Developing executive functioning skills is essential for elementary students to manage emotions, stay focused, and navigate daily challenges successfully. One key skill within executive functioning is self-monitoring, or the ability to check in with oneself and adjust behavior as needed.

The “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet from Everyday Speech provides a simple yet powerful way to help students develop self-awareness and self-regulation. This lesson plan gives educators a structured approach to teaching self-monitoring as a foundation for strong executive functioning skills.

What Is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning refers to the set of cognitive processes that help students plan, organize, regulate emotions, and complete tasks efficiently. These skills are critical for success in school and beyond.

Key executive functioning skills include:

• Self-Monitoring – Recognizing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in real time.
• Emotional Regulation – Managing feelings in response to different situations.
• Task Initiation – Starting tasks without procrastination.
• Impulse Control – Thinking before acting and making thoughtful choices.

Without strong executive functioning skills, students may struggle with focus, problem-solving, and self-regulation. Teaching these skills explicitly helps students become more independent and better equipped to handle daily challenges.

Executive Functioning Strategies for Elementary Students

Helping students strengthen their executive functioning skills requires clear guidance, structured practice, and engaging activities. Here are some key strategies educators can use:

1. Teach Self-Monitoring – Encourage students to pause and reflect on their emotions and actions before responding. Tools like the “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet make this process easier.
2. Use Visual Supports – Charts, checklists, and timers help students stay organized and on task. Visual reminders can guide them through multi-step tasks.
3. Break Tasks into Steps – Large assignments can feel overwhelming. Teaching students to focus on one step at a time makes tasks more manageable.
4. Create Routine Check-Ins – Daily self-check-ins help students develop consistent reflection habits, improving emotional regulation and focus.
5. Encourage Flexible Thinking – Help students adapt to new situations by practicing problem-solving and adjusting plans when needed.
6. Model Executive Functioning Skills – Demonstrate how to pause, plan, and follow through on tasks. Students learn best when they see these strategies in action.

By incorporating these strategies into the classroom, educators can support the development of executive functioning skills in a structured and engaging way.

Why Is Self-Monitoring Important for Executive Functioning?

Self-monitoring is a core executive functioning skill that helps students:

• Recognize and manage emotions.
• Adjust behaviors based on different situations.
• Stay focused and engaged in learning.

Elementary students who develop self-monitoring skills learn to pause, reflect, and respond thoughtfully, rather than reacting impulsively. This leads to better classroom behavior, improved problem-solving, and stronger emotional regulation.

The “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet is a valuable tool that guides students through this process, helping them build self-awareness in an interactive and engaging way:

Lesson Plan: Teaching Self-Monitoring with the Executive Functioning Worksheet

Explicitly teaching self-monitoring helps students develop stronger executive functioning skills, improving their ability to regulate emotions and stay on task. This lesson plan uses the “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet to guide students through recognizing their thoughts and feelings, helping them respond more effectively in different situations.

Objective: Students will learn to check in with themselves, identify their emotions and thoughts, and apply self-monitoring strategies in different situations.

Materials Needed: “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet (printable PDF)

Duration: 20-30 minutes

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction to Self-Monitoring (5 minutes)

• Explain what it means to check in with yourself and why it’s important.
• Discuss how self-monitoring helps students recognize their emotions, regulate responses, and stay on task.

2. Worksheet Activity (10-15 minutes)

• Distribute the “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet to each student.
• Guide students through matching different scenarios with appropriate self-check-in steps.
• Encourage students to reflect on how they feel in certain situations and what strategies they can use to regulate their emotions.

3. Group Discussion (5-10 minutes)

• Facilitate a class discussion on why self-monitoring matters in school and daily life.
• Ask students to share when they’ve had to pause and adjust their thoughts or actions.
• Reinforce that self-monitoring is a skill that can help them feel more in control and confident in different situations.

Teaching self-monitoring is a crucial step in helping elementary students develop executive functioning skills. The “How to Check-In With Yourself” worksheet is an easy-to-use, engaging tool that supports students in recognizing their emotions and making thoughtful choices.

By incorporating self-check-ins into daily routines, educators can help students build stronger self-regulation, focus, and emotional awareness—all essential components of executive functioning.

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: