Building Executive Function skills

Executive function skills are the mental processes that help children plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.  These skills are foundational for learning, behaviour, and emotional regulation.  As Laura Petix (The OT Butterfly) explains, executive functioning lives in the brain’s frontal lobe and includes abilities like task initiation, impulse control, working memory, and problem-solving. These skills are still developing throughout childhood and can be especially impacted when a child’s nervous system is dysregulated.  You can read more on Laura’s site here: (https://www.theottoolbox.com/executive-functioning-skills/).

To support executive functioning, Laura emphasises the importance of creating a sensory-friendly environment and recognising that children may need help breaking tasks into manageable steps. Strategies like using visual schedules, body doubling (having someone nearby while a child works), and reducing unnecessary transitions in routines can make a big difference. For example, keeping socks near shoes can reduce cognitive load and support smoother task completion.

Kelly Mahler, an occupational therapist known for her work on interoception (the sense of internal body signals), highlights how self-awareness and regulation are deeply tied to executive function.  Her “Interoception Curriculum” helps children tune into their internal cues — like hunger, fatigue, or anxiety — which can unlock better self-regulation and decision-making (https://www.kelly-mahler.com/). When children understand and respond to their internal states, they’re better equipped to manage tasks and emotions.

Resources like the Child Mind Institute and Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child offer practical strategies and age-appropriate activities to build these skills.  From games that promote working memory to routines that encourage planning and organization, these tools help children strengthen executive function through everyday interactions.

These are life skills that underpin every part of our day, across learning, organisation, and social interactions.  By nurturing these skills early and consistently, we empower children to become more independent, resilient, and confident learners. Every child develops at their own pace, and with the right support, they can thrive both in and out of the classroom. 

Cheryl