Exec Function Feb 2015

Strengthening Executive Function in Children:
Tips for Parents and Practitioners
By Alyssa Meuwissen, Search Institute Intern and Doctoral Candidate

Institute for Child Development, University of Minnesota
The term executive function has become increasingly popular in child development
research and is growing in use by parents and practitioners. The term is also
used in discussions related to the research on motivation and grit in adolescence.
Understanding executive function can help parents, teachers, and other professionals
see these capacities in their children. Although executive function may sound like a
highly technical term, the good news is, adults can easily do many things to promote
the growth of these skills in children.
What is executive function?
Executive function is a set of skills that allow people to control their behavior and
direct it toward longer-term goals, rather than doing what is automatic or easiest
to accomplish. These skills are exercised when children pause and reflect before
reacting, according to researchers.1
Executive function can be compared to air traffic control at a busy airport.
Some planes have to land and others have to take off at the same time, but
there is only so much room on the ground and in the air, explain researchers at
FrameWorks Institute.2 Executive function is like an air traffic control mechanism,
these researchers explain, because it regulates the flow of information and the focus
on tasks, creates mental priorities, and keeps the system flexible and on time. In
children, this mechanism needs to be actively geared up as early as possible.2
There are three components of executive function:
Adults can
easily do
many things
to promote
the growth
of executive
function in
children.
Working Memory is the capacity to hold and work with multiple pieces of
information simultaneously.
Cognitive Flexibility is the capacity to easily switch between different
ways of thinking, such as changing behavior to fit different situations or seeing

something from a different perspective.
Inhibitory Control is the capacity to interrupt an automatic response,
control the body, and resist distractions in order to do what is advantageous in

the long run.
Helpful tips to help children

SOAR are on page 4.
www.parentfurther.com
www.search-institute.org
1
Copyright 2015 by Search

Institute. All rights reserved.
Why is executive function important?

Executive function skills are used constantly in daily life.
Examples include calming yourself down instead of yelling and
throwing things when youre upset, continuing to work on your
math homework even when its frustrating, remembering to raise
your hand rather than blurt out an answer in class, and waiting
until after dinner to eat your dessert. Researchers have found that
when children exhibit executive function, they are able to learn
more in the classroom, because they can focus on the teacher and
their work.3, 4
Executive function can also help children get along better
with others, because they are able to see things from other
peoples points of view and control their emotions and actions.
Executive function skills have also been shown to predict longterm developmental outcomes. Research shows that individuals
who display higher levels of executive function as children are
more likely to go to college, get a good job, make more money
as an adult, and have fewer health problems than their peers who
do not.5, 6
Understanding executive function can help parents and teachers
better understand childrens behavior. Executive function develops
over time, not reaching stable levels until the end of the teen
years.1 Childrens brains are not as efficient as adults brains
in dealing with demands on their executive function. In fact,
sometimes behaviors that look like laziness or defiance can be
symptoms of children struggling with demands on their executive
function. Remembering multiple directions or continuing to
work despite distractions may be too much for a childs air traffic
control system to handle.
Reducing the executive function demands on children, such as
giving one direction at a time or removing desirable distractions
from the immediate vicinity, can allow children to practice their
developing executive function skills successfully.
Executive function skills are

constantly used in daily life.
Examples include calming
yourself down when youre
upset or waiting until after
dinner to eat your dessert.
1. Carlson, S. M., & Zelazo, P. D., & Faja, S. (2013).

Executive function. In P. D. Zelazo (Ed.), The Oxford
handbook of developmental psychology, Vol. 1: Body and
mind (pp. 706-743). New York: Oxford University Press.
2. Kendall-Taylor, N., Erard, M., Davey, L., & Simon, A.
(2010). Air traffic control for your brain: Translating the
science of executive function using a simplifying model.
Washington, DC: FrameWorks Institute.
3. Blair, C., & Razza, R. P. (2007). Relating effortful
control, executive function, and false belief understanding
to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child
Development, 78(2), 647663.
4. Benson, J.E., Sabbagh, M.A., Carlson, S.M., & Zelazo,
P.D. (2013). Individual differences in executive functioning
predict preschoolers improvement from theory-of-mind
training. Developmental Psychology, 49(9), 1615-1627.
doi: 10.1037/a0031056.
5. Mischel, W., Ayduik, O., Berman, M. G., Casey, B. J.,
Gotlib, I. H., Jonides, J., . . . Shoda, Y. (2011). Willpower
over the life span: Decomposing self-regulation. Social
Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 6(2), 252256.
6. Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N.,
Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., . . . Caspi, A. (2011). A
gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth,
and public safety. Proceeding of the National Academy of
Sciences, 108(7), 26932698.
2

All executive function skills involve the prefrontal cortex of the brain. However, different
pieces of executive function also involve other parts of the brain, and research continues to
explore these connections.1
Although air traffic control is not a perfect metaphor for executive function, it can give us
a way to think about these skills. Here are some examples of how the three components of
executive function might be used by an air traffic controller and by a child.
Working
Memory
Cognitive
Flexibility
Inhibitory
Control
Air Traffic Controller
Child
I can safely land multiple planes

at the same time, by imagining the
path each plane has to take and
giving directions to each plane
without forgetting about the others.
I can follow directions that have

multiple steps. If someone asks me
to put on my coat, hat, and mittens,
I can keep in mind what I have
already done and what I need to
do next.
I can recognize the specific needs

of each plane, switch my attention
from one plane to another, and
follow different procedures for
different planes so that each plane
lands safely.
I can adjust my behavior to the

situation I am in. For example, I
follow different rules when I am at
the library versus at the park.
I can keep my focus on the planes

I am directing, and not get
distracted by other peoples
conversations or actions.
I can do what I am supposed to do

rather than what I want to do. For
example, when asked to clean up,
I can put my toys away instead of
playing with each toy I pick up.
Let children make as many of

their own choices as possible
within appropriate boundaries.
3

What can you do?
The good news is that executive functions arent set at birthall children have the
capacity to develop their executive functioning skills with practice.
Assist Reflection. Help your child to
Adults can help childrens executive functions

increase by keeping in mind the acronym SOAR
Support imagination
Offer choices within limits
Assist reflection
Raise activity levels
Support Imagination. Being able
to step outside of the present moment

is a key aspect of executive function. It
is easier to use good executive functioning when
thinking about a problem as if it was happening
to another person rather than to oneself. In young
children, pretend play is a great way to practice
this skill. As children get older, being immersed in
the fictional worlds of reading or writing serves the
same purpose, and in adolescence thinking about
the past, the future, and what if situations can
keep this skill active. Encourage children to use
their minds to explore other worlds, beyond what
they are currently experiencing.
Offer Choices within Limits.
One of the best ways for a child to

improve executive functioning skills is
to practice. Adults need to help children regulate
behavior by providing clear limits. However,
within those limits, children can learn to regulate
their behavior. Carefully watch and listen to your
child, and see how much help they need and
how much they can actually do on their own.
Executive function skills will grow when children
have the responsibility to monitor their progress
and recognize and correct their mistakes. Dont be
uninvolved, but let children make as many of
their own choices as possible within appropriate
boundaries. For example, rather than telling the
child what he or she is going to eat for breakfast
(no choice) or asking the child what he or she
wants for breakfast (unlimited choice), you might
ask if your child wants cereal, oatmeal, or eggs.
pause, step back, look at the big picture,

and plan ahead before acting. When your
child has a problem to solve, talk to him or her
about the options available and the consequences
of different choices. When your child interacts with
others, talk about emotions that other people may
be feeling and how other peoples point of view
may be different than your childs. Talking about
what is going on inside their head can help a child
reflect and make conscious decisions, rather than
run on auto-pilot.
Raise Activity Levels. Getting heart
rates up increases blood flow to the

brain, which is important for brain
development, including the parts of the brain used
for executive function. Being active also reduces
stress, which is another way to help executive
functions grow. Many types of exercise are also
good practice for executive function skills such as
body awareness and control, remembering rules,
and controlling emotions. Running, swimming,
soccer, dance, yoga, martial arts, or other physical
activity that your child enjoys can help their
executive function.
Can Executive Function Be Modeled?
A great way to teach children is through modeling your own

behavior. Children can learn all of the SOAR components
from watching adults. For example, when interacting with
your children, show them how to reflect and think before
acting; do this by talking about the emotions you feel and
what you do to control them. There are also things adults can
do that are detrimental to children developing executive
function skills. Physical punishment, such as spanking, has
been linked to lower levels of executive function. Discipline
that involves talking through the childs behavior and
explaining the problem is more likely to help the child learn
how to act when he or she is upset.
Helping a child develop executive function is crucial to his or
her long-term success. By recognizing executive function in
your children and practicing some of these strategies, you can
help your child reach his or her potential.
4


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Strengthening Executive Function in Children:

Tips for Parents and Practitioners

By Alyssa Meuwissen, Search Institute Intern and Doctoral Candidate

What is executive function?

Cognitive Flexibility is the capacity to easily switch between different

ways of thinking, such as changing behavior to fit different situations or seeing

Inhibitory Control is the capacity to interrupt an automatic response,

control the body, and resist distractions in order to do what is advantageous in

Helpful tips to help children

Copyright 2015 by Search

Why is executive function important?

Executive function skills are

1. Carlson, S. M., & Zelazo, P. D., & Faja, S. (2013).

Copyright 2015 by Search

Air Traffic Controller

I can safely land multiple planes

I can follow directions that have

I can recognize the specific needs

I can adjust my behavior to the

I can keep my focus on the planes

I can do what I am supposed to do

Let children make as many of

Copyright 2015 by Search

What can you do?

Assist Reflection. Help your child to

Adults can help childrens executive functions

to step outside of the present moment

Offer Choices within Limits.

One of the best ways for a child to

pause, step back, look at the big picture,

Raise Activity Levels. Getting heart

rates up increases blood flow to the

Can Executive Function Be Modeled?

A great way to teach children is through modeling your own

Copyright 2015 by Search

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