Many simple tasks in daily life rely on a set of complex cognitive abilities at work behind the scenes. These executive function skills help us do everything from get to work on time to cope with everyday stress. Your child begins to develop these skills in the first year of life and will continue to refine them well into early adulthood. You can play a crucial role in supporting their development of executive function.

---

In this article:

• What are executive function skills?
• How does executive function develop?
• Why is executive function important?
• How to support your child’s executive function skills
• Activities to help support executive function, stage by stage
• Executive function challenges

---

What are executive function skills?

Executive function skills are a set of higher-order cognitive skills that allow your child to make plans and manage their behavior to meet a goal—whether it’s getting to school on time or completing a complex project. These skills are often grouped into three main categories: working memory,  inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. 

Working memory

To make a decision or accomplish a task, your child needs to briefly hold information in their mind, then recall and connect it with their stored knowledge. Working memory allows them to remember the rules as they play a game or follow a series of instructions in order. 

Impulse control

When your child holds two cars at the top of the Race & Chase Ramp until you say “Go!” they use impulse control to manage their urges and ignore distractions. As they get older, they may stop themselves from hitting or yelling when screen time is over or resist the temptation to splash water on the floor to see how you’ll react.

Cognitive flexibility

Your child requires cognitive flexibility to adapt to a new situation or try a new way of doing things. If their trip to the park is canceled due to rain or you switch the Wooden Coin Bank Lid and Coins to the Carrot Lid and Carrots, they must shift to a new way of thinking.

How does executive function develop?

Executive function skills develop very gradually over the course of decades. Your child’s prefrontal cortex needs to mature in order for them to learn these higher-level skills. But their success also depends on how much opportunity they have to practice. You can support them by offering activities that help them learn to:

• Follow multistep directions
• Resist distractions
• Easily shift their attention from one task to another  
• Control their impulses and think before they act
• Adhere to rules
• Adapt to changes in plans
• Stick with a challenging task
• Manage their strong emotions
• Plan ahead and work toward a goal
• Collaborate with others.

Executive function in the first year of life

You may see simple signs of your baby’s emerging executive function in daily life. Researchers believe that working memory is likely the first executive function skill to develop, and it improves dramatically during the first year of life. By the time your baby is 5 to 6 months old, they may smile or kick their legs when they see you or other family members, a sign that they remember you. As they become more aware, they may start to remember the sequence of steps in a routine. You may see them get excited when they know they’re about to be fed.

If your baby doesn’t see the family cat in the living room, they may look in the direction it ran. This shows they remember not only that the cat exists but also where they last saw it. The  development of working memory is closely tied to object permanence—the concept that something still exists even when it can no longer be seen—which develops at around 6 to 9 months of age.

When your child is about 15 months old, they may begin to use newly acquired information to update what was previously stored in their working memory. They may recall more of their experiences and begin to recognize the order of daily routines. Once they’re 18 months old, they may be able to remember simple multistep instructions.

Research indicates that impulse control is the next executive function to develop. You may not notice it at first, but your newborn may intentionally disregard distractions to focus on you ❤️ A more obvious early form of inhibitory control could emerge by the end of your child’s first year, when they may become capable of delaying their response to certain situations. 

If your 1-year-old hears you say, “No,” they may be able to control their impulses momentarily. They may look at you as they get close to something off-limits, like the dog dish or the remote control—but ultimately, they probably can’t resist touching it. At this age, your baby doesn’t have the cognitive ability yet to follow a rule from moment to moment or generalize it to different situations. 

Since cognitive flexibility is a slightly more complex executive function skill, it can take longer to develop. Research studies suggest that babies may demonstrate initial signs of it toward the end of their first year. Babies studied were encouraged to look or reach in one direction repeatedly. 

Then, they were prompted to look or reach in the opposite direction, requiring them to switch their established pattern of behavior. Most 8- to 12-months-olds tended to make the switch with ease, an indication of cognitive flexibility. 

Executive function in toddlers

During the toddler years, your child’s ability to control their impulses gradually improves. At times, your 2-year-old may be able to remember and follow a rule, though they may not do it consistently. Impulse control may be a bigger challenge when they’re tired, upset, or hungry. Research shows that children may struggle with inhibitory control games, like Simon Says, even up to age 5 or 6.

Your toddler’s ability to think flexibly may depend on the development of their working memory and inhibitory control. You may notice your 18-month-old’s cognitive flexibility in simple everyday situations, like easily switching from mealtime to playtime without any fuss. As your child gets older, they’ll become more adaptable in handling new situations and adjusting to changes in routines.

Executive function in preschoolers

The development of executive function skills tends to surge between ages 3 and 5. Researchers suggest that by this age, children are better able to focus their attention and have stronger connections between the parts of their brain that control executive function skills. Your preschooler may remember and follow the rules in their classroom most of the time. At home, they may be able to follow multistep instructions like, “Put your clothes in the hamper and then brush your teeth.” 

Cognitive flexibility—also called cognitive shifting—is thought to be the last executive function to develop. It gradually builds on the others throughout early childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Research shows that children experience a spike in this skill between ages 7 and 9. 

Your child demonstrates cognitive flexibility when they remember a rule, use it correctly, and then modify it or use it in a new setting. For example, if you’re playing a sorting game with them, you might first ask them to sort cards or objects by color. Once they’ve done that for several rounds, you can ask them to sort by shape. This shift requires your child to show cognitive flexibility. In research studies, 3-year-olds commonly struggle with this type of shift, but by age 4, many children take it in stride. Preschoolers may also use different strategies to complete a puzzle and understand that rules can change from one setting to another. 

Executive function after preschool

Development of executive function skills continues beyond preschool age, with another upswing in their growth typically occurring during adolescence. As your child matures, their skills may vary from one situation to another and regress when they’re fatigued or stressed. This is typical in both children and adults.

Why is executive function important?

Executive function skills impact many areas of life. They can influence how your child solves problems, manages their emotions, focuses on tasks, works with others, and establishes habits during childhood and later as an adult.

Academic achievement

Many factors in your child’s development can influence how successful they are in school settings, but executive function is key. Research shows that many aspects of executive function can relate to academic achievement, including how well a child can remember information, control their emotional responses, and think flexibly about problems. 

Social interaction

Executive function skills impact how your child interacts with other people. A child better able to control their impulses is less likely to hit a playmate who snatches away a toy. Having the ability to see things from another person’s perspective—an aspect of cognitive flexibility—also contributes to positive social experiences. Understanding how another person feels will help your child build better relationships.

Health

Over the long term, your child’s health could be influenced by their executive function skills. Impulse control can affect choices about diet, exercise, and other health-related habits and behaviors.

How to support your child’s executive function skill

You can promote the development of strong executive function skills by providing your child with a secure, loving environment and giving them opportunities to practice. During the toddler and preschool years, they’ll need a lot of guidance and scaffolding from you to learn these skills. As your child matures and begins using their executive function abilities more independently, you can gradually offer less assistance. 

Provide a sense of safety and security

Providing your child with a safe, predictable environment helps them develop executive function skills. Your child’s brain is free to focus on new skills when they know what to expect from day to day and they feel secure. 

Ensuring that your child’s basic physical needs are met is also crucial. Adequate sleep and nutrition are essential for healthy brain development. While good nutrition is especially important in the first two years of life, it remains a priority as your child gets older and their brain keeps growing. Since the area of the brain that facilitates many executive function skills—the prefrontal cortex—is one of the last to mature, nutrition continues to be vital throughout childhood.

Foster attachment

Building a secure attachment between you and your baby in their early months of life lays the foundation for the development of executive function. When your child knows they can count on you for consistent care and support, their brain can concentrate on exploring and absorbing information about their environment. They learn from the executive function skills you model during interactions between the two of you. 

Use scaffolding

Scaffolding involves breaking down a more challenging task into a series of smaller steps, allowing your child to do what they can on their own, then offering support when they get stuck. The goal is to gradually let your child take over more of the task until they’re able to do it independently. This approach helps keep them working in the zone of proximal development, a level of difficulty that’s just slightly more difficult than they can manage without help, which provides them with the greatest opportunity for cognitive growth. 

Encourage independence

Research suggests that children who are invited to do everyday age-appropriate tasks on their own are more likely to develop key executive function skills. This can be as simple as asking your toddler to throw their empty snack container in the trash or letting your preschooler pick out their clothes. You can also modify some tasks to make them appropriate for your child, like putting the cereal, a bowl, and a spoon on a low shelf where your child can reach them. Encouraging your child’s independence and autonomy opens avenues for them to practice cognitive flexibility and problem-solving. 

Activities to help support executive function, stage by stage 

Executive function activities for babies

Your baby’s brain grows at a remarkable rate as they continuously absorb information about the world through all of their senses. At this early stage, executive function activities for your child center around their daily life experiences and interactions with you.

Attention practice: 0 to 4 months

Try to hold your baby’s gaze briefly several times each day. Get their attention with practices like these:

• Bring your baby’s hands to your face or kiss their hands as you look at them and talk. 
• Vary their position—place them on their tummy, on each side, or seated on your lap with support—as you make eye contact. 
• When their eyes meet yours, make different facial expressions. Pause and see if your baby imitates or responds.

Point of view adventures: 0 to 4 months

Encourage your baby’s cognitive flexibility by moving them to different settings. Try relocating indoor activities outdoors. For new perspectives on floor time, move The Play Gym outside where your baby can take in new sights and sounds from their back, tummy, and sides. 

Shared attention: 2 to 4 months

Bold, bright colors may capture your baby’s attention, but their interest may be fleeting. These short, intense moments are valuable, and your participation may extend them. Try interacting with your baby as they look at a card from the Black & White Card Set or the colorful side of The Mobile.

Plaything exploration: 3 to 4 months

Hide-and-seek with playthings: 7 to 11 months
Searching for a hidden plaything supports the development of your baby’s working memory. Just follow these simple tips. 

• Encourage your baby to watch as you hide one of their favorite playthings under a blanket. Act silly and inquisitive as you search for it along with them, saying things like, “Hmm, where could your ball be?”
• If they can’t find it on their own, gently guide their hand to uncover it. Celebrate when they discover it, even if all they did was gaze at the blanket. You can say, “You’re right, it was under your blanket!”
• Try playing hide-and-seek with toys in a sandbox, the bath, a bag, or sensory bin. 

Find the hidden ball: 7 to 12 months

By around 7 to 8 months, your baby may have enough working memory to intentionally retrieve a hidden ball. Both the Sliding Top Box and the Ball Drop Box can help them work on this skill. The Ball Drop Box returns the ball quickly, giving your baby near-immediate feedback. The Sliding Top Box presents a greater challenge. At 11 to 12 months, your baby may be able to form and retain a mental image of the ball, then slide the top to find and retrieve it.

Inhibitory control practice: 8 to 12 months

Assess your baby’s impulse control with this classic test. Set up two opaque cups and place a small plaything inside one of them. Ask your child to find the toy. When they find it, hide it again in the same cup. Once they’ve found the plaything twice in that cup, hide it in the other cup and ask them to find it. Watch to see if they look in the first cup or are able to exert impulse control and look in the other one. 

Early problem-solving: 9 to 10 months

Reimagined uses: 11 to 12 months

Promote cognitive flexibility by modeling how to use an object in a new way. For example, your baby may know that a blanket is good for cuddling or covering a doll. Model how a blanket can be hung over chairs to make a fort or pulled around to transport a toy.

If your baby typically uses the Sliding Top Box with the accompanying ball, invite them to try putting the pegs from the Wooden Peg Drop into the box instead. They may use trial and error to figure out the best way to hold and release the pegs to get them in. Pairing new objects with a well-loved plaything can rekindle your child’s interest and demonstrate cognitive flexibility.

Executive function activities for toddlers and preschoolers

As your child grows, you can play a key role in the development of their executive function skills. For example, you can take turns, introduce new ways to use favorite playthings, encourage them to find different solutions for a problem, and play memory and waiting games.

Multistep play: 13 to 15 months
Combining familiar playthings and using them in new ways can help foster cognitive flexibility in your toddler. Try putting the rings from the Wooden Stack & Slot in the Felt Burrow. Then, show your child how to remove a ring from the burrow (step 1) and put it on the stacker (step 2). They’ll use cognitive flexibility and problem-solving to retrieve the rings and working memory to recall the sequence. 

Turn-taking games: 16 to 18 months

Waiting while another person takes a turn requires your toddler to use a lot of self-control. They may need many months of repeated practice and reminders before they can do this consistently. To help, you can try playing some simple games.

• Roll back and forth a medium or large ball that your toddler can easily capture with both hands. As you roll it to your child, say “Your turn!” When they have the ball, say “Daddy’s turn!” to encourage them to roll it back. If your child is reluctant to return the ball, you can reach out and take it, saying, “Daddy’s turn!” Then, roll it back immediately and say “Your turn!” again.
• Take turns drumming on a surface, like a tabletop. Invite your child to drum on it. When they stop, drum a pattern similar to the one they drummed, matching the number of taps they made, if possible. Vary the game by extending the waiting time between turns and changing the drumming pattern.
• Participate in other activities with your child that are conducive to taking turns, like dropping balls into the Slide & Seek Ball Run or sending cars down the Race & Chase Ramp.

Shared storytelling can boost your toddler’s memory skills: 19 to 24 months

Research shows that children as young as 13 months are already creating memories, even if they won’t remember them years from now. For example, your toddler is able to recall what happened to them earlier in the day or week—and those memories play an important role in early learning.   

To encourage your child’s budding memory skills, you can talk about your shared experiences during calm moments, like mealtimes, bath time, or before bed. Include the who, what, where, and why when you tell them stories about their day.

For example, when your toddler is taking a bath, you can say: “Remember this morning, when I had to take the garbage bags out to the curb and you watched me from the window? It was raining and my hair got so wet! And you touched my hair and felt that it was all wet, just like yours is now!” By adding details, you help them link what happened earlier to the current moment.

This type of storytelling builds your toddler’s memory, vocabulary, and understanding. As your toddler starts saying more words, they can add to the stories, too. For now, try to pause throughout the story to let your toddler contribute, even with just a glance, smile, or head shake. 

Waiting practice: 19 to 21 months 

Imitation games can be a fun way to practice impulse control. Your toddler has to wait and watch your action before they can imitate it. These types of games also help your child learn about taking turns. 

Try showing your toddler a one-step movement, like patting your head or stomping your feet. Then, encourage them to imitate you: “Now it’s your turn to pat your head.” Next, introduce a different movement for them to imitate. Simple games like this prompt your child to practice both waiting and focusing.

Unlock flexible thinking: 19 to 21 months

One aspect of cognitive flexibility is coming up with new solutions to a problem. When your toddler figures out how to open one of the locks securing the doors on The Lockbox, they may try to use the same technique to open the other three locks—but it won’t work 🙃 As they continue to experiment, they’ll discover through trial and error that each lock requires a different approach. This experience with real-life locking mechanisms expands your toddler’s problem-solving, encourages flexible thinking, and helps prepare them for everyday tasks.

Animal names: 22 to 24 months

Play a simple game to help your toddler memorize animal names. Show your child each figurine from the Montessori Animal Match as you say its name. Then, hold up each figurine and ask your toddler, “What’s this animal called?” You may need to repeat this several times and on different occasions before your child is able to recall all of the names. 

Classic impulse control games: 24+ months

Red Light, Green Light and Freeze Dance help young children practice fundamental skills, like impulse control and waiting. When your 2-year-old seems ready, try explaining the rules in simple terms: “When I say, ‘Green light,’ run toward the finish line. When I say, ‘Red light,’ stop where you are. Ready?” Keep the pace slow at first so your child has time to react to your words. As they learn how it works, you can try speeding up.

Memory matchup: 31 to 33 months

Invite your child to play theThings That Move Memory Game, a simplified version of the time-honored game that involves recalling the location of matching pairs of face-down cards. Start with just four cards, face up, to help your child learn to recognize matching pairs. Each time they play, gradually add more pairs. Once your child knows how to match up a pair, try playing with the cards face down to challenge their working memory.

Wait and see: 3 to 5 years old

Your preschooler may be starting to understand the concept of passing time. This helps them learn to both plan ahead and wait for something to happen, which requires impulse control. Use the Plan & Prepare Clock to help your child visualize how much time they have to wait for their next turn, a playmate’s arrival, or a trip to the park. Use the aqua time bars to show the amount of left on the clock.

Going from task to task: 4 years old

Unconsciously shifting your attention from one task to another—also known as set-shifting—is a key component of cognitive flexibility. Your child can practice this whenever they piece together new buildings and paths with the Wooden Modular Village & Pathways. If they need some help, you can show them different ways to fit the parts together. With this set and their imagination, your child can design their own school, amusement park, or fantasy destination.

Copy my monster: 4 to 5 years old

Your child uses working memory whenever they hold information in their mind and reference it.  You can encourage them to practice with this simple game.  

On a piece of paper, use crayons to draw a monster made up of simple shapes. You might draw a square for the head, circles for eyes, a triangle for the torso, and straight lines for the legs.

Then, give your child a piece of paper and crayons. Ask them to listen as you describe your monster and then ask them to draw one to match your description. You could say, “Draw a big square for the monster’s head. Then, make small circles inside the square for eyes.” 

Your child will use their working memory to hold the image you describe in their mind as they try to recreate it. When they’re finished, compare their drawing to yours. The two of you can take turns being the creator and describer of an original drawing. 

Executive function challenges

Executive function skills develop at different rates, and some children can experience temporary challenges as they progress through various developmental stages. In some cases, these challenges can be part of an underlying developmental condition, like autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

If you have concerns about your child’s executive function skills—memory, organization, planning, impulse control, or time management—discuss them with your family’s pediatrician. The doctor can assess your child’s development and answer any questions. 

Learn more about this topic

What executive function predicts about babies

How the Sliding Top Box helps build your baby’s working memory

5 fun games that help your 3-year-old practice impulse control