During a reading small group last week, a second grader I worked with sat staring at a tricky word in the middle of a page. I watched as he first tried to skip it, then went back and sounded out the beginning, then glanced at the page before for a clue. Finally, he whispered the word aloud and literally brightened when it made sense in the sentence. What struck me wasn’t just that he figured out the word, it was how many small, but powerful, mental moves he took to get there.
Literacy doesn’t just employ our student’s skills like decoding or comprehension. True literacy independence requires executive functioning—planning, shifting strategies, holding on to multiple ideas, and sticking with a task long enough to solve it. Whether you’re a parent or teacher or both, we can create conditions where students are set up for long term success.
What is Executive Functioning?
Executive Functioning is a set of metacognitive skills such as planning, organization, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control (Cartwright, 2023). These are skills that students employ in both the school setting and in their home lives. Like content specific skills, executive functioning skills develop and progress when teachers are aware and proactive with their support.
1. Make The Day Predictable
Kids with emerging executive functioning skills benefit from schedules and routines that are predictable. Research conducted by Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has shown that when the conditions in their environments are emotionally safe and include reliable structures, their skill development in critical thinking, adaptability, and being aware of our own emotions as well as those of others increases.
- In Your Classroom…
○ Keep the schedule HIGHLY visible and in the same place day to day.
○ Use verbal and nonverbal cues to signal transitions.
○ Keep transitions short, with two or three clear steps.
○ Create anchor charts for new or developing routines and procedures for students to reference.
- At Home…
○ Keep routines as consistent as possible (homework time, dinner, bedtime) and tell them when things will shift.
○ Build in break times from large tasks, such as cleaning out a closet, and celebrate them along the way.
- To Further Build Independence…
○ Create student jobs and responsibilities to build shared ownership of your daily operations.
2. Support Task Initiation and Completion
Starting a task is often the most difficult step as students work independently or with less direct scaffolding. And once they have gotten started, summoning the stamina and focus needed to complete the task can present additional challenges. Structuring lessons with clear beginnings, manageable chunks, and opportunities to celebrate progress and receive feedback keeps students engaged.
- In Your Classroom…
○ Ensure your instruction is explicit and bite-sized. Minilessons, small groups and read alouds are just a few examples of instructional structures that invite focused teaching.
○ Use visual timers to pace learning blocks intentionally, for yourself and for your students.
○ Embed partnership and conferring opportunities during instruction to break up the length of sustained independent focus
- At Home…
○ Instead of saying “Go do your homework,” try breaking it into the first action: “Take out your math book and pencil.” Once kids get started, momentum often follows.
○ Consider your child’s decision fatigue. Too many choices can derail focus. Set up materials the same way each day so kids don’t waste energy deciding where or how to begin.
- To Further Build Independence…
○ Allow your physical environment to help with task transition! Make sure you have explicitly taught how to use areas like the writing center, math manipulatives corner, and library so students won’t require assistance.
3. Scaffold Organization and Materials Management
Speaking of materials, messy desks, missing folders, and misplaced pencils aren’t signs of laziness—they’re actually signs of executive functioning struggles. We can design systems that make organization part of the school day.
- In Your Classroom…
○ Take a deep, long look at your schedule beginning when students step foot in your classroom to the moment they zip up their backpacks and leave the room. There should be no question in students’ minds about where materials go, what they are used for, and how to properly use them.
○ Take pictures to give students a visual anchor of what organization looks like, be it how to write the headings or their papers or the ideal organization inside their desk.
- At Home…
○ Spend 5 minutes after school reviewing the backpack together. Take out old papers, organize folders, and make sure everything needed for tomorrow is read.
○ Set up one consistent spot in the house where schoolwork happens. Keep it stocked with pencils, paper, and other essentials to cut down on “I can’t find my supplies!”
- A Few Examples…
○ The set-up routine for independent reading, prior to your direct instruction
○ Color-code notebooks/folders by subject
○ Using supply caddies at each table so students have easy access
4. Looking in the Mirror
Our students aren’t the only ones navigating executive functioning challenges. The more aware we are of our own tendencies, our time management, organization, and flexibility, the more intentionally we can model and design classroom and home routines that truly support learning and greater independence.
So Remember…
Supporting young learners at home and at school takes incredible executive functioning strength. Give yourself grace, try strategies, and adjust along the way! We’re cheering you on.
Keep Your Ideas Growing
Here are some great resources to help set you on the path to becoming an executive functioning CHAMPION for your students!
Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators by Kelly Cartwright
Kids First from Day One: A Teacher’s Guide to Today’s Classroom by Christine Hertz, Kristine Mraz
Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension by Sara K. Ahmed
