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 grow quickly, so activities should match the skills of a child.
There are lots of quiet games that support executive function skills that can be done at home. Quiet times where children are immersed in an activity gives them opportunities to wind down and to connect with themselves.
Fun home activities that boost executive function skills:
- Matching and sorting activities are fantastic for developing cognitive flexibility—the ability to switch between different rules or ways of thinking. Kids love sorting objects by colour, shape, size, and more. Try using socks, pegs, or wooden shapes. Classic games like Memory or Lotto also encourage focus and flexible thinking.
You can easily make matching games more challenging. For example, start by asking children to separate cars and crayons into two piles. Then, add a new rule—sort them by colour so that the red car is paired with the red crayon, and the blue car with the blue crayon. Each time the rules change, kids practice switching their thinking and using their working memory.
- Puzzles are another excellent tool. They encourage patience and focus while strengthening visual memory and planning skills.
- Even cooking or baking together offers rich learning opportunities. Children practice self-control while waiting for instructions, use working memory to remember steps, and focus on tasks like measuring and counting.
- And when it’s time to wind down, kids’ meditations and sleep stories can help little ones calm their minds, lower stimulation, and practice focusing their attention.