Executive function can be understood as the mental ability that enables planning, problem-solving, and adapting to new situations. The core abilities include working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control.
During a child's development, executive function and self-regulation skills develop rapidly, so activities should match the skills of a child.
Songs and movement games are powerful ways to strengthen executive function skills as children need to follow a rhythm, coordinate their actions with words, and stay in sync with the music. Furthermore, they have to memorise words and movements and practice inhibition control.
Song and movement ideas that boost executive function skills:
- Hand clapping games such as 'Pat-a-cake'
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B
Put it in the oven for Baby and me
Two players, who alternate between individual claps conducted by one person and two-handed claps shared between the players.
Action songs: While listening to songs such as 'If You’re Happy and You Know It' or 'The Hokey Pokey', children need to pay attention, listen, and move in sync with the music.
- Get children as well to move at different speeds or play music games in which they have to freeze when the music stops (supports inhibiting control). For older children, suggest freezing in a particular way.
- Sing songs that repeat and add additional content to earlier parts, which challenge working memory. Also use backward counting songs ('Five little monkeys')or songs that involve a long list, like the alphabet song.
- Songs that repeat and add on to earlier sections are a great practice for working memory, and songs that repeat a long list (the Alphabet Song).
- Skipping songs and rhymes such as:
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay, your life must be.
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay, your life must be.
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Eating all the gumdrops he can see.
Stop, Kookaburra, stop, Kookaburra,
Save some there for me!
Eating all the gumdrops he can see.
Stop, Kookaburra, stop, Kookaburra,
Save some there for me!
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
That’s not a monkey, that’s me!
Counting all the monkeys he can see.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
That’s not a monkey, that’s me!
- It is great if children have opportunities to test themselves physically. This could be through climbing, jumping, and obstacle courses.
- If you are looking for quieter activities with less stimulation, balancing or trying yoga poses encourages attention control.