Helping Young Learners Close Their Planning Gaps with Executive Function Instruction

Posted In Behaviors On May 13, 2025

In grades 1–4, students are developing a wide range of cognitive, emotional, and social skills that shape their learning experience. When students struggle to meet short-term goals, estimate time, or remember assignments and due dates, these issues often stem from planning gaps—difficulties with the executive function skill of planning. Understanding and addressing these planning gaps are essential for improving students’ academic performance and building their independence, confidence, and self-awareness.

Planning is one of the core components of executive functions, a set of brain-based skills that support goal-directed behavior, decision-making, and problem-solving. When a student has a planning deficit, it’s not about being lazy or inattentive; it’s about a developmental delay in the executive function system. As elementary educators, we are in a powerful position to provide executive function instruction that directly supports student learning needs and empowers students to succeed.

Recognizing the Signs of Planning Gaps

Let’s take a closer look at three common behaviors that signal executive function challenges, specifically in the area of planning:

1. Difficulty meeting short-term goals

   These students may start tasks but rarely finish them. They have trouble following multistep directions or keeping track of what to do next. This behavior signals a gap in planning and prioritizing steps, a key component of this executive function skill.

2. Struggling to estimate how long a task will take

   Time blindness is real for young learners. A student may say, “This will take five minutes,” when it’s actually a 20-minute task. Poor time estimation reflects underdeveloped planning abilities and makes it hard for students to complete work efficiently.

3. Forgetting assignments or due dates

   Whether it’s forgetting to turn in homework or not bringing home the correct materials, this behavior is often linked to weak planning skills. These students may not have learned how to use executive functioning tools like checklists or visual reminders to manage their work.

Executive Function Instruction to Close Planning Gaps

Teaching executive function skills, especially planning, doesn’t require adding more to your plate. Instead, it’s about using student engagement strategies and intentional modeling to build executive function learning into everyday routines. When we embed executive function instruction into classroom tasks, we provide students with structure and tools that improve their ability to plan.

Here are a few executive function strategies that support planning:

• Model the Planning Process Aloud
  Use think-alouds to show students how you plan your day, estimate time, or prepare for a task. This helps make the invisible skill of planning more concrete. “First, I’ll list the steps. Then I’ll decide how long each one might take…”
• Use Visual Planning Tools
  Incorporate visual schedules, to-do lists, and “first-then” boards. These executive functioning tools help students understand the sequence of tasks and plan their actions.
• Break Down Assignments
  Break large or multi-step assignments into smaller parts and guide students in setting mini-goals. This not only addresses planning gaps but also builds student confidence and supports behavior management.
• Teach Time Awareness
  Help students learn to track time by using timers or clocks and by reflecting on how long things actually took. This strategy fosters realistic planning and self-monitoring.

Student Empowerment Through Executive Function Systems

When we recognize and respond to planning gaps with intentional executive function intervention, we meet students where they are. By supporting students’ self-awareness levels and teaching them how to plan effectively, we empower them to become more independent learners. This leads to better student performance, stronger social skills, and a noticeable improvement in classroom engagement.

Planning isn’t just an academic skill; it’s a life skill. That’s why solving executive function challenges through executive function lessons and tools is essential. By using an executive function curriculum designed for elementary students, you can tailor support to each learner’s needs and help them develop strategies that work for them.

Ready to Support Your Students’ Planning Skills?

• To better understand how planning fits into the broader landscape of executive function, check out our companion blog post, What is Planning?
• Want to determine which executive function skills your students need the most help with? Use our Student Need resource to get started.
• Looking for a way to evaluate student behaviors and build a customized executive function curriculum for your class? Explore our Platform Features for personalized EF instruction.

By addressing planning gaps through structured executive function instruction, we can improve students’ academic performance, increase their independence, and support their growth as self-directed learners. Let’s give students the tools they need—not just to learn, but to plan their learning.