Executive Function

Educators and group leaders can supplement the My Schoolwork Is a Mess! chapter book with this downloadable Teacher and Counselor Activity Guide. The guide provides self-reflection questions and group activities to thoughtfully engage readers with the...

2024 Parent and Teacher's Choice Gold Medal Award Winner!! Missing assignments. Half-done homework. Sloppy notes. A backpack jammed full of non-essential stuff: Crusty candy wrappers! A stinky sock! Broken pencils! A crumpled comic book! When it comes to...

Reinforce the lessons students learn in the story Molly and the Runaway Trolley with these engaging downloadable activities. These activities are designed to help young people in grades K-6 deal with their stress and worry. The five activities...

Molly’s mind is filled with dread and worry, leaving her shaky, sweaty, dizzy, and queasy. She feels like her body’s riding a streetcar that has completely careened out of control. It’s a feeling that comes anytime she’s about to...

This adorable "My Little Squishy" is kid-designed and kid-tested! It has a unique feel with the ability to stretch, squish, and crunch. Studies have shown that squeezing and releasing a fidget can help with emotional regulation. When your child feels...

Our society has become very child-centered, with many adult schedules revolving around children's schedules. Everything is done for the comfort of the child. Adults rescue them at every turn and try to make their lives perfect and wrinkle-free. Children...

The goal of this activity is to show how zest and enthusiasm are decreased by our lack of organization and the ability to maintain a sense of order. Energy is wasted when we spend our valuable time searching for items that we need. Frustration mounts and...

Teaching students to plan, prioritize, and post can help break down assignments into more manageable tasks. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's I'll Never Get All of That Done! storybook, by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in...

Self-monitoring can be challenging to understand, and even more challenging to master. It covers a broad array of skills, such as completing work accurately and completely, staying on task, following instructions the first time, waiting to be called on,...

The one thing all of us have in common is that we have to solve problems and challenges of various degrees. A lucky few among us always seem to resolve complex problems successfully by thinking critically and logically. Even the most talented problem...

Most children experience bouts of procrastination or avoidance behavior. But when those behaviors develop into a pattern that has a negative impact, it's time to work on developing the ability to take initiative and stop making excuses. Reinforce...

When children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset and angry. Reacting calmly and appropriately during these times is an important skill for children to learn and use to be successful at home, school, and with others. Reinforce the...

Being organized is a skill that comes naturally to some people, but it can be challenging for others! For children, organizational skills can span a number of areas. It's important for adults to realize that what being organized looks like is different...

Overreacting is common for children, but as they get older, it becomes more important that they learn to manage their emotions and practice flexible thinking. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's My Day is Ruined! storybook, by displaying...

Winner of the Counselor's Choice Award! Brothers Braden and Blake are the central characters in the Executive FUNction picture book series. One is quick to turn the smallest setbacks into the biggest life-shattering disasters while the other is...

Working memory is an important executive function because it helps children (and adults!) recall information required to complete tasks or functions, such as notetaking, spelling, or the order of operations in math. Some children seem to excel in this...