Summer break offers students a chance to rest and recharge, but it also provides a valuable window for growth. When used with intention, this less structured time can be the perfect opportunity for building and reinforcing executive function (EF) skills.

Executive function is more than just a classroom buzzword. It refers to the mental skills that help us plan, organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and complete tasks. These are the skills that drive academic performance, promote independence, and support emotional well-being. And the good news is they can be improved with practice.

In this guide, we’ll explore how high school and college students can use summer to build executive function skills through meaningful, practical, and fun activities. Whether your student is heading into a new school year or preparing for college, these strategies offer both structure and flexibility for real-life growth.

Why Focus on Executive Function During Summer?

During the school year, students face constant deadlines, schedules, and academic expectations. But when those external structures disappear in the summer, students with executive function challenges can struggle with unstructured time, increased screen use, and difficulty getting started on tasks.

Without practice, EF skills like time management and self-monitoring can slip, leading to what experts call the “summer slide.” Research shows that students with EF difficulties may regress nearly twice as much as their peers over summer. But this isn’t inevitable. In fact, with the right guidance, summer can become a season of real progress.

What Are Executive Function Skills?

Executive function includes a set of cognitive processes that help students manage themselves and their goals. These skills include:

• Planning and organization: Setting goals, breaking them into steps, and managing tasks logically
• Time management: Estimating how long tasks will take and managing schedules effectively
• Task initiation: Getting started without procrastination or needing external prompts
• Working memory: Holding information in mind to complete tasks or solve problems
• Cognitive flexibility: Adapting to changes, shifting between tasks, or adjusting strategies
• Inhibitory control: Resisting distractions, staying focused, and regulating impulses
• Self-monitoring: Checking one’s progress and making adjustments as needed

All of these are essential not just for school, but for life.

Now that we’ve broken down what executive function skills are, let’s look at how to put them into practice, starting with one of the most effective opportunities for growth: summer break.

With a little structure and intention, summer can become a powerful training ground for developing EF skills in a low-pressure, flexible way.

Build Structure Through Summer Planning

Students thrive on routine, even when they don’t realize it. One of the best ways to build EF skills is by co-creating a flexible but structured summer schedule.

Start with goal-setting. What does your student want to accomplish this summer? It might be reading more, learning a new skill, finishing college applications, or starting a fitness routine. Break these into weekly or daily tasks.

Use tools like digital calendars, paper planners, whiteboards, or scheduling apps. Try the “Sunday Planning Session” approach: sit down together once a week to review progress, plan ahead, and adjust as needed. Encourage students to reflect on what worked and what didn’t.

EF Skills Targeted: Time management, planning, task initiation, self-monitoring

Organize Personal Projects

Working on a long-term project teaches students how to think ahead, organize steps, and manage time over days or weeks.

Some project ideas include:

• Creating a garden and tracking plant growth
• Planning and hosting a small family event
• Building a blog, podcast, or YouTube series
• Running a summer fundraiser or donation drive
• Redecorating a room or building something from scratch

Each project requires planning, decision-making, flexibility, and follow-through. These “homegrown” tasks feel meaningful because they align with personal interests, and they reinforce EF skills naturally.

EF Skills Targeted: Planning, organization, flexibility, perseverance

Use Executive Function in Everyday Activities

You don’t need elaborate programs to strengthen executive skills. Many simple summer activities can be designed to build these skills naturally:

• Organize a family sports tournament: From making brackets to scheduling games, this involves inhibition, planning, and working memory
• Plan weekly field trips: Give students ownership of planning everything, including transportation, costs, supplies, and time needed
• Cook or bake weekly recipes: This helps with sequencing, attention to detail, and problem-solving
• Write and illustrate a short story: Creative writing strengthens planning, task initiation, and cognitive flexibility

Let students lead the planning, and use their interests to guide the task.

EF Skills Targeted: Organization, attention, flexibility, working memory

Balance Downtime With Brain-Building Play

Summer should still feel like a break. But fun doesn’t mean passive. Activities like brain games, puzzles, and free play are some of the most underrated tools for strengthening executive function.

Try these engaging options:

• Scavenger hunts: Great for attention and perseverance
• Drawing and coloring prompts: Combine creativity with planning and time management
• Rock painting and hiding them in a park: A soothing task that also teaches follow-through
• Outdoor writing prompts: Turn journaling into a mindfulness and EF exercise

Encourage boredom too. Boredom fuels creativity, problem-solving, and self-direction, all important EF development areas.

EF Skills Targeted: Self-regulation, planning, creativity, focus

Support Emotional Regulation and Mindset

A student’s mindset plays a huge role in how they approach challenges and setbacks. Summer is a great time to introduce activities that promote self-reflection and emotional regulation.

• Start a gratitude or goal journal
• Practice meditation or breathing exercises together
• Try sidewalk chalk affirmations like “I can do tough things”
• Read books or watch stories about resilience and discuss them
• Encourage positive self-talk when frustration arises

A strong emotional foundation boosts a student’s ability to manage impulses, recover from setbacks, and stay motivated.

EF Skills Targeted: Inhibition, emotional regulation, self-monitoring

Use Tech Tools and Apps to Reinforce Skills

Digital tools can support, not replace, strong executive function. Use summer to try out a few that encourage independence:

• Trello or Todoist for task tracking
• Google Calendar for time management
• Forest or Focus Keeper for timed focus sessions
• Habitica to gamify goal setting

Help students experiment with what works for them. Encourage them to use digital tools to organize tasks, track habits, or visualize their time.

EF Skills Targeted: Planning, time management, organization

Encourage Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning allows students to follow their curiosity while practicing executive function. Some ideas:

• Learn a new language using Duolingo or Babbel
• Try a challenging book and track insights in a reading journal
• Watch educational videos and summarize takeaways
• Take a free online course on a topic they love
• Start a summer research or writing project

Even if the subject isn’t academic, the learning process strengthens focus, planning, and task persistence.

EF Skills Targeted: Focus, self-direction, perseverance, planning

Partner With an Academic Coach

Sometimes the most effective growth happens with the right support. Academic coaching during the summer can be a game-changer, especially for students with ADHD or EF challenges.

A coach helps students:

• Set personalized goals
• Break tasks into manageable steps
• Build systems for organization and time management
• Strengthen self-awareness and accountability
• Prepare for the school year with confidence

Coaching provides structured skill-building without the pressure of homework or tests. It also gives students a third-party mentor outside the parent-child dynamic.

EF Skills Targeted: All core executive function skills with individualized focus

Final Thoughts: Make Summer Count

Executive function skills don’t develop overnight. They grow through consistent practice in real-world situations. The beauty of summer is that it offers freedom, and within that freedom is a chance to build confidence, independence, and life-long skills.

How Can GEL Help Students Develop Executive Function?

Grayson Executive Learning (GEL) is a boutique Academic and ADHD\Executive Function Coaching practice that specializes in providing premium one-on-one academic coaching services to high school and college students with ADHD and executive function difficulties.

Click here to learn how we can help your student truly reach their academic potential while developing critical life and independence skills.

We look forward to serving you!