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Common Executive Functioning Skill Areas
Planning & Prioritizing
Setting goals, identifying what matters most, and creating realistic plans to move forward.
Estimating time accurately, planning ahead, and adjusting behavior to meet deadlines and commitments.
Time Management
Task Initiation
Getting started on tasks, even when they feel overwhelming, boring, or difficult.
Working Memory
Holding and using information long enough to follow directions, solve problems, and complete tasks.
Recognizing what is working, what isn't, and making adjustments when needed.
Self-Monitoring
Adapting to change, considering different perspectives, and problem-solving when things don't go according to plan.
Flexible Thinking
Impulse Control
Pausing before acting, managing distractions, and making thoughtful decisions.
Organization
Developing systems to keep track of materials, assignments, responsibilities, and information.
Every student has unique strengths. We help them build the skills to thrive.
Study & Learning Strategies
Developing effective note-taking, studying, and learning systems that support academic success.
What is Executive Function?
Executive functioning isn't a single skill—it's a collection of interconnected mental processes that help us manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions in order to achieve our goals. Because these skills work together, challenges in one area often impact others. Understanding how executive functioning works is often the first step toward meaningful change.
Every Student Has a Different Executive Functioning Profile
No two students have the same strengths and challenges. Through assessments, observations, student input, parent feedback, and ongoing coaching conversations, we identify the executive functioning skills that are helping a student succeed—and the areas creating frustration. We develop individualized strategies that build on strengths, support areas of challenge, and help students better understand how their own brain works. Our goal is to help students develop the self-awareness, tools, and confidence needed to navigate school and life more independently.
Executive Functioning
Coaching:
Building Skills for School and Life
Many capable students struggle not because they lack intelligence or motivation, but because they lack the executive functioning skills needed to manage the demands of school and everyday life.
Executive functioning skills help students plan, organize, manage time, regulate behavior, and follow through on responsibilities. When these skills are weak, even hardworking students can feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and stuck.
At Striving for Thriving Kids, we partner with students and parents to develop practical, individualized strategies that build confidence, independence, and long-term success.
We begin by getting to know your child through parent consultation, student self-evaluation, observations, and executive functioning assessments. This helps us understand their unique strengths, challenges, and goals.
Assessment
& Discovery
Personalized Strategy Development
We develop practical tools, routines, and systems tailored to your child's learning style, personality, strengths, and goals.
Weekly Coaching & Skill Building
Students meet one-on-one with their coach each week throughout their coaching program. During each session, they learn, practice, and refine practical executive functioning strategies while building confidence and independence between sessions.
Independence & Growth
Over time, students become more independent, learn to advocate for themselves, solve problems with greater confidence, and rely less on reminders from parents.
You want the best for your child.
We're help to help them get there.
How Coaching Works
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Practice & Application
Students learn how to apply strategies in real-world situations at school, home, and in everyday life.
Independence & Growth
As students build skills and confidence, they learn how to advocate for themselves, solve problems independently, and take ownership of their responsibilities.
The Outcomes
We Work Toward
Students who engage in executive functioning coaching often experience:
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Greater independence and ownership of responsibilities
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Improved organization, planning, and follow-through
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Reduced homework stress and fewer daily power struggles
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Increased confidence and self-awareness
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Stronger self-advocacy and problem-solving skills
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Better time management and decision-making
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More consistent academic performance
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Stronger parent-child relationships and more positive interactions at home
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Greater readiness for middle school, high school, college, and life
10 Indicators
Children may be facing challenges with Executive Functioning—the brain's management system. Look for these 10 common indicators at home and in the classroom: 1. Procrastination: They have big goals but struggle to take the very first step on an assignment, often resulting in a "frozen" state. 2. Time Blindness: They consistently underestimate how long a task will take, leading to late-night panics over projects they've had for weeks. 3. "Black Hole" Backpack: Constant loss of permission slips, completed homework, or essential supplies, despite having the "right" folders and binders. 4. Inconsistent Performance: They can ace a difficult test one day but forget to turn in a simple worksheet the next. 5. "Working Memory" Wall: They struggle to follow multi-step directions (e.g., "Go upstairs, grab your shoes, and bring down your library book"). Usually, they only remember the last thing said. 6. Emotional Friction: They experience intense frustration or "meltdowns" when a plan changes unexpectedly or a task feels slightly too difficult. 7. "One-Speed" Brain: Difficulty shifting focus from a high-interest activity (like gaming) to a necessary one (like chores or study). 8. Vague Goal Setting: They want to "do better," but have zero plan or system for how to actually track their progress or change their habits. 9. "Crumpled Paper" Effect: Their work is often messy, disorganized, or physically disorganized—not because they don't care, but because their brain struggles to order the steps. 10. Mental Fatigue: They seem "checked out" or exhausted by mid-afternoon, as the mental energy required to stay organized consumes all their focus.