When kids appear disorganized, their brains are really working overtime, so planning, organizing, and finishing can feel impossible. What looks like being forgetful is often overload. The disorganized child can’t hold all the steps, keep track of time, and pivot when they get stuck. That’s why executive functioning activities work best when they’re hands-on, motivating, and broken into small chunks. Incorporating more executive functioning activities into daily routines can provide much-needed structure.
What is Executive Functioning?
Understanding and implementing effective executive functioning activities can greatly enhance a child’s ability to manage tasks successfully.
These are skills that take place in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Think of them as a management system for daily living. In a child with ADHD or dyslexia it can look like:
- Working memory overload – Think of working memory as the sticky note of your brain. A lot of dyslexic and ADHD kids have smaller sticky notes. They can hold one or two pieces of information in memory… but not six. So when a teacher says, “Write down the homework, remember the due date, take out your book, answer questions 1–10, and upload it to the portal,” your child’s brain hears: noise, noise, noise. Just like the Charlie Brown cartoons where the adult is speaking. Not sure…go to YouTube.
- Time blindness – Many ADHD kids struggle to “feel” time. Ten minutes, an hour, it all feels the same. Until it’s suddenly 10:47 p.m. and the project is due tomorrow. Now, everyone is panicking.
- Task initiation (getting started) – Starting is often the hardest part. Not because they don’t want to, but because starting requires a plan, and planning requires holding steps in mind, and holding steps in mind requires working memory… which, again, is already overloaded.
- Organization and prioritizing – Some kids can organize… if you do it with them. But independently? They don’t know what to do first, what matters most, or where anything can go.
- Emotional regulation
This is the part parents don’t always connect to executive functioning. When your brain is working twice as hard to decode, track instructions, and keep up, frustration and is right under the surface. So, if you witness an I-don’t-care attitude, it’s often armor.
Executive Functioning Activities
These executive functioning activities can significantly improve a child’s focus and task management skills.
If you’ve ever done an escape room, you know the vibe: there’s a goal, there are clues, there’s a time limit, and you have to keep trying even when your first idea doesn’t work. Hmm…that sounds like executive functioning activities. Shh…don’t tell them.
Building an online escape room is a smart form of executive functioning coaching for several reasons:
– It’s motivating. Kids will do hard things when they care about the outcome.
– It’s concrete. Instead of “be more organized,” you’re building a product with steps.
– It’s naturally structured. escape rooms require sequences, logic, and planning.
– It’s flexible. You can scale it for a 9-year-old or a 16-year-old.
– It creates safe struggle. Mistakes are expected. That’s the whole point.
And if you’re thinking, “My child can barely finish homework – how are we building an escape room?” I hear you. We are not going to Mars (yet). We’re simply building a digital puzzle experience using tools that already exist.
Think of it like a digital Lego set. We’re not making the bricks. We’re simply snapping them together.
How to Build a Simple Escape Room
As you design this escape room, remember that each element is an opportunity for executive functioning activities that can teach valuable skills.
Okay, let’s roll up our sleeves and make this doable. Plan on 4–6 short sessions of 15-20 minutes each. Don’t try to “cram” it all at once. It’s like a savory stew, it needs to simmer over time to absorb the flavors. Let discuss the structure and possible platforms.
Step 1: Choose the story (1st Session)
Start with a theme that your child selects:
– “Escape the haunted library”
– “Break out of the principal’s office”
– “Find the missing dragon egg”
– “Stop the villain from deleting everyone’s homework”
Your job is to be the curious assistant, not the director. You want to ask the questions and possibly be the scribe:
– What’s the setting?
– What’s the goal?
– What happens if the player fails?
– What’s the final prize?
Write a one-sentence mission statement together:
“Players must solve 5 puzzles to unlock the code and escape the haunted library before the clock strikes midnight.” That sentence will become the anchor when your child’s brain wants to wander into nine other side quests. Trust me, this will happen at some point.
Step 2: Map the path (2nd Session)
By mapping out the escape room, you are engaging in critical executive functioning activities involving planning and organization.
This is where executive functioning coaching starts to show up in a visible way. Draw a simple flow chart. Use paper or a whiteboard. Keep it visual.
Clue 1 -> Code -> Clue 2 -> Password -> Clue 3 -> Link -> Final Lock
Decide:
– How many puzzles? (Start with 3–5. Not 12!)
– What types of puzzles?
– Riddles
– Word searches
– Simple ciphers (like a Caesar shift)
– Picture clues
– “Find the hidden word” in a short paragraph
– Matching pairs
If your child has dyslexia, keep reading demands reasonable. You can use pictures, audio clues, short sentences, and built-in supports.
Step 3: Pick the platform (3rd Session)
Choose a platform that allows for dynamic executive functioning activities to keep everyone engaged and learning.
You have options. Choose the simplest thing your family can handle
- Genially.com
- Roomescapemaker.com (I use this one)
- Canva.com
- Google slides – in which each slide is a room and the correct answers unlock the next section.
Step 4: Build the clues (4th & 5th Sessions)
These clues will serve as executive functioning activities helping kids learn how to navigate challenges effectively.
Now it’s time to actually create the puzzles. This is where you want a simple structure that reduces decision fatigue. Create a template for each clue that details:
- What the player sees (image or text)
- What the player must do (instruction in one sentence)
- The answer (the code/password)
- How the answer unlocks the next step (type it in, click a link, etc.)
Now here’s an important step. Help your child write the steps down before they start creating. Why? Because dyslexic and ADHD brains often build in their head. Then, the head gets full and they lose it. Writing this down is a boring but necessary part. By the way, your child will probably protest: “I know what I’m doing!” to which you’ll reply: “Great. We’re still writing it down so Future You doesn’t have to hold it all at once.”
We are providing executive functioning coaching without calling it coaching.
As you create each puzzle, think about how these tasks are executive functioning activities that build skills in a fun way.
Step 5: Test and revise (6th Session )
Testing the escape room is an important step as it allows for reflection and improvement.
Have someone play it: sibling, cousin, neighbor, you. Take notes:
- Where did the player get stuck?
- Where were the directions unclear
- Which puzzle was too easy or too hard?
- Did the story make sense from start to finish?
Revision is an executive functioning skill. It’s also a life skill. And it’s a big confidence builder when your child realizes, they can improve something. It’s not perfect but it’s not trash either.
That’s the ideal scenario. But we all know that there will be bumps along the way. We’re dealing with kids after all! Let’s roll play some things that may come up.
Troubleshooting
Adjusting the experience based on feedback will help reinforce the importance of executive functioning activities in real life.
Now, Let’s talk about what can go sideways, because you know it will. Maybe your child loses interest after day one. No, not my child. That suggests that there are too many tasks and they are getting overwhelmed. Break it down; make it smaller. A 3-step escape room still counts!
If you’re feeling that your child is getting overwhelmed and beginning to melt down.”
That’s your cue to reduce cognitive load:
- Give two choices instead of ten.
- Use a timer for a short work sprint.
- Take a movement break.
- Return with one tiny next step.
If you’re seeing your child argue the whole time, try shifting roles. Let your child be the boss and you be the “intern.” Yes, the intern. Ask for instructions. Make silly mistakes on purpose. Let your child correct you. It gives them competence without you lecturing.
How about if your teen thinks this is childish or silly? Then rebrand it. Call it a “digital puzzle challenge,” or “a mystery mastery.” Let them choose the theme and audience. Executive functioning coaching for teens works best when they feel ownership.
