Grit, Perseverance, Resiliency

Winner of the Counselor's Choice Award! Brothers Braden and Blake are the central characters in the Executive FUNction picture book series. One is quick to turn the smallest setbacks into the biggest life-shattering disasters while the other is...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! It seems that the older Blake gets, the more he is expected to do!  Blake's baseball team is having a bake sale fundraiser, and he just can't wait for his mom to whip up a batch of her famous chocolate...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Flexible thinking allows people to think about things in new ways or to incorporate new information into a specific plan or idea. Flexible thinkers are often able to come up with more than one solution to a...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior and to keep one's cool in the face of disappointment. But when children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Blake generally has a good time...until someone interrupts him and tells him he needs to do something RIGHT NOW! He doesn't understand why he has to clean his room THIS SECOND! And he'd much rather be doing...

Winner of the 2021 Counselor's Choice Award! Problem solving involves many other executive functioning behaviors, including reasoning, attention, planning, initiation, working memory, and self-monitoring. The one thing all of us have in common is that we...

Planning is the ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or achieve a task, while prioritizing involves the ability to make decisions about what is important for you to focus on next. It can be challenging for children to know where to get started on...

Flexible thinking allows people to think about things in new ways or to incorporate new information into a specific plan or idea. Flexible thinkers are often able to come up with more than one solution to a problem or challenge. The ability to think...

Self-control is the ability to regulate one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior and to keep one's cool in the face of disappointment. These four activities developed by author Bryan Smith can help children with self-control. The lessons are designed to...

Initiative is the ability to start an activity, plan, or task. Learning how to take initiative and get things done is an important executive function skill for children. Author and educator Bryan Smith has developed five activities to accompany the...

Problem solving involves many other executive functioning behaviors, including reasoning, attention, planning, initiation, working memory, and self-monitoring. Teach your students problem solving skills with these activities that accompany the...

Teaching students to plan, prioritize, and post can help break down assignments into more manageable tasks. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's I'll Never Get All of That Done! storybook, by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in...

Overreacting is common for children, but as they get older, it becomes more important that they learn to manage their emotions and practice flexible thinking. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's My Day is Ruined! storybook, by displaying...

When children don't get what they want or expect, they often get upset and angry. Reacting calmly and appropriately during these times is an important skill for children to learn and use to be successful at home, school, and with others. Reinforce the...

Most children experience bouts of procrastination or avoidance behavior. But when those behaviors develop into a pattern that has a negative impact, it's time to work on developing the ability to take initiative and stop making excuses. Reinforce...

The one thing all of us have in common is that we have to solve problems and challenges of various degrees. A lucky few among us always seem to resolve complex problems successfully by thinking critically and logically. Even the most talented problem...