Executive Function

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...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Flexible thinking allows people to think about things in new ways or to incorporate new information into a specific plan or idea. Flexible thinkers are often able to come up with more than one solution to a...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior and to keep one's cool in the face of disappointment. But when children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset...

"My name is Norman David Edwards, but everybody calls me Noodle. Sometimes I get into trouble because I kinda, sorta, like to put things off. It's not that I don't plan on doing what needs to get done, I just like to choose when to do it." Noodle has a...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Blake generally has a good time...until someone interrupts him and tells him he needs to do something RIGHT NOW! He doesn't understand why he has to clean his room THIS SECOND! And he'd much rather be doing...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! When you're a child, it's not easy controlling your impulse reactions - kids do things before they think all the time. Strengthen executive function skills and empower impetuous young people with a humorous...

"My name is Norman David Edwards, but everybody calls me Noodle. Sometimes I get tired of being told what to do." Every day Noodle hears all about what he needs to do and why he needs to do it. He hears it from his parents, teachers and coaches, and...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Problem solving involves many other executive functioning behaviors, including reasoning, attention, planning, initiation, working memory, and self-monitoring. The one thing all of us have in common is that we...

Animated story version of the 6th Noodle book: What's in It for Me? Noodle is always being told what to do. But he wonders, why? What's in It for him? Luckily, the adults in Noodle's life are there to teach him the importance of moving 'need tos' into 'I...

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...

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...

Focusing is easier said than done for some children. Being able to focus is a life skill and can help set children up for success. School counselor Bryan Smith has developed five downloadable activities for educators to use in the classroom to help teach...

Self-monitoring is the ability to observe and evaluate one’s behavior. Give students the working knowledge of learning how to pay attention, stay on task and follow instructions with these five downloadable activities from Bryan Smith's How Did You...

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...

Planning is the ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or achieve a task, while prioritizing involves the ability to make decisions about what is important for you to focus on next. It can be challenging for children to know where to get started on...

Learning how to get and stay organized is an important executive function skill for children. Good organization skills allow children to order items or pictures into sequential order, maintain toys and personal items in a neat and orderly manner, and...