- By Isaac
- Van Wesep
Read All About It : Improve Your Child’s Executive Function Skills With This Reading Activity!
This article is part of our weekly series Executive Function Tips for Families.
What is Executive Function?
Executive function (EF) refers to a set of mental skills that includes working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. These skills are essential for planning, focusing, and managing multiple tasks. By building EF skills early, we set children up for long-term learning success. Read on to find out how this game supports EF skill development.
Putting the ‘FUN’ in Executive Function!
Parents, incorporating imagination and exploration into story time can significantly improve your child’s executive functioning. This week, we’ll be exercising your child’s cognitive flexibility and working memory skills while reading fun books together. Let’s get started!
This Game Builds the Following EF Skills:
- Cognitive Flexibility: Your child will have to react to different clues as you read together.
- Working Memory: Your child will have to focus on the clues and story details given to tap into their working memory.
What You’ll Need
- Time: Dependent on book length
- Space: A quiet spot at home or public library
- Materials: A familiar or new book
Ready to Play? Game Levels and Step-by-Step Instructions
Choose the best starting level based on your child’s age. Move to the next level above or below depending on how difficult or easy the activity seems to be for them. Take a break if your child is having trouble sitting still for the whole book.
Game Level 1 – I Spy (2-3 years)
- Choose a book from your collection or public library and have your child join you in an out-of-the-way spot where they can focus on your instructions and the activity.
- Tell your child: “We are going to look at this book together!” Begin to read the book. Stop on a page of your choosing and say, “Oh! I see something green! Do you see something green on this page? Point to it so I know what green thing you are thinking about.” Give your child time to follow your instructions. Then say, “Can you find something ELSE that is green? You’re right! Those things are BOTH green. They have the same color but are different! Can you think of something else that is green?”
- Ask your child to find things according to rules they can understand (colors, shapes, familiar characters, etc.). Having your child follow these rules helps them use their working memory abilities by encouraging them to keep the rules in mind as they search.
Game Level 2 – What Is Hiding?- Familiar Book (3-4 years)
- Repeat Level 1. Choose a book that your child is very familiar with. This time, before you sit down together, tape pieces of paper over a few important characters or objects.
- Say: “We are going to look at this book together!” Begin to read the book. Stop at the first page with a hidden picture and say, “Oh! I see something hiding! Do you remember who/what we usually see on this page? Can you tell me?” Give your child time to follow your instructions. Then say, “You remembered that [item] was hiding on this page! Great job!” Remove the piece of paper and continue reading the book.
- If your child has trouble remembering what is hidden, give them simple clues. Giving your child extra hints can help with cognitive flexibility because your hints can help your child think about a scenario in a way that they previously had not.
Game Level 3 – What is Hiding?- New Book (4-5 years)
- Repeat Level 2. This time choose a book that your child is NOT very familiar with. Before you sit down together, tape pieces of paper over a few important characters or objects. The example below involves reading a book about animals.
- Tell them: “We are going to look at this book together!” Begin to read the book. Stop at the first page with a hidden picture and say, “Oh! I see something hiding! I will give you a clue so that you can solve this mystery. There is an ANIMAL WITH GREEN SCALES hiding on this page. Can you think of an animal that has green scales?” Give your child time to follow your instructions and make a guess.
- If they guess correctly, ask follow-up questions to provide an extra challenge: “How did you know that a snake was hiding on this page? What clues did you see or hear that helped you guess the right answer?”
Game Level 4 – Why and What If… (5+ years)
- Choose a book from your collection and have your child join you in an out-of-the-way spot where they can focus on your instructions and the activity. As you read through the book, choose places to stop and talk about what is happening in the story.
- Lead your child through a discussion similar to this example based on “Puff the Magic Dragon”: “The words say, ‘Jackie Paper came no more.’ I wonder why Jackie stopped coming to play with Puff. Why do you think he stopped coming?” “How do you think Puff is feeling on this page? How can you tell?” “What is something that might make Puff feel better?” “What if Puff had other dragon friends to play with? How would the story be different?”
- Look for places to ask them about why characters are doing or saying things, or feeling a certain way. Encouraging your child to make inferences about characters’ motives or feelings helps foster cognitive flexibility.
After You Play: Talk & Reflect
At the end of each activity, take a moment to talk with your child about what they noticed. What was difficult? What was helpful? What could they try next time?
- “Was it easy to tell how the characters were feeling?”
- “What strategies did you use to guess how Puff was feeling? How did you come up with that reason for why he might be sad?”
Model reflection by restating their responses, and be sure to acknowledge the difficulty of the task. Reflecting together can reinforce your child’s learning and build their awareness of these developing skills.
Additional Ideas & Resources
- Try the activity at different times of the day to see what works best for your child.
- For older children, have them imagine different endings to the story and encourage them to create alternative storybooks of their own.
This easy, adaptable reading activity will provide your child with fun opportunities to develop curiosity, flexibility, and memory. Have fun using your imagination!
