Executive functioning skills are essential for success in school, work, and daily life. These skills—such as organization, time management, flexible thinking, and self-control—help students manage responsibilities, stay focused, and adapt to challenges.
One of the best ways to teach executive functioning is through interactive games that engage students in real-world problem-solving. Operation Pizza, a free executive functioning game from Everyday Speech, is designed to help students apply and strengthen these skills in a fun, fast-paced environment.
What Is Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning refers to a set of cognitive skills that allow individuals to plan, organize, and execute tasks effectively. These skills include:
- Working Memory – Holding and using information to complete a task
- Cognitive Flexibility – Adapting to new situations and shifting plans when needed
- Self-Regulation – Managing impulses, emotions, and attention
- Task Initiation – Starting tasks without procrastination
- Time Management – Allocating time wisely to complete tasks efficiently
For students, strong executive functioning skills translate to better organization, improved focus, and increased independence in academic and personal life.
Why Use Games to Teach Executive Functioning?
Traditional instruction on executive functioning often focuses on worksheets or direct teaching, but games provide an interactive and engaging way to practice these skills in real time.
Games designed for executive functioning help students:
- Make quick decisions under pressure
- Adjust strategies as challenges arise
- Plan ahead and manage multiple tasks at once
- Work collaboratively to achieve goals
By turning learning into an experience, games like Operation Pizza allow students to develop and strengthen their executive functioning skills in a meaningful, hands-on way:
How Operation Pizza Builds Executive Functioning Skills
Operation Pizza is a fast-paced, cooperative game where students must work together to create and deliver pizzas before time runs out.
The game challenges players to apply their executive functioning skills in real-world scenarios, helping them strengthen:
- Time management – Players must track multiple orders and work efficiently to meet deadlines.
- Organization – Keeping ingredients and tasks in order ensures pizzas are prepared correctly.
- Problem-solving and flexibility – If an order changes or time runs out, players must quickly adjust strategies.
- Collaboration – Success requires teamwork, communication, and shared responsibility.
By engaging in real-time decision-making, students practice executive functioning in an enjoyable and immersive way.
Other Games That Improve Executive Functioning
If you’re looking for additional ways to reinforce executive functioning skills through play, consider these classroom-friendly games:
- Simon Says – Helps with impulse control and cognitive flexibility.
- The Floor Is Lava – Requires planning, adaptability, and quick decision-making.
- Escape Room Challenges – Strengthens problem-solving, organization, and teamwork.
- Time-Based Puzzle Games – Reinforces task initiation, focus, and time management.
While these classic games help build executive functioning, Operation Pizza is specifically designed to target and develop these skills in an educational setting.
Teaching executive functioning doesn’t have to be boring. Interactive games like Operation Pizza provide a fun, engaging way for students to develop essential skills that will benefit them in school and beyond.
Whether you’re a teacher looking for a classroom activity or a parent searching for ways to support your child’s growth, Operation Pizza offers a free, hands-on way to practice executive functioning through teamwork, strategy, and problem-solving.
Want More? Access Additional Free Resources!
Everyday Speech is a no-prep digital curriculum that combines evidence-based video modeling, interactive web games, and digital and printable worksheets to make teaching social skills easy.
We offer a free 30-day trial where you can use our thousands of video lessons, worksheets, and games to teach social skills like executive functioning. Here’s an example video modeling lesson for teaching executive functioning from our curriculum:
