3 Activities to Strengthen Executive Function In Children

If you joined me for my BlogTalkRadio show on executive functions last week, you know that we talked about the ins and outs of our executive functions. In particular, I spoke about Working Memory, Inhibitory Control and Cognitive/Mental Flexibility. 

In today's post I'll be sharing 3 activities that will help you strengthen your young child's executive functioning skills. Or in plain english...will help them remember things, stop poor behaviors/impulsivity and go with the flow! 

This first activity was shared on my TLS Facebook page last Friday and it was well received. I think it's fantastic for many age levels and would work nicely for strengthening inhibitory control {AKA helping kids control their emotions/behavior}. A few adults even commented that they would be printing it and placing somewhere to remind them of their own options when they themselves become upset. This was originally posted by Funtastic Early Childhood Ideas.  https://www.facebook.com/funtasticEC

Activity number two is great for strengthening working memory. Next time you go grocery shopping,  have your child remember one or two items you need while helping you shop.  At the beginning of your trip you can say "help mommy {or daddy} remember that she needs to get _____________" Then, a few minutes later {or when you are in the aisle of the item} ask them "what was mommy supposed to get?  or What was the thing you were supposed to remember for mommy?" Grocery shopping is a fun way to work on many developmental skills! Especially with those cute little grocery carts they have now. 

The third activity is for strengthening mental/cognitive flexibility.   Gather multi=colored items {legos, blocks, candy} and sort them into groups of like colors. After you've done it a few times, make a mistake by placing one of the colors in the wrong pile.  Don't say anything and see if your child notices. If they don't, give them gentle cues to help them notice. "Is everything as it should be here?" "Is there anything in the wrong spot?" Once they notice, help them to find the words to say what they did to fix it and WHY they needed to fix it. 

So there you have it. I hope you have some fun getting started with these activities. If you love these ideas, be sure to check out my post on using board games to strengthen those executive functioning skills.

If you'd like a BONUS activity, just click the button below! 

Click Here to download your FREE bonus activity

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