Improving Executive Functioning Skills

Organization, time management, procrastination, self-control, emotional regulation –these challenges can be tricky to navigate, not just for our children, but for everyone involved in their support system, including parents, teachers, family, and friends.

This class is here to offer some support. It’s a space where your child can learn, discuss and practice specific areas of executive functioning skills to hopefully provide some self-awareness, insight and practical life skills they can apply in their life. 

Improving executive functioning skills can take time and effort, and this class is designed to provide that support, helping your child build essential skills for life. It’s one more step toward their future success and well-being.

Executive functioning skills are processes in our brain that help us manage our thoughts, emotions, and actions effectively in order to achieve our goals and complete tasks. These skills are critical for success in various aspects of life, including academics, work, relationships and daily routines. 

Here are some key executive functioning skills, all topics we cover in this class:

1. Working Memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information temporarily in your mind. It's crucial for tasks like following multi-step instructions and solving problems.
2. Inhibition: The capacity to control impulsive or automatic responses and behaviors. It includes being able to resist distractions and stay focused on a task.
3. Task Initiation: The skill of starting tasks or activities without procrastination. Individuals with strong task initiation skills can begin assignments or projects independently.
4. Planning and Organization: The ability to set goals, create plans, and arrange tasks in a logical order. It involves breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps.
5. Time Management: The capacity to estimate, allocate, and manage time effectively. People with strong time management skills can prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
6. Cognitive Flexibility: The capability to adapt to changing situations and switch between different tasks or activities. It involves being open to new ideas and strategies.
7. Emotional Regulation: The skill of managing emotions and reactions in a healthy and constructive way. This includes handling stress, frustration, and disappointment.
8. Self-Monitoring: The ability to assess and evaluate one's own performance and adjust behaviors and strategies as needed. It's crucial for self-improvement and learning from mistakes.
9. Goal Setting: The capacity to establish clear objectives and work towards achieving them. Effective goal setting involves breaking down long-term goals into smaller, achievable milestones.

Each week often consists of:

🧘🏾‍♀️Mindfulness exercises: Mindfulness can be highly effective in improving executive functioning skills in kids. Each week, we practice a few rounds of mindful breathing or an awareness activity. These exercises help children develop self-awareness, impulse control, attention, and emotional regulation. 

💟 Reflection Questions: I will provide a gratitude prompt for students to share what they are grateful for and/or reflection questions. This exercise promotes positive thinking and emotional regulation, as well as self-awareness skills.

🤔 Problem solving situations, discussing metaphors, and solving riddles together by asking the "right" questions, playing Simon Says and listening to stories written to promote cognitive flexibility, critical thinking, attention and practicing inhibition by answering questions by raising hand and waiting to be called on without blurting out. 

🎉I also include a daily group prize, which is an activity or game that the class votes on together. This helps keep everyone engaged and having fun during the lesson! The prize is usually an activity that promotes an executive functioning skill. 

During some classes, I may ask your learner to get up from their computer to perform certain tasks like a scavenger hunt to retrieve something and bring it back and/or to do silly movements like hop, spin, and crawl as part of an activity. Please make sure your learner is able to move safely, and provide supervision if needed. 



Upcoming Schedule: 

Note: This is a tentative schedule and subject to change. Please send me a message if you want to be sure you are signing up for a specific class topic.  You will see some unit titles (with emojis) that are meant to be a guide for you to see when there will be a sequence of related classes; but your learner can definitely join in the middle of a unit! Each class is a complete lesson in itself and does not need any prior classes.

3rd round 2024-2025

⭐ Setting a Goal Unit (3 lessons)⭐

Week of Nov 18: Planning for Goals with What, Why, How Method 

Week of Nov 25: No class (Holiday Break)

Week of Dec 2: Goal Setting (SMART Goal)

Week of Dec 9: Creating a Plan for Your Goals (+Review SMART Goals)

Week of Dec 16: Read the Environment + Attention and Focus Practice 

😄 Emotion Unit (5 lessons) 😄

Week of Dec 23: No class (Holiday Break)

Week of Dec 30: No class (Holiday Break)

Week of Jan 6: Thinking Brain vs Feeling Brain Lesson 1

Week of Jan 13: Thinking brain vs. Feeling brain Lesson 2

Week of Jan 20: Emotion Identification 

Week of Jan 27: Emotion Flow Chart

Week of Feb 3: Positive vs Negative Thoughts (Growth Mindset)

Week of Feb 17: Working Memory, Attention, Perspective Taking (Get to know me memory game, discussing agreements and why they are important)
         
    🐱‍🏍 Executive Functioning Superheroes Unit (2 lessons) 🐱‍🏍   

Week of Feb 24 : What are Executive Functions? (Superhero Theme) Lesson 1

Week of March 3: Executive Functions as Superheroes in Our Brain Lesson 2 + Affirmations

🧘‍♂️ Mental Flexibility Unit (4 classes) 🧘‍♂️

Week of March 10: Introduction to Flexibility Concept (physical and mental flexibility) 

Week of March 17: Cognitive Flexibility: Story of a Flexible Thinker 

Week of March 24:  Flexible Thinking: Back up Plans 

Week of March 31: Flexible Thinking: Compromise

Week of April 7: Procrastination and Initiation Skills: Break Goals into Smaller Parts (Ants and a Sugar Cube)

😎Focus and Attention Unit (4 lessons) 😎

Week of April 14: Focus and Attention Skills

Week of April 21: Explore Different Types of Focus Skills

Week of April 28: Managing My Time Part 1

Week of May 5: Managing My Time Part 2

Week of May 12: Problem Solving with SODAS (Situation, Options, Disadvantages, Advantages, Solution)



Note: This is an ongoing class that your student can jump in and out of at any time. There isn't a "starting" point, so your learner may begin at any time, however, I have divided the class into sections where two or three classes relate well with each other, so you may want to wait to start at a new section.


Pausing Subscription (No refunds available): If your learner has an upcoming event and needs to miss class, due to vacation or some other circumstance, there is the option to pause your subscription. You choose the dates you want to pause, and as long as the class has not filled up, you can return once the pause is over. Unfortunately, since I keep my class sizes small, allowing learners to hold their space and not pay for the week takes up a spot that another learner could have paid for. If you choose to stay enrolled during their missed class, you will still have access to the class recording that you can play back for your learner to catch up on the lesson.