Planning is an executive function skill with a big impact on a child’s ability to complete tasks and assignments at school, finish chores at home, or get ready for events like sports games. Some children pick up planning more naturally than others, but every child benefits from practicing planning and talking it through. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, planning draws on many thinking skills at once, including attention, working memory, initiation, self-monitoring, time sense, prioritizing, and decision-making. No wonder it can be so difficult. The good news is that you can start practicing planning at home with everyday activities.
Practicing Planning at Home With Younger Children
Choose activities that are age-appropriate and part of your child’s own life. Good ideas for younger children include:
- Making a meal or snack
- Cleaning their room
- Doing a puzzle or completing a craft
- Getting ready to go to the park, pool, or store
Start by telling your child what you are going to do. For example, say, “Let’s make lunch together! We’ll make a PB&J sandwich.” Ask, “How do you think we’ll make it?” Listen to their response, and use some of their own ideas to shape the steps. Then use language to outline each step, such as “First, we’ll get the peanut butter out of the cabinet, and then the jelly out of the refrigerator.” This helps your child picture the steps before they take them. Once you have talked through all the steps, see how many they can recall. Help them with any they forget, because this is not a quiz.
After you have made your plan, it is time for action. Walk through the steps together and refer back to what you planned. Did everything go according to plan? Was anything trickier than expected? Were there any surprises, like being out of grape jelly?
Practicing Planning at Home With Older Children
Older children can plan for bigger tasks, such as:
- Getting ready for a sports game, a birthday party, or a sleepover
- Planning how to complete a school project
- Planning chores on chore day
The process looks very similar. Start by asking your child what they think they will need to do. This lets you see whether they are picturing all the steps, and whether they tend to over- or underestimate how long it will take. Then help them find any steps they missed, or steps that are not needed.
Of course, plans do not always go smoothly. You can start teaching problem-solving by having your child predict problems they might run into. Maybe their jersey is dirty, they cannot find an item for their project, or they are out of a needed supply. Practicing this kind of anticipation can reduce anxiety and frustration when problems come up, and it gives your child a head start on solving them.
The Plan-Do-Review Strategy
When tasks follow a specific order, like chores, homework, or crafts, children benefit from direct teaching on how to organize their thoughts and actions. This is especially helpful for kids with executive function difficulties, such as trouble with sequencing, starting tasks, or planning ahead. One strategy that works for children of all ages is Plan-Do-Review. It can also help reduce anxiety around tasks that feel hard. For more ideas, see Understood’s executive function strategies for your child.
Step 1: Plan
Before starting, encourage your child to make a plan. What will they do first, second, and third? Will they need help? Is there a part they expect to be hard? Making lists or drawing pictures can take planning thoughts out of their head and onto paper. As a result, it gets their planning skills moving and also creates a visual aid.
Step 2: Do
Follow through with the plan. If you are doing the activity with your child, help them refer back to their plan if they need to be redirected, reminded of a step, or encouraged. If they are working on their own, remind them to check their plan as they go, and stay available to help.
Step 3: Review
Once the task is done, encourage your child to think about what went well and what they might change next time. This is tricky, even for adults, so this stage often means modeling how to do it. You might say things like:
- “I noticed that…”
- “When you did this, I saw that happen.”
- “This part looked tricky. Let’s try this next time.”
- “It seemed like that went really well!”
At first, try not to bombard your child with questions like “What should we do differently?” Limit yourself to one question at a time and model reflection yourself. That reduces frustration while still teaching your child how to reflect.
When to Use Plan-Do-Review
You can use this strategy in a very structured way, like sitting down to make a homework checklist. You can also use it informally, such as talking through your plan at the grocery store before you go in, and chatting about it back in the car. It also works when getting ready for special events like games or performances.
Finding What Works Best
Everyone plans differently, and children are still learning what works for them. It is okay to let them do things a different way, or even make mistakes in their planning so they have to retrace their steps and try again. Some kids benefit from lists or pictures, while others do better talking through their plans out loud.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I start practicing planning at home?
Pick a real task, like making a snack or packing for a game. Talk through the steps, do them together, and look back at what went well.
What is the Plan-Do-Review strategy?
It is a three-step routine. Your child plans the steps, does the task while checking the plan, and then reflects on what worked and what to change.
When should I get help with planning skills?
If your child struggles to start tasks, lose track of steps, or finish homework even with your support, an executive function evaluation can show what kind of help would work.
How ETLC Can Help
Does your child struggle with planning or other executive functioning skills? It can be hard to know how to help, and every child learns in their own way. We build an individualized plan for each child. 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:
- Executive Functioning Difficulties
- Attention and Executive Functioning
- Games for Executive Functioning
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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