5 Ways to Foster Executive Functioning Skills (Early Years)

Written By Danielle Klan, M.A. Special Education

Executive Functioning skills can be described as life skills. These skills include impulse control, emotional control, flexible thinking, working memory, self monitoring, planning and organizing tasks. Executive Functioning skills are pertinent to lifelong learning and success and should be practiced from an early age. Here are some tips on how to foster your child’s EF skills from Kindergarten and on!

Emotional Control describes the awareness of one’s emotions. Practice mindfulness and “calm bodies” with your child before big discussions or problem solving a situation. Soothing music, exercising or deep breathing can help achieve this. When a child’s brain and body are calm, logical thinking is more likely to happen. A calm body and a calm brain help the brain to learn! 

Flexible Thinking describes the ability to adjust to unexpected changes. Changes in routine and structure can often lead to meltdowns, unexpected or undesired behaviors and in some cases extreme behavior. Help prepare your child for unexpected changes to the schedule or routine by incorporating “small mystery outings or events” in the calendar periodically. They can be something fun and positive to start off and gradually transition to something less pleasant over time. This “practice” can help your child better cope with unexpected changes.

Organization involves keeping things in order both mentally and physically. Allow your child to describe their day or schedule each morning. Encourage your child to help organize drawers, dishes, laundry, their room etc. Keeping our minds and surroundings organized helps children learn and think more clearly!

Time Management is the ability to accomplish a task in a desired amount of time. By making a task into a game instead of a chore or job can make this skill more fun for young children. Set a timer and ask your child to finish a task before the timer expires. Set goals for accomplishing things in less and less time while staying organized.

Working Memory is a skill that allows us to receive, use and apply information. Encourage your child to make lists, use acronyms (North, East, South, West ~ Never Eat Sour Watermelon), practice mental math, and to make mindful connections between new information or experiences. 

As children utilize executive functioning strategies to complete tasks, regulate their emotions, organize their time and materials at an early age, they will start to develop the skills that will allow them to be more successful in learning environments.

Other Resources:

A Day in a Life of a Student with Executive Functioning Challenges (video)

5 Brain Breaks to Try (infographic)

An Introduction to Executive Function: What is it and how can we improve it? (article)