Example EF skills for children:

• Multi-Step Rules: Remembering to take off shoes, hang up a backpack, and wash hands immediately after walking through the front door.

• Reading: Holding the beginning of a sentence or story in mind so the rest of the page makes sense.

• Card Games: Remembering which cards have already been flipped over during a game of Memory or Go Fish.

• ransitioning: Easily stopping playtime to clean up when the teacher or parent says, "Five minutes until lunchtime."

• Rule Changes: Adapting smoothly when a friend wants to change the rules of a playground game, like switching from standard tag to "freeze tag."

• Substitute Teachers: Adjusting to a substitute teacher's classroom style without becoming upset that routines are slightly different.

• Waiting Turns: Raising a hand and waiting to be called on in class instead of shouting out the answer.

• Sharing: Resisting the urge to grab a toy out of another child's hands and waiting patiently for a turn.

• Body Control: Keeping hands to oneself while standing in a straight school line, even when feeling restless.

• Building Toys: Looking at Lego instructions and gathering the specific blocks needed for step one before trying to build the whole set.

• Packing Bags: Gathering a lunchbox, a library book, and a jacket from around the house and placing them into a backpack the night before school.

• Play Strategies: Planning out a backyard obstacle course or deciding who will play which role in a game of "house" before starting.

• Getting Dressed: Sitting down to put on socks and shoes right when asked, rather than getting distracted by a nearby toy.

• Homework: Opening a spelling folder and picking up a pencil to start practice without a long emotional meltdown.

• Bedtime: Heading toward the bathroom to brush teeth as soon as the bedtime routine is announced.

• Clean-Up Time: Sorting toys into their correct bins (putting blocks in the block bin and stuffed animals on the shelf) instead of piling them randomly. [1, 2]

• Visual Schedules: Following a visual checklist (pictures of a toothbrush, clothes, and breakfast) to move through the morning independently. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• Beating the Clock: Understanding that a timer set for 5 minutes means they need to finish eating their snack before it dings.

• Volume Control: Realizing their voice has gotten too loud inside a library or restaurant and lowering it to a whisper.

• Self-Correction: Noticing during a writing assignment that a letter was written backward and erasing it to fix it on their own.

• Physical Needs: Recognizing early signs of hunger, thirst, or exhaustion and asking an adult for help before a meltdown occurs

Example EF skills for teenagers

• School Lectures: Listening to a teacher's lecture, holding the main concept in mind, and translating it into shorthand notes.

• Sports: Remembering a complex play or a sequence of drills called out by a coach during a fast-paced game.

• Chore Lists: Holding a multi-step verbal instruction from a parent ("Empty the dishwasher, feed the dog, and take out the trash") in mind without forgetting the final step.

• Group Projects: Adjusting when a teammate suddenly changes their mind about their part of a project, rather than refusing to work.

• School-to-Home Transition: Shifting gears seamlessly from the high-energy social environment of the school hallway to the quiet focus needed for homework.

• Tech Glitches: Staying calm and finding an alternative way to submit an assignment when the school's online portal crashes right before the deadline.

• Digital Distractions: Putting a phone on "Do Not Disturb" or leaving it in another room while studying for a major exam.

• Peer Pressure: Saying "no" to an unsafe or reckless activity with friends, even when desperately wanting to fit in.

• Emotional Outbursts: Resisting the urge to slam a door or yell at a sibling or parent when feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.

• Big Assignments: Breaking a massive research paper due in three weeks into smaller, manageable steps (research, outline, rough draft, editing).

• Morning Routines: Calculating exactly what time to wake up, shower, eat, and pack a bag to catch the school bus without rushing.

• Event Prep: Packing a sports bag or dance kit the night before an early morning tournament so nothing is left behind.

• Homework: Sitting down to start a difficult math assignment right after school, rather than scrolling social media until late at night.

• Cleaning: Starting the process of cleaning a messy bedroom without needing multiple reminders or threats of being grounded.

• Applications: Beginning a summer job application or college essay weeks before it is due, rather than the night of the deadline.

• School Supplies: Keeping a locker, backpack, and digital folders structured so homework and permission slips can be found instantly.

• Balancing Act: Using a calendar or planner app to balance schoolwork, a part-time job, varsity sports, and a social life.

• Study Windows: Correctly estimating that studying for a chemistry test will take two hours, and blocking out that specific time during the weekend.

• Grade Tracking: Checking online grades regularly to see where points were lost, rather than waiting for the end of the quarter to realize they are failing.

• Social Awareness: Realizing during a conversation with friends that a joke went too far or hurt someone's feelings, and immediately apologizing.

• Test Strategy: Noticing during an exam that a specific question is taking too long, and choosing to skip it and come back later to maximize points.

Resources for Executive Functioning

Example EF skills for adults

• Cooking: Keeping the measurements of a recipe in your head while walking across the kitchen to grab the ingredients.

• Conversations: Remembering the point a coworker just made so you can respond to it when they finish speaking.

• Directions: Retaining a building passcode long enough to walk from your car to the keypad and punch it in. Workplace Feedback: Adjusting your approach to a project immediately after a manager points out a flaw in your original logic.

• Traffic: Instantly navigating a detour during your morning commute without letting it ruin your mood for the day.

• Finances: Walking away from an expensive impulse purchase because you are saving for a down payment on a house.

• Focus: Resisting the urge to open social media tabs or check your phone while working on an urgent deadline.

• Conflict: Pausing to breathe and choosing a calm response when a partner or coworker says something frustratingHosting: Scheduling exactly when to prep ingredients, clean the house, and put food in the oven so everything is ready when guests arrive.

• Workload: Triage-ing your morning inbox to address high-stakes client emergencies first, leaving minor administrative emails for the afternoon.

• Packing: Laying out clothes and essentials days before a trip based on the weather forecast and planned activities

• Chores: Getting off the couch to do the dishes immediately after finishing dinner, rather than leaving them for the morning

• Finances: Sitting down to file your taxes or pay monthly bills as soon as the documents arrive, instead of waiting for the due date.

• Health: Putting on your workout shoes and heading out the door at your scheduled gym time without overthinking it.

• Routines: Assigning a specific "home" for your keys, wallet, and glasses by the front door so you never lose them.

• Scheduling: Estimating accurately that a meeting, transit time, and lunch will take three hours total, and blocking your calendar accordingly.

• Digital Spaces: Structuring your computer files into clear, labeled folders so you can locate a document in seconds.

• Pacing: Realizing halfway through a presentation that you are speaking too fast, and consciously slowing your rhythm down.

• Energy Management: Recognizing that your focus is fading after two hours of deep work and deciding to take a structured 5-minute break to recharge.

• Errors: Reviewing an email you just drafted, noticing a tone that could be misinterpreted, and rewriting it before hitting send.