Responsibility

Staying on task until a job is done can be tough for adults, so it's not surprising that it's also difficult for most children. Teaching kids the importance of staying focused and finishing tasks is something that will serve them well in life. Help...

Self-monitoring is the ability to observe and evaluate one’s behavior. Give students the working knowledge of learning how to pay attention, stay on task and follow instructions with these five downloadable activities from Bryan Smith's How Did You...

Working memory is an important executive function because it helps children (and adults!) recall information required to complete tasks or functions, such as notetaking, spelling, or the order of operations in math. Some children seem to excel in this...

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...

Bryan Smith's Kindness Counts is a story about teaching random acts of kindness. These activities will help teach the importance of being kind to others, even when it isn't easy. Worksheets, games, discussion topics and group activities...

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...

Sometimes making a choice is easy. Other times, it is quite hard. This is especially true when every option is less than ideal or simply stinks. Even when children think there are no good choices, they skill have to make a decision. Award-winning author...

Students will complete Random Acts of Kindness to help create an artistic display of a tree while learning the importance of applying compassion and kindness towards their peers. This activity can be done as a whole class, grade or entire school. The...

Staying focused and completing a task can be a difficult skill to manage for most children. Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's Are You Working Hard or Hardly Working? storybook, by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in classrooms,...

Self-monitoring can be challenging to understand, and even more challenging to master. It covers a broad array of skills, such as completing work accurately and completely, staying on task, following instructions the first time, waiting to be called on,...

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...

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...

Helping children become good decision makers and lifelong problem solvers involves teaching them to choose.  Reinforce the message from Bryan Smith's What's Your Choice? storybook, by displaying this colorful 8.5"x11" poster in classrooms,...