Executive Functioning Strategies

Executive functioning skills include self-awareness, attention, organization, problem solving, time management, and emotional regulation. These skills are important for managing daily life and develop throughout childhood. Signs of difficulties with executive functioning can include disorganization, impulsivity, and problems solving issues. At home, parents can help children improve these skills by modeling good strategies, maintaining routines and schedules, using timers and visual aids, and providing opportunities for practice and praise.

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Executive Functioning Strategies

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Executive Functioning

What is Executive Functioning?

Executive Functioning Skills are skills are

“Teaching
developed throughout childhood and ado-
lescence, and even early adulthood. They
include behaviors used to manage our

kids to everyday lives. Signs children have chal-

lenges with executive functioning skills
may include difficulty keeping track of

count is their belongings and assignments, having

messy or disorganized rooms, or impulsive
behavior. These children may also have diffi- Organization involves keeping items orderly,
fine, but culties solving problems, understanding the
size of problems, “getting stuck” or being in-
having materials needed before starting a
task, and following schedules and routines.
flexible when things are not going the way they
teaching expected. Executive Functioning skills include
self-awareness and inhibition, attention to
Problem Solving requires identifying the
problem, possible solutions, and possible

them what
task, organization, problem solving, time man- outcomes, choosing a solution and trying it,
agement, and emotional self-regulation. and seeing how it worked, returning to the
drawing board if needed.

counts is
Self-awareness and inhibition are the ability to
understanding your thoughts, emotions, judge Time management is estimating how long
how your behavior affects others, and control something will take to finish, completing

best.”
impulses. tasks on time, and using time wisely.

Attention is the ability to start and keep focus Emotional Self-Regulation is understanding
on the task at hand. and managing emotions in a healthy way.
― Bob Talbert
Executive Functioning Tips at Home
There are many ways we
can help children improve  Notice when your child  Stay organized with  Provide choices for your child
their executive function- uses good executive specific places for about the order to complete
ing skills. functioning skills and materials (“A place activities
give specific praise for everything and
 Model executive func- for their use everything in its  Use visuals for the steps
tioning strategies/ place”) needed to complete certain
skills  Post a daily schedule tasks, labels for where items
with each day’s activ-  Use a timer so your belong, or pictures of what
 Be consistent-mean ities to be completed, child knows when completed tasks look like
what you say and say and have your child activities begin and such as a clean room, desk or
what you mean. help create it if they will end closet
are able!
 Provide opportunities  Teach and practice  Provide verbal reminders to
for practice  Develop routines for calming strategies use executive functioning
the morning, work proactively skills
times, and evening
PAGE 2 EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONIN G

Additional Resources
• https://www.bcps.org/system/coronavirus/
• https://scs.bcps.org/departments/social_emotional_support
• https://childmind.org/article/helping-kids-who-struggle-with-
executive-functions/
• https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/activities-guide-
enhancing-and-practicing-executive-function-skills-with-children-
from-infancy-to-adolescence/
• https://www.carrollschool.org/dyslexia-news-blog/blog-detail-
page/~board/dyslexia-news/post/tips-for-helping-kids-with-
executive-functioning-challenges
• https://heartmindonline.org/resources/5-step-problem-solving-
for-young-children
• Najdowski, A.C. (2017). Flexible and Focused: Teaching Exec-
utive Function Skills to Individuals with Autism and Atten-
tion Disorders. Academic Press