A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills
to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model
Leslie McIntosh, PsyD, NCSP, NCPMI Fellow and Lise Fox, PhD
ChallengingBehavior.org
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Pub: 11/05/19
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers
through the Pyramid Model
Executive Functions
Executive functions are the higher-order cognitive skills that involve behavior regulation and goal directed activities of children and adults (McCloskey, Perkins,
& Van Divner, 2009). Being self-directed, undistracted, adaptable to change, and making connections between different concepts and ideas are all related to
executive functions. These skills are foundational to outcomes in virtually all aspects of life. Executive functions, and the behaviors they enable, begin to appear
as early as infancy, but do not achieve full maturation until young adulthood (Diamond, 2011). The early demonstrations of executive functions tend to be
predictive of executive function potential later in life (Eigsti et al., 2006; Friedman et al., 2007; Moffitt et al., 2011; Shoda, Mischel, & Peake, 1990).
Research suggests that it is important for adults to foster the development of executive function of children at an early age (Blair, 2010). This is because the
development of the brain is most easily influenced by the environment during the early years of life (0-5) before the brain has fully matured. When adults
work together to create environments and interactions that promote the development of executive skills, we see positive changes in the behavior and out-
comes of young children in school, at home, and in life (Bryck & Fisher, 2012; Diamond & Lee, 2011; Greenberg & Harris, 2011; Klingberg, 2010; Kovacs
& Mehler, 2009; McCloskey et al., 2009; Morrison , Conway, & Chein, 2011; Muraven, 2010; Wass, Porayska-Pomsta, & Johnson, 2011).
Research suggests that executive function may best be understood as the cognitive capac-
ity to be effortful, and controlled in our thinking, while executive skills represent the
behaviors that are triggered by our effortful, controlled thinking (Blair, 2010). According
to McCloskey and colleagues (2009), individuals can focus on developing the executive
skills (waiting, focusing, planning, starting tasks, persisting) linked to their own effortful
thought in order to strengthen their capacity for even more effortful thought in the future.
This means we can promote the development of executive functions by teaching and
reinforcing specific executive skills in the environment. In Table 1, a sample of executive
functions (Dawson & Gaure, 2009) and skills are provided with a description of how these
skills are used by young children. Keep in mind, this list of executive skills isn’t exhaustive
or mutually exclusive. There are additional skills related to each executive function area and
many skills might seem to overlap across different functions. What is most important is
that early educators are aware that executive functions control behavior, and that by under-
standing those functions we can help young children strengthen those skills.
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 2
Table 1. Executive Function in Early Development
Executive Function Executive Skills Older Toddlers (ages 2-3) Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
Emotional Control: • Staying calm • Verbally expresses wants • Accepts and responds to “no” from the teacher
Managing emotions in order to • Coping and needs to adults • Accepts disappointment in a short time
achieve goals, complete tasks, or • Allows adults to help them
control and direct behavior • Uses non-aggressive solutions when
calm down when upset faced with conflict in group of children
without becoming overly excited
Cognitive Flexibility: • Creativity • Responds appropriately to • Adjusts to changes in plans or
The mental ability to switch • Flexible changes in routines/structures routines with some warning
between different concepts; to with close adult support • Begins to connect concepts that are not
think about multiple concepts • Engages in novel activities directly related based on personal experience
simultaneously
Goal-directed persistence: • Working through • Allows adults to guide them • Tries independently to solve a
The capacity to have a goal, follow the hard part of in activities from start to problem or achieve a goal more than
through to the completion of the a task or activity finish without resistance once, with minimal frustration
goal, and not be put off by or • Not quitting • Tries to achieve a goal at least • Asks for help from others
distracted by competing interests once without frustration
• Asks for help from others
Metacognition: • Self-monitoring • Will have brief conversations (1-2 • Makes minor adjustments to the strategy
The ability to stand back and • Self-reflecting turns) with adults about what is being used to solve a problem
take a birds-eye view of oneself happening in the present moment • Engages in some self-talk about their own actions
in a situation. It is an ability of • Listens to adults as they briefly
an individual to observe their • Can briefly describe to others how
describe their own behaviors they are solving a problem
own use of problem solving. It and emotional states
also includes self-monitoring and • Can briefly describe their emotional states
self-evaluative skills.
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 3
Executive Function Executive Skills Older Toddlers (ages 2-3) Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
Organization: • Cleaning-up/ • Participates in putting • Puts things in appropriate places, with reminders
The ability to create and maintain setting-up things in their proper place • Creates own organization system
systems to keep track of informa- for later with adult support if one is not obvious (e.g., sorting
tion or materials • Labeling items, putting objects away)
• Sorting
• Matching
Planning/prioritization: • Planning (visually • Participates in simple planning • Makes simple plans with a beginning, middle,
The ability to plan how to reach and verbally) with adult guidance and ending with some independence
a goal or to complete a task. It • Figuring out • Participates in completing steps of • Can follow-through with plan
also involves being able to make where to start a task or project with adult support with minimal adult guidance
decisions about what’s important to and how to finish
focus on and what’s not important. • Can identify the end-goal of the activity
Response inhibition: • Waiting • Can withhold responding • Asks before taking things
The capacity to think before engag- • Thinking first for a few seconds if closely • Waits for turn when in group activities
ing in an action—the ability to resist monitored by an adult
the urge to say or do something • Responds to “first, then”
presentation of tasks, when
supported by an adult
Sustained attention: • Focusing • Briefly attends to adult-directed • Independently completes simple
The capacity to maintain attention • Listening activities or instructions assignment, task, or chore
to a situation or task in spite of • Attends to others in a short activity
distractibility, fatigue, or boredom (e.g., small-group or circle)
• Listens to adult or peer read a short book
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 4
Executive Function Executive Skills Older Toddlers (ages 2-3) Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
Task initiation: • Getting started • Begins simple task with • Follows an adult direction immediately after
The ability to begin projects with- close adult supervision being given, even during a preferred activity
out procrastination, in an efficient
or timely fashion
Time management: • Done on-time, • Responds to adult guidance • Completes daily routines (with cues)
The capacity to estimate how much • Remembering to complete an action at • Can complete tasks more quickly when prompted
time one has, how to allocate it, the schedule the appropriate pace
and how to stay within time limits • Finishes a small chore within a time-limit
and deadlines. It also involves a
sense that time is important.
Working memory: • Remember • Follows the instruction • Can follow the steps of a routine
The ability to hold information in and use just given by an adult with only one prompt
memory while performing complex • Can complete a simple errand
tasks. It incorporates the ability to
draw on past learning or experience
to apply to the situation at hand or
to project into the future.
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 5
Pyramid Model Practices and Executive Skills
The Pyramid Model is a comprehensive framework of evidence-based practices that teachers and caregivers of young children can use to promote the
social and emotional competence of young children (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox, 2006). Research has demonstrated that implementation of the Pyramid
Model is related to improvements in young children’s social skills and problem behavior (Hemmeter, Snyder, Fox, & Algina, 2016). The practices that are
used by teachers in their implementation of the Pyramid Model can also promote children’s development of executive functions (Blair, 2010; Bierman,
Nix, Greenberg, Blair, Domitrovich, 2008). Below, we offer a crosswalk with examples that illustrates how this might occur by linking Pyramid Model
preschool practices with executive skill areas.
Table 2. Promoting Executive Function through Pyramid Practices
Pyramid Model Practices Executive Functions Executive Skills being Strengthened
that are Promoted
Engaging in supportive conversations with • Cognitive flexibility • Being creative
children to acknowledge and expand on • Emotional control • Staying calm
children’s communication and interactions
• Working memory • Remembering and using information
Providing positive descriptive feedback to • Metacognition • Self-reflection
promote child engagement in classroom and • Emotional control • Self-monitoring
social expectations
• Goal-directed persistence • Sticking with difficult activity
• Organization
Providing engaging activities to promote child • Sustained attention • Focusing
learning and reduce challenging behavior • Goal-directed persistence • Listening
• Working through an activity or task
Providing a balanced schedule of activities to • Sustained attention • Focusing
minimize the time children are not engaged • Time management • Task completion
in learning
• Following the schedule
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 6
Pyramid Model Practices Executive Functions Executive Skills being Strengthened
that are Promoted
Teaching children to use and follow a schedule • Organization • Cleaning up/setting-up for later
so that they anticipate activities • Planning/prioritization • Planning
• Time management • Following the schedule
Teaching children the rules and expectations of • Metacognition • Self-reflection
the classroom • Response inhibition • Waiting
Structuring transitions to decrease the likelihood • Task initiation • Getting started
that challenging behavior might occur • Response inhibition
Providing clear directions to help children • Planning/prioritization • Planning
understand and respond to adult direction • Task initiation • Figuring out where to start
and expectations
• Working memory • Getting started
• Remembering and using information
Teaching children to identify and express emotions • Metacognition • Self-reflection
• Emotional control • Self-monitoring
• Staying calm
Teaching children to use self-regulation skills • Metacognition • Self-reflection
• Emotional control • Staying calm
• Response inhibition • Waiting
Teaching children to engage in social problem • Metacognition • Self-reflection
solving when there are conflicts or challenges • Emotional control • Staying calm
with others
• Response inhibition • Waiting
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 7
Pyramid Model Practices Executive Functions Executive Skills being Strengthened
that are Promoted
Teaching children the social interaction skills • Cognitive flexibility • Being creative
needed to work and play with other children • Metacognition, • Self-reflection
• Planning/prioritization • Self-monitoring
• Planning
Teaching children strategies for handling • Emotional control • Staying calm
disappointment and anger • Metacognition • Self-reflection and self-monitoring
Teaching Executive Skills in the Pyramid Model Classroom
The preschool classroom teacher can explicitly promote executive skills as they implement the Pyramid Model. The promotion of executive skills in the
early years will shape young children’s future executive functioning. Below, we provide ideas of strategies that might be used by early educators to focus on
executive function in their interactions and instruction with young children.
Table 3. Promoting Executive Skills in the Classroom
Explain: Describe the skill that you are asking children to learn and use (e.g., being done on-time). Give them the name of the skill and tell them
why it is important, or even better, see if they can tell you.
Model: Demonstrate what an executive skill looks like using your own behaviors (e.g., “I am going to make a plan” or “I need to focus my attention
on…”). Describe to children what you are doing help them see the contrast between what it looks like, and what it doesn’t. Describe how
important the skill is to your own life and how other familiar adults use the skill.
Support: Encourage your children to practice skills after they have been introduced. This could be during a group lesson, or it could be during
a spontaneous teachable moment. Both are important. Structured experiences are great for introducing skills, but unexpected teachable
moments are necessary for children to achieve mastery of the skill.
A Practice Guide for Teaching Executive Skills to Preschoolers through the Pyramid Model 8
Reinforce: Reinforcement is anything that makes a behavior more likely to be used in the future. We want executive skills to be frequently used by
young children in their lives. Positively describe the executive skill you’ve seen the child use. Use positive natural consequences to help make
the point that these skills are very helpful, both to you and the children themselves.
Reflect: Create time for children to think about all the positive outcomes that they’ve seen from using their executive skills. You can connect execu-
tive skills to numerous individual and classrooms goals.
Label: Talk about the skills frequently. Use the vocabulary of executive skills frequently so that children hear the skills being discussed and valued.
Classroom expectations and/or rules can be a great place to start. Expectations are a great way to think of capacities, and rules are an
excellent way to think of what skills are needed to use the capacity.
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