Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP
Originally Published January 2020, Reviewed and Updated August 2026
A new school year brings new teachers, new subjects, and new demands — and for many children, those demands quickly outpace the organizational skills they have in place.
If your child struggles to keep track of assignments, start their homework without a battle, or manage their time across multiple subjects, they may not just need more effort. They may need explicit support building the executive functioning skills that make all of that possible.
Here’s what those skills are — and six concrete strategies to help your child build them before the first day of school.
What Are Executive Functioning Skills?
Executive functioning refers to the set of mental processes that help us plan, focus, manage our time, and regulate our behavior to reach a goal. These skills include:
- Planning and organization — knowing what needs to be done and in what order
- Task initiation — getting started without excessive prompting
- Working memory — holding information in mind while using it
- Time management — estimating how long things take and pacing accordingly
- Cognitive flexibility — adjusting when plans change, or things don’t go as expected
- Self-monitoring — checking your own work and progress
In elementary school, teachers and parents provide a lot of scaffolding for these skills — visual schedules, reminders, structured routines. But as children move into middle and high school, those supports fade while the demands increase dramatically. Students who haven’t explicitly learned organizational strategies often feel overwhelmed — and may look like they simply don’t care- when in reality they’ve never been taught the skills they need.
The good news is these skills can be taught, modeled, and practiced. Here’s where to start.
Six Strategies to Build Organization and Executive Functioning at Home
1. Use Checklists and Prioritize Tasks
Many children struggle to visualize everything they need to do — which leads to either freezing up or jumping randomly between tasks. A simple written or visual checklist removes that uncertainty.
Work with your child to write down every task before starting homework each day. Once the list is made, go through it together and prioritize: “What’s due first? What takes the longest? What can wait until tomorrow?”
This process reduces the decision-making load during homework time and teaches children a skill they’ll use for the rest of their lives. Start simple — even three items on a list is a win.
2. Set Time Limits for Each Task
Open-ended tasks are anxiety-provoking for children who struggle with executive functioning. When a child doesn’t know how long something will take, it can feel endless — which makes starting feel impossible.
Before your child begins a task, estimate together how long it should take and set a timer. “Let’s say 15 minutes for the reading. Ready? Go.”
If they finish early, they get a short break. If they don’t finish in time, adjust the estimate going forward rather than extending indefinitely. Knowing there’s an endpoint makes it significantly easier to begin — and helps children develop an internal sense of time over many repetitions.
3. Establish a Consistent Homework Routine
For older children especially, the hardest part of homework often isn’t the work itself — it’s getting started. A consistent routine removes that daily negotiation.
Same time, same place, same sequence — every day. A designated homework space that’s quiet, well-lit, and stocked with supplies signals to the brain that it’s time to focus. The more automatic the routine, the less willpower it takes to begin.
If your child is resistant to starting, try a two-minute rule: “Just open your planner and look at your list for two minutes. You don’t have to do anything yet.” Starting is almost always the hardest part.
4. Color-Coordinate by Subject
For students who struggle to stay organized across multiple classes, color-coding is a simple, effective system that reduces the daily scramble.
Assign one color per subject — blue for math, green for science, red for English — and apply it consistently: notebook, folder, and planner tab all match. When everything for a subject is the same color, finding materials takes seconds instead of minutes.
This visual consistency reduces the mental load of organization and helps working memory — because students can locate what they need without having to remember where they put it.
5. Teach Students How to Use a Planner
Many schools provide planners but don’t teach students how to use them effectively. Simply having a planner and actually using it are very different things.
Sit down with your child at the start of each week and walk through:
- Recording every assignment with its due date
- Breaking long-term projects into smaller steps with intermediate deadlines
- Reviewing what’s coming up each day before sitting down to work
Color-coding the planner to match the notebook and folder system above keeps everything visually consistent and easy to navigate. For students with significant working memory challenges, a brief planner check-in before bed — “What do you need for tomorrow?” — can prevent the morning scramble of forgotten materials.
6. Explain the Why Behind Each Strategy
Children who struggle with executive functioning sometimes resist organizational strategies because they seem like extra work with no clear payoff. Taking time to explain why each step matters goes a long way.
“We write things down because your brain is working so hard on learning new things that it doesn’t have space to remember every due date too. The list does that job so your brain can focus on the actual work.”
Keep communication open and collaborative. If a strategy isn’t working, talk about it and adjust — there’s no single system that works for every child. What matters is finding the combination of tools that works for your child and revisiting it as they grow.
A Note on Older Students
Executive functioning skills continue developing into the mid-twenties — which means teenagers who seem disorganized aren’t necessarily behind. But they do need explicit instruction and gradually increasing independence, not just expectations that they’ll figure it out.
If your middle or high schooler is consistently struggling despite trying the strategies above, it may be worth exploring whether executive functioning difficulties, ADHD, or a learning difference is playing a role. An evaluation can identify what’s underneath and point you toward the right kind of support.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should my child be managing their own organization? Executive functioning develops gradually, and the level of support needed varies significantly by child. Most children need active scaffolding through late elementary school, with gradually fading support in middle school. By high school, the goal is independence — but many students still benefit from check-ins and organizational coaching.
My child has a planner but never uses it. This is extremely common. The key is teaching the habit, not just providing the tool. Build planner use into the routine — same time each day, brief and consistent. Some students do better with a digital calendar or a simple notes app on their phone. The tool matters less than the habit.
Could my child’s organizational struggles be related to ADHD or a learning difference? Yes. Executive functioning difficulties are closely associated with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences. If your child is working hard but still significantly struggling despite consistent support, an evaluation is a worthwhile next step.
How ETLC Can Help
If your child is heading into a new school year with organizational challenges, attention difficulties, or academic struggles — our team can help identify what’s underneath and build a plan that works.
Learn more about our Executive Functioning services or schedule a free consultation to talk with a member of our team.
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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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