function skills tend to be disorganized, forgetful, and impulsive. Other symptoms you might notice include the following:

• Difficulty starting and finishing tasks or procrastinating with homework
• Inability to stay on schedule or keep track of time
• Short attention span and problems concentrating
• Becoming easily frustrated, throwing tantrums, and acting without thinking
• Struggling to understand social cues and challenges when working in a group
• Difficulty retaining information, even if it was just presented
• Avoiding class participation due to struggling with academics

While these symptoms can indicate a problem with executive function skills, they can also be related to other conditions, like learning disabilities [*].

How Can I Help My Child Improve Executive Function Skills?

Is your child struggling to hone their executive function skills? Here are some strategies you can use to help improve them.

Create a daily routine

Establishing a routine keeps things predictable and easier to manage. This is particularly true for older children, who often struggle with managing homework, chores, and social lives.

Many educational specialists suggest starting specific tasks at the same time every day, as it’ll eventually become a habit [*]. Part of creating this daily routine is providing your child with the right environment. If they’re doing their homework, keep the space quiet and with minimal distractions.

Use visual tools

Visual tools can improve a child’s comprehension through structure. For example, a simple calendar represents your child’s daily tasks and helps them remember steps.

You can also incorporate visual reminders, like a desk organization chart representing what a clean and orderly desk should look like.

Give simple, step-by-step directions

Learning to follow directions and understand steps is a vital function for children during the developmental stage. If your child struggles following a sequence, give directions one at a time.

Consider numbering your steps by telling your child, “First, I’d like you to set your place at the table. Second, please wash your hands. Third, kindly fill the pitcher with water.”

Build memory skills

Not every child is built with sharp memory skills. Sometimes, they need a boost. You can improve working memory by encouraging your child to ask questions. Questions build curiosity. You can help your child retain the information they gather by:

• Creating a rhyme or song
• Making learning exciting through different media (like books or videos)
• Using visual aids like posters, charts, and infographics
• Encouraging your child to create their own examples of a specific topic
• Creating a mind map to make connections

Help kids stay focused

Focus is an underrated skill that your child will incorporate into every aspect of their lives, from doing homework to performing daily chores. While a lack of focus doesn’t indicate a lack of intelligence, being unable to concentrate can make it feel impossible for your child to finish a task.

You can help improve their focus through timed practice or the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique involves performing tasks in timed increments with short, 15 to 30-minute breaks in between. You can increase the allotted period as your child improves with this technique.

Teach how to plan and get organized

Staying organized is a critical skill that can make home and school life easier for children with thinking differences.

Big tasks can feel overwhelming for children with executive function problems, so breaking them into chunks is essential. Suppose their morning task is to clean their room. Instead of keeping it broad, explain each step. For example, they might make their bed first and then pack their school bag. Lastly, they’ll pick their school outfit for the day.

Practice self-control

Children need self-control to bounce back from difficult emotions, inhibit impulses, and regulate themselves. For young children, this might mean eliminating all distractions—since what they don’t see is less likely to capture their attention. For older children, distractions might include electronic devices like smartphones and video games.

However, taking your child’s favorite things away can feel like punishment. Instead, you should consistently reward self-control. For example, you might reward your child with a trip to the movies or extra TV time in the evening for completing their tasks.

Encourage flexible thinking

Flexible thinking allows children to deal with uncertainty, solve problems, and adjust to new environments. You can teach kids to be flexible, open thinkers by validating their emotions, no matter how confusing, unfamiliar, and potentially scary. When children feel understood, they’re less likely to be “stuck.”

Then, when your child is ready, encourage them to act on their thoughts and feelings productively. For example, if they didn’t make the school swim team, motivate them to devise a plan to improve their skills and make the cut next time.

Read our flexible thinking handout and discover more techniques, such as going with the flow or engaging the mind.

Make learning fun with games

Learning shouldn’t feel like a chore. When children are excited to learn, they’re more likely to succeed in school, socially, and in their future endeavors. Games provide a simple and effective way to make learning more enjoyable for kids.

You can turn learning objectives into quests and challenges or use technology, such as online quiz platforms, to help them accomplish simple things.

Give lots of praise and support

Praise is a powerful tool for improving a child’s executive function skills, as it helps them focus on their efforts and progress, not just the outcomes. Through praise, you can also provide specific feedback and highlight things your child has been doing well.

For example, instead of just “Good job!” you can say, “Good job cleaning your room after finishing your homework! I’ve noticed you seem to be getting into a good rhythm with your tasks.”

Tips for Parents and Educators

Collaboration between parents and teachers creates a holistically supportive environment when your child has executive function issues. Here’s how you can work together:

• Meet early in the school year: Setting your child up for success means getting started early. Meet with your child’s teachers to help set expectations and establish patterns for developing good habits.
• Share organizational strategies that work: If you know what works for your child, let their teachers know. Explain how these systems work and why they were effective.
• Discuss accommodations: If your child has an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504, let their teachers know.
• Consider professional help: Should it appear necessary, consider having your child tested for a learning disability with a neuropsychologist.

The Bottom Line

Executive function skills for kids aren’t just necessary in school—they also help your child manage their relationships, eventually, their professional life. Improving your child’s executive function skills involves finding strategies that work and collaborating with their school.

Find more ways to help your child improve their executive function skills with our ADHD worksheets.

Sources:

1. Logue SF, Gould TJ. “The neural and genetic basis of executive function: Attention, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 2014.
2. Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA. “The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2018.
3. Toktam Emami Kashfi, Sohrabi M, Alireza Saberi Kakhki, Mashhadi A, Mehdi Jabbari Nooghabi. “Effects of a Motor Intervention Program on Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Children With Learning Disabilities.” Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2019.