The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University defines executive function and self-regulation as the mental processes that help us plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks. Just as an air traffic control system safely manages the arrivals and departures of many planes on multiple runways, the brain needs these skills to filter distractions, prioritize tasks, set and reach goals, and control impulses.
Executive function takes a lot of practice to build, even for adults. The good news is that you can support executive function while reading with your children, without adding a single extra activity to your day.
Executive Function While Reading: Talk About Problems, Plans, and Solutions
When the main character of a book comes face to face with their biggest challenge, that is the moment to slow down and focus on what happens next. What emotions do they have? What plan do they come up with? Do they follow the plan, or go rogue? Does the first plan fail, so they have to be flexible and try a new one? Do they solve the problem alone, or do they need help? What unexpected challenges force them to change the plan?
When we ask questions like these, we model the thinking behind planning, carrying out a plan, problem-solving, flexible thinking, predicting outcomes, and reflecting on past behavior. Here are a few questions to try with elementary-aged kids:
- What was the character’s problem?
- What plan did they have to try to solve it?
- Do you think it was a good plan? Why or why not?
- How did the character change their plan when they didn’t reach their goal the first time?
Executive Function While Reading: Model Self-Monitoring Self-Talk
You can start talking through self-monitoring with early elementary-aged kids, and these conversations keep helping a child’s executive function and oral reading skills all through elementary school. With kindergartners, try making an occasional “purposeful error” while reading aloud by reading a word wrong on purpose. Then say something like:
- “Oh wait, that word can’t be X because it starts with an N.”
- “Oops, I read X, but when I looked again, I realized it was Y.”
- “Wait, X is a short word, and I’m seeing a long word there, so I might need to try that again.”
This shows your child the thought process they can use to catch and fix their own mistakes.
The same idea works for older students who read aloud to their parents. You can help them self-monitor when they make decoding errors. For example, say, “Oh, that was close. When you read ‘play,’ I picture the letters p-l-a-y in my mind, but I just see p-a-y on the page.” This helps your child notice small details and compare what they said to what is on the page, which is self-monitoring in a nutshell.
It isn’t necessary to use this strategy for every error, since interrupting too often can break the flow of reading. In fact, many kids eventually say, “I know what you’re going to say,” and fix the error on their own, which is exactly the goal.
Show Them Attentional “Pausing”
What if your child has a hard time getting through an entire book? Maybe they start making off-topic comments or getting up to shake out some wiggles. When that happens, try talking through “attention pausing,” which is the ability to shift attention away from a task, do something else, and then return to the original task.
This is easier said than done for adults, too. Think about starting a load of laundry, getting distracted by another household task, and forgetting about the wet clothes in the washer for hours.
During reading, let yourself join an off-topic conversation with your child for a minute or two. Then say something like, “Oh, that was fun talking about X, but I just realized we need to get back to our book. Where were we? What was happening again?” If your child is struggling to sit still, you might say, “Do you think we should get some wiggles out? Let’s do a quick movement break, and then get back to our book.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is executive function while reading?
It is the set of mental skills that help your child plan, pay attention, remember what they read, notice and fix mistakes, and switch back to the book after a break.
How can I tell if my child needs help with executive function while reading?
Signs can include trouble starting or finishing tasks, losing track of what they read, frequent distractions, or difficulty adjusting when plans change. If these happen often and affect school, consider an evaluation.
Should I interrupt every reading mistake?
No. Interrupting too often breaks the flow of reading. Use self-monitoring talk now and then, and let your child catch and fix errors on their own when they can.
How ETLC Can Help
Our passion is helping students thrive with their communication and academic skills. Building a child’s executive function skills is essential to helping them reach their goals. Together, we can help your child with reading, executive function, speech, language, writing, math, and more. Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available.
Learn more about executive functioning support at ETLC or schedule a free consultation to talk with a member of our team.
You may also find these pages helpful:
- 6 Executive Functioning Strategies for the New Year
- Games for Executive Functioning
- Encourage Reading Comprehension: Before, During, and After Reading
About the Author
Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center. With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Sonia has dedicated her career to helping children overcome complex communication and academic challenges. She has advanced training and a special focus on treating dyslexia and childhood apraxia of speech, and she is passionate about providing families with a clear path to success.
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