Helping Kids Build Executive Functioning Skills in Your Elementary Classroom

beginning elementary teachers classroom management routines

Click the play bar below to listen to this week's show now:

Show Notes:

If you’ve ever watched a student stare at a messy desk, forget a direction you gave 10 seconds ago, or melt down at the sight of a multi-step task, you’re witnessing something bigger than “behavior - you’re seeing developing executive functioning skills in action. The good news? These skills can be taught, strengthened, and practiced every single day in the elementary classroom.

Today’s topic is incredibly important because it impacts every part of your school day. Executive functioning skills help kids plan, organize, focus, remember directions, and manage their impulses. Pretty important, right? With the right strategies, those daily challenges can become powerful opportunities for growth. In this episode, I explain what executive functioning skills are, and share simple, effective ways to strengthen them in your classroom.

Executive functioning includes three core areas (working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control), all essential for classroom success. Research shows that these skills don’t simply “develop naturally” over time; they’re built through modeling, practice, and intentional opportunities. That means executive functioning skills can be taught, reinforced, and woven into every part of your instructional day. I share practical ideas and activities you can easily incorporate to help students strengthen these skills daily.

In the end, helping students build their executive functioning skills isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about being intentional with the moments that already exist in your day. Every routine, every direction, and every opportunity to plan, organize, or pause becomes a chance for students to grow their independence. And the more we model, scaffold, and celebrate progress, the more our students begin to see themselves as capable, confident learners who can handle whatever comes next.

Inside this week's show, you'll learn:

How executive functioning skills impact every aspect of the classroom, and why they’re so closely tied to effective classroom management.
The three core areas of executive functioning, and how each one connects to common classroom tasks.
Simple, powerful ideas to strengthen students’ executive functioning skills through daily routines.
Why building these skills boosts students’ independence and confidence far beyond the classroom.
How the Classroom Management Club can support you with resources and activities designed to help your students strengthen their executive functioning skills.

Links & resources mentioned inside this episode:

I hope this information is helpful as you prepare for your first, second, or third year of teaching. Until next time, remember, just because you're a beginning elementary teacher, there's no need for you to struggle like one.

💛 Lori

Dr. Lori Friesen | Beginning Teacher Mentor

Creator of the R.E.A.D.Y. for School Academy and The Classroom Management Club, Dr. Lori Friesen has mentored thousands of beginning teachers across the country through her workshops and courses. Host of the popular podcast Beginning Teacher Talk and author of Dear New Teacher, Here's Exactly What to Do, Dr. Lori is dedicated to serving educators and inspiring learners. Learn more at drlorifriesen.com.

Want to listen on a different platform? Here are the links:

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts.

Click here to listen on Spotify.

Click here to listen on YouTube.

Click here to listen on iHeart Radio.

Click here to listen on Audible.

Click here to listen on other apps.

Related episodes you might enjoy:

Follow:

Are you following my podcast? I release fresh, new content every single week and I don't want you to miss out! 💛 Click here to follow on Apple Podcasts.

Leave a Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you are loving the podcast, I would be so grateful if you would leave me a review over on Apple Podcasts or on Audible. Each time you leave a review, Apple Podcasts or Audible recommends my podcast to other new teachers so they feel a little less alone as they navigate their first few years of teaching.

To leave a review on Apple Podcasts, just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" and let me know how this podcast is helping you inside your classroom!

To leave a review on Audible, just click here. Under "More Options" you can select "Write a review." I so appreciate your support in helping me get the word out to new teachers around the world.