How Play Builds Executive Function in the Early Years

Have you ever had several things happen at once? The pot on the stove is about to boil over, someone knocks at the door, and your phone starts ringing. Before you act, your brain has to pause, decide what needs your attention first, remember what you were already doing, shift your focus, and respond.

That is executive function at work.

Adults use these skills constantly, often without thinking about them. For young children, though, these abilities are still developing. Waiting for a turn, remembering a two-step direction, changing plans when something does not work, or stopping themselves from grabbing a toy can require much more effort than it appears from the outside.

One of the most natural places children practise these skills is through play.

What is executive function?

Executive function is a group of mental skills that help us manage our thoughts, attention, and actions. These skills support a child's ability to plan, remember information, control impulses, adapt when something changes, and work toward a goal.

They develop gradually throughout childhood, which is why we should not expect a young child to manage them the same way an older child or adult can.

Three important areas of executive function are inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility.

Inhibitory control: learning to pause

Inhibitory control is the ability to pause before acting on an impulse. For a young child, this might look like waiting briefly for a turn, stopping when asked, keeping their hands to themselves, resisting the urge to knock down someone else's tower, or waiting until a game says “go.”

These things can look simple to an adult, but they require a child to notice an impulse and stop themselves before acting. Play gives children lots of low-pressure opportunities to practise this. Games like freeze dance, Red Light Green Light, rolling a ball back and forth, or waiting for a turn during a board game all ask children to pause and respond rather than immediately act.

Working memory: holding information in mind

Working memory helps us hold onto information long enough to use it. Imagine telling your child, “Grab your shoes and put them by the door.” They need to remember both what they are looking for and what they are supposed to do with it.

During play, working memory is happening all the time. A child may need to remember the rules of a game, what they were building, which role they are pretending to play, what comes next in a familiar song, where they hid something, or several steps in an obstacle course.

When a young child forgets halfway through a task, it does not necessarily mean they were not listening. Their working memory is still developing.

Cognitive flexibility: changing the plan

Young children often have very clear ideas about how something is supposed to happen.

Then the block tower falls, someone else wants to be the doctor, the blue cup is unavailable, or the puzzle piece does not fit where they expected.

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adjust when the original plan changes. During play, children have endless opportunities to practise this. They may try one block and move it when the tower falls, change roles when their pretend restaurant becomes a grocery store, or find another way around when an obstacle course is too difficult.

That process of trying, adjusting, and trying again is executive function in action.

Why open-ended play is so helpful

Open-ended play does not have one required outcome. There is no single “right” way to build with blocks, create with loose parts, or pretend that the couch is a fire truck.

That freedom naturally asks children to make decisions. They have to think about what they want to make, what they need, what might happen if something does not work, and what they could try instead.

Those decisions give children opportunities to plan, remember, problem-solve, and adapt without turning the experience into a lesson.

None of these need to be elaborate. The important part is that the child is doing some of the thinking.

What this can look like in everyday behaviour

Understanding executive function can also change the way we interpret some challenging moments. A child who keeps interrupting may still be developing inhibitory control. A child who forgets what you asked halfway across the room may still be building working memory.

A child who becomes very upset when plans change may still be developing cognitive flexibility.

That does not mean boundaries or expectations disappear. It simply gives us more information about what might be making the situation difficult.

Instead of immediately assuming, “They know better,” it can help to ask, “What skill is this situation asking them to use?”

That small shift can help us decide what kind of support they need.

How parents can support executive function

You do not need special worksheets or complicated activities to support these skills. They can be built into things your child already does every day.

You can try:

• giving short directions and gradually adding another step

• playing simple stop-and-go games

• letting your child help plan an activity

• giving them time to solve a problem before stepping in

• playing games that involve waiting and taking turns

• asking, “What else could we try?” when something does not work

• allowing pretend play to change direction instead of controlling the storyline

• providing toys and materials that can be used in more than one way

Most importantly, give these skills time. Executive function develops over years, through thousands of little experiences.

The development happening underneath play

When your child builds a tower, creates an imaginary restaurant, or redesigns an obstacle course for the fourth time, it may look like they are simply playing. Underneath that play, though, their brain is busy planning, remembering, pausing, adjusting, and trying again.

Those are skills they will continue using far beyond the playroom.

Play is not separate from learning these skills. It is one of the places children get to practise them naturally.

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References

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence.

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. Building Executive Function Skills Through Games: The Power of Playful Learning.

• National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Power of Playful Learning in the Early Childhood Setting.

This content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical, developmental, or legal advice. Please consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your child. See our Legal page for more information.