The Missing Link: How Executive Function Shapes Everyday Learning

Beyond hard work and content mastery, successfully navigating the academic world requires a robust set of cognitive skills known as executive functions (EFs). This umbrella term includes multiple complex thinking processes that allow us to regulate behavior, set and meet goals, and actively manage each stage of task completion.

For students of any age, strengthening these skills is foundational to academic success: strong time management, organizational systems, and self-awareness play a critical role in the learning process and task completion. They are also key to increasing independence and reducing stress. By employing simple, consistent strategies at home, parents and caregivers can significantly support the development of these critical life skills.

STRATEGY #1: EXTERNALIZE AND VISUALIZE TIME

Teaching effective time management begins with making the abstract concept of time more concrete and visible in a child’s daily life. Students often struggle with accurately predicting how long a task will take or how much time they have available to complete the steps involved. Establishing routines and using visual tools can help bridge this gap.

• Building a Routine: Use a physical planner or a whiteboard to map out daily and weekly schedules, including academic work, extracurricular activities, and downtime. This externalizes the schedule, making it a clearly communicated reference point. 

• Employ Time-Tracking Tools: For specific tasks, try using a visual timer (such as a sand or kitchen timer) instead of a phone. Seeing the time literally "run out" can improve focus and self-monitoring. To further enhance this aspect of time management, ask your child to estimate how long it should take to complete an assignment, then set the timer for that long. Over time, they will better understand how to accurately predict these windows, which in turn supports their ability to plan/prioritize, initiate a task, and sustain attention.

STRATEGY #2: ORGANIZE THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE MIND

The science on clutter is clear: a disorganized physical space negatively impacts learning and focus, and it often reflects a disorganized approach to tasks. Establishing a structured system for materials and information reduces cognitive load, making it easier for students to start, execute, and complete work.

• Designated Workspace: Create a dedicated, consistent location for essential items, such as a homework station, a charging spot for electronics, and specific folders or binders for each subject. Knowing where to find and put back materials minimizes distractions and time wasted searching. In addition, having a binder system can play a critical role in supporting long-term academic success.

• Backward Planning Technique: The overwhelm of a large, multi-step project can trigger procrastination and avoidance. According to a 2018 study on backward planning (scheduling steps in reverse order from a due date to the present), taking this approach “not only led to greater motivation, higher goal expectancy, and less time pressure but also resulted in better goal-relevant performance.” Try working together with your child to identify the deadline, then break the project into smaller, manageable subtasks with their own, earlier deadlines. For example, the first step for a research paper is selecting the topic; the second is creating an outline; the third is drafting a section. This sequential approach to organization strengthens planning and prioritization skills.

STRATEGY #3: FOSTER SELF-MONITORING AND FLEXIBILITY

Rather than acting as a static, fixed point, executive functions require constant reassessment and adjustment, also known as self-monitoring or metacognition. Students must become active participants in their own learning process: setting and tracking progress towards goals, actively monitoring their focus and understanding, and flexibly responding to challenges.

• Use Checklists for Focus and Completion: To-do lists serve a dual purpose: they guide children through the steps of a task and provide a rewarding visual record of their achievements. It can also help to incorporate steps such as "Check Work for Errors" and "Put Materials Away," which reinforces thoroughness and organizational behaviors.

• Practice Problem-Solving Scenarios: When a study plan fails or a task proves more challenging than expected, resist the urge to immediately solve the problem. Instead, ask your child to identify what the obstacle is and brainstorm different approaches they could take. This gentle questioning encourages cognitive flexibility and self-correction, teaching them how to adapt new strategies when they encounter unexpected challenges. Challenges naturally increase in complexity as they get older, so supporting the development of these skills also helps build the self-esteem and self-efficacy they will need to confidently evolve with them.

When a child’s home environment provides a solid framework for managing their academic responsibilities and prioritizes strategies that cultivate the development of executive functioning skills, the benefits are made manifest in every area of their lives. These skills are universally relevant: they transfer from the desk to the classroom and eventually to the demands of adult life, setting the stage for long-term success and independence.

Written by Brandi R.

How to Self-Monitor the Progress of Your Goals

Setting goals increases motivation and helps children develop a sense of self. Children who practice reflection are more likely to self-monitor and adjust, increasing their potential to meet their objectives. Self-monitoring techniques combine reflection, mindfulness, and strategy, allowing students to analyze their progress toward a specific goal and plan their next steps.

Self-monitoring can be a multi-step process, which may cause children to feel overwhelmed or stuck. But with the right tools and guidance, children can learn to self-monitor on their own!

Create a Goal

An attainable goal is the foundation of self-monitoring. Without a goal, children have nothing to evaluate, compare, or monitor. This goal could focus on executive functions like organization, academic skills, or behavior-based objectives.

Define Mastery

How will your child know they’ve mastered this goal? What should they know, and what should they be able to do independently? What does success look like—and sound like?

For example, if a student’s goal is “to keep their room clean,” how often does it need to happen for mastery to be achieved? What exactly does a “clean room” mean? Adding specific, measurable details can help avoid vague expectations. For example: “I can keep my room clean 6 out of 7 days each week.”

Break It Down

Break the goal into smaller steps or chunks. Ask questions like:

• “What skills do you need to reach your goal?”

• “How do you complete this process?”

• “What needs to happen first, next, and last?”

For example, writing CVC words includes multiple skills: letter formation, segmenting words, letter-sound correspondence, and understanding vowels and consonants. Breaking the goal into smaller pieces helps students see where they are in the process of meeting their objective.

Monitor Goals

Once children have created a goal, defined mastery, and broken it down into steps, they’re ready to start self-monitoring. Try a combination of these strategies to see what works best for your child’s needs and independence level:

• Create a checklist using “I can” or “I will” statements for each sub-skill within the goal. Children can refer to these to see where they are in the process.

• Reflect each day for 10–15 minutes by writing or thinking aloud. Guiding questions like “What went well?” “What still needs improvement?” and “What is your focus for tomorrow?” can help direct their thoughts and encourage adjustment.

• Check in with your child daily to help them stay accountable for their progress and growth. Ask goal-focused questions, offer reminders, and revisit their goals at different times throughout the day.

• Use visual aids and supports to help your child remember the steps involved in reaching their goal. Let your child participate in designing the visual to increase ownership.

• Celebrate small successes along the way to keep motivation high and highlight their progress toward the goal.

Goals can measure a variety of skills, behaviors, and abilities. It’s important to recognize that each goal involves a process with multiple steps so children can reflect on their achievements and plan their next moves. Teachers can play an important role in setting academic goals and may be a helpful resource when developing sub-objectives for your child. As your child masters their goals, continue setting new ones to expand their understanding, responsibility, and growth!

Written by Ami Z.

Fun Ways to Build Metacognition Over the Summer

Schools all across the country are beginning to prepare for the end of the year. Teachers are preparing final grades, students are turning in their last few assignments, and families are gearing up for summer vacation. Many students can feel the heat of summer approaching and are counting down the minutes until the final bell of the year rings, which means they may be slowly engaging less and less with their coursework. And while students may view this time of year as the “home stretch”, it is an excellent time to encourage them to continue to practice metacognitive strategies throughout the summer months.

“Metacognition is, put simply, thinking about one’s thinking” (Chick, 2013). It focuses on the thinking process and allows students to take ownership in their learning through ongoing self-reflection. However, thinking can be an exhausting process. Rapid thoughts, wandering mind, short attention span, and inner dialogue can all be challenges when it comes to metacognition. Luckily, there are strategies to improve metacognition with practice, such as checklists, goal setting, reflection, and many more.  And while there are many schools implementing these metacognition strategies, there are also fun ways to incorporate them at home!

JOURNAL ENTRIES

Reflection is an excellent way to promote the metacognitive process. Questions like “How was your day overall? What went well? Was there anything you would do differently next time? What challenges did you overcome and how?” can help prompt students to process their thoughts with intention. Journal entries can also help students identify any patterns or trends they see in their thinking process. For younger students, sentence writing with pictures would be a great way to start building writing stamina. Encourage students to add details to their drawing or writing and reflect on what they added!

PROBLEM SOLVING PUZZLES

Different puzzles, such as logic puzzles, crosswords, spot the differences, etc., can help your child develop their thinking skills. Logic puzzles can help children reflect on what they know, what they can infer, and what they do not know yet. Working through new information helps build observation skills. Solving puzzles also promotes the use of checklists to help keep track of information that is processed. Puzzles are a fun and engaging way to help students develop self-monitoring skills without it feeling like another assignment.

GAMES 

Various games can help children with metacognition. Strategy games can provide children with the tools they need to analyze, reflect, and respond. You can even ask prompting questions during these activities to help guide their thinking process. Additionally, modeling your thinking out loud can help students see examples of metacognition. Games like Life, Chess, Risk, Sequence, Connect Four, Battleship, Monopoly, and Sorry can help develop these skills. 

BOOK/TV SHOW CLUB

Book or TV Show Clubs can be a great combination of enjoyment and metacognition practice! Scaffolding information into smaller chunks (i.e. chapters or episodes) can help children process information in greater detail. Provide guiding questions, or allow children to ask their own questions, to help promote metacognition. Focusing on problems, solutions, and new learning can help children discover more about the bigger picture. Study guides, journaling, and notetaking are great tools for students to write their thoughts down and think more deeply about the content. 

While it may seem like the school year is ready to close, there are still lessons to be learned, ideas to be shared, and thoughts to be formed. Modeling thinking processes and offering time for ongoing reflection can help children develop their metacognitive skills. Children may discover a hidden interest by improving the structure of their thinking and discovering ways to expand their knowledge.

Written by Ami Z.