General Tips

Make a game out of tasks

Recognize and sustain EF strengths

Pair the child with a positive role model

Utilize scaffolding to assist learning new strategies/goals

Establish routines to reduce cognitive load

Incorporate multisensory teaching approaches

Encourage asking for help

Offer encouragements and descriptive praise when strategies are used

Provide choices to foster cooperation and independence

Give additional verbal cues and reminders for newer tasks

Ask instead of tell to engage problem-solving

Journaling to structure and process thoughts

Utilize characters or phrases to explain and symbolize executive skills and make more concrete

Play

Imaginative play
Peer play

Physical activity such as sports of jumping rope to boost cognitive abilities

Mindfulness exercises

Cosmic kids yoga
Martial arts
Meditation

Visual/tactile reminders

Gestural cues (hand on shoulder)
Symbolic objects (stop sign)
Pictures of necessary supplies
Watchminder device
Anchor charts/posters of EF skills
Sticky notes

Reward system or incentives

Sticker chart
Marble jar
Digital Chart

References

Beck, C. (2019). Executive Functioning Skills Activity Guide. www.theottoolbox.com
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2014). Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence. www.developingchild.harvard.edu.
Dawson, P., & Guare, R., (2018). From Executive Function Skills in Children and Adolescents. New York: Guilford Press. Third Edition.
Demonstrated Success. (2022, February 11). Classroom strategies to foster executive functioning for children [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OwZMX11daA
Diamond A. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children's Executive Functions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(5), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412453722
Esmaili, S. K., Mehraban, A. H., Shafaroodi, N., Yazdani, F., Masoumi, T., & Zarei, M. (2019). Participation in peer-play activities among children with specific learning disability: A randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(2), 7302205110p1-7302205110p9. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.028613
Faith, L., Bush, C.-A., Dawson, P., & Diamond, A. (2022). Executive function skills in the classroom: Overcoming barriers, building strategies. The Guilford Press.
Forgan, J. W., & Richey, M. A. (2015). The impulsive, disorganized child: Solutions for parenting kids with executive functioning difficulties. Prufrock Press Inc.
Kenworthy, L., Anthony, L. G., Alexander, K. C., Werner, M. A., Cannon, L., & Greenman, L. (2014). Solving executive function challenges: Simple ways to get kids with autism unstuck and on target. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Otero, T. M., Barker, L. A., & Naglieri, J. A. (2014). Executive function treatment and intervention in schools. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 3(3), 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2014.897903
Soclof, A., & Christie, L., (2020). Executive Functioning: Teaching Children Organizational Skills [Online course]. Professional Development Resources.
Wolraich, M., & Hagan, J. F. (2019). ADHD: What every parent needs to know (3rd edition). American Academy of Pediatrics.