This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Parents, need to switch up your child’s working memory practice game? This activity will have young minds sorting and switching with endless possibilities! Objective: Improve working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility in preschoolers (3 – 4 years) through a dynamic…
Mindful Scavenger Hunt
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Are you on the hunt for a fun way to practice working memory? Search no further! Objective: This game enhances mindful concentration, which helps your child learn to hold rules in their memory and exercise flexible thinking. Executive Function Skills Practiced: Planning:…
Stop, Go, or Go Slow?
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Parents! This game gets the green light for fast, fun EF enhancement! Objective: This game focuses on listening rules to enhance attention and encourage your child to think before acting. Executive Function Skills Practiced: Inhibitory Control: Your child will have to stop…
Executive Function Stages and Ages
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Parents, do you wonder how EF looks at different ages? Find out in a quick read with games for any age! Objective: In this article, we’ll examine typical EF skills by age and simple activities to support those skills. We’ll also highlight…
Do You Know What’s Missing?
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Have ten minutes? Turn magical moments, favorite stories, or household items into meaningful working memory practice! Objective: This activity challenges children’s working memory and inhibitory control by having them remember a visual array of people, characters, or objects while resisting the…
Music Patterns
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Parents, do you have time on your hands? If you do, put those hands together for quick pattern playtime! Objective: This game develops and strengthens the executive function skills of selective attention, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility through clapping and tapping patterns.…
Walk the Line
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Step to the beat! Practicing inhibitory control can be a cakewalk with this play-anywhere game! About the Activity: This activity introduces mindful concentration to help your child learn how to inhibit motor responses and control their body. Executive Function Skills Practiced:…
How is Executive Function Related to Language and Reading?
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Words That Work: How Verbal Short-Term Memory Opens Doors to Gains in Speech and Literacy About the Study: This article describes the findings of the study ”Verbal Short-Term Memory Underlies Typical Development of “Thought Organization” Measured as Speech Connectedness’ Mota et. al,…
Guest Blog: Strengthening EF Skills at Home
Guest Blogger Spotlight: Hello, I’m Nicole Rouleau, an Executive Function and Learning Specialist, and owner of Igniting Your Mind. My mission is to empower individuals to overcome challenges, increase their quality of life, and unlock their full potential. Having spent more than 23 years as both a mother and an educator, I’ve come to appreciate…
Preschool Executive Function and Adult Outcomes: A Developmental Cascade Model
Little Gains, Big Gains: How Can Nurturing Executive Function Skills in Preschoolers Impact Their Adult Years? This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families. Before We Begin: This article explains the findings of the study “Preschool Executive Function and Adult Outcomes: A Developmental Cascade Model” Ahmed et. al, Developmental Psychology,…