Executive Function Activities for Children 18 to 36 Months

At this stage of development, children are rapidly expanding their language skills. Language plays an essential role in developing executive function and self-regulation (EF/SR) by helping children label thoughts, actions, and plans. Bilingualism is also associated with improved EF/SR, so parents fluent in more than one language should use these languages in interactions with their children.

Active Play

Children aged 18 to 36 months develop significant motor skills and enjoy physical play. The activities below require children to maintain focus, suppress unnecessary actions, and try new approaches if their first attempt doesn’t succeed.
• Provide materials and opportunities for practicing new skills, such as throwing and catching balls, balancing, and running up and down inclines. Set simple rules like taking turns to the "finish line" to build working memory and inhibition.
• Imitation games like "Follow the Leader" or action songs are fun and build memory and attention skills.
• Games requiring self-control, like "Freeze Dance," are also engaging. These games help children practice stopping and starting movements on cue.
• Songs with multiple movements encourage children to pay attention to words and use working memory to guide their movements.
• Finger plays, songs, and rhymes with gestures stimulate attention, memory, and self-control.

Talking and Storytelling

As language skills grow, children begin to engage in active conversations and simple storytelling.
• Narrating a child’s play helps them understand how language describes actions. Add questions like "What will you do next?" to encourage reflection on their actions.
• Telling stories about shared experiences allows children to reflect and sequence events in memory.
• Talking about emotions helps children name their feelings, supporting emotional regulation, crucial for executive function.
Sorting and Matching Games
At this age, children enjoy simple pairing and sorting games, which require them to understand and follow a rule.
• Play sorting games by size, shape, or color. Switch rules to challenge working memory and attention.
• More complex sorting games, like placing small figures in a large container and large shapes in a small container, challenge children to suppress familiar actions, exercise selective attention, and use working memory.
• Introduce simple puzzles to develop attention and planning skills.

Imaginative Play

Toddlers begin to develop basic imaginative play skills by imitating adults’ actions, such as cleaning with a broom or pretending to cook. At this age, actions evolve into simple imaginative play sequences.
• Ask questions about what they’re doing and narrate their play.
• Play alongside them and let them direct the play. Allowing them to guide roles develops self-regulation.
• Provide familiar household items to encourage pretend play.

Based on Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child publication.