Executive functioning refers to a set of higher level cognitive skills that help children plan, organize, manage time, solve problems, and control their behavior. These skills are essential for completing tasks, following through with activities, and making decisions. In OT, we focus on helping children develop these skills through structured tasks and strategies that promote self-regulation, organization, and goal-setting. We might work on breaking tasks down into smaller steps, using visual schedules, and teaching time management techniques. Some examples of activities we might do to work on executive functioning are cooking projects, making Slime, playing new games, or doing problem-solving challenges. Additionally, we provide opportunities for children to practice working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control through games, role-playing, and problem-solving activities. By targeting executive functioning, we aim to help children become more independent and confident in their daily routines, schoolwork, and social interactions.

Activities to Complete at Home:

1. Create a daily schedule: Use a visual calendar or checklist to plan out the day’s activities.
2. Organize toys or books: Encourage sorting items by category, size, or color.
3. Memory games: Play games like “Simon Says” or matching card games to improve working memory.
4. Time management with a timer: Set a timer for tasks like cleaning up, doing homework, or getting ready for bed.
5. Make a to-do list: Have your child write down tasks and check them off as they’re completed.
6. Puzzles: Complete puzzles together to practice problem-solving and planning.
7. Role-playing: Act out different social scenarios, encouraging flexible thinking and decision-making.
8. Planning a meal or snack: Involve your child in planning, gathering ingredients, and preparing food.
9. Board games: Play games that require turn-taking, following rules, and strategy (e.g., Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders). Introduce new games and if the child is old enough, have them read the directions and teach others how to play.
10. Make up a new game: Have your child create a game from start to finish to work on organization, time management, and sequencing, and then have them teach you how to play.
11. Organization: Use pictures to label things around the house to help kids know where to put things away (e.g. a bin for hats and mittens, where the forks go in the silverware drawer, etc.). 
12. Practice self-monitoring: Have your child check their work for mistakes or omissions (e.g., homework, chores).
13. Storytelling: Ask your child to retell a story or create a story from pictures to work on sequencing and organization.
14. Prepare for an outing: Involve your child in planning what to bring, how to get ready, and the sequence of events for the outing.
15. Time management: Have your child estimate the amount of time a certain task will take (e.g. brushing their teeth, cleaning their room, going to the doctor), and then time it to see how long it actually takes to help them build an improved understanding of time.
16. Decision-making: Give choices for small tasks (e.g., what to wear, what to eat) to improve decision-making.
17. Chunking tasks: Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable parts and ask your child to focus on one step at a time.
18. Create a visual schedule:: Use pictures to show the order of activities during the day to promote organization. You can use velcro tabs, and create two columns: one for things “to do” and one for things that are “done”.
19. Memory recall activities: Play games where your child recalls details from a story or event to improve attention and memory.
20. Clean your room: Provide a picture of what your child’s room looks like when it is clean.  This makes cleaning up their room into a matching task rather than having to figure out where things go.