Happy Friday, Reader!

Undoubtedly, it has been a while since I’ve sent a Friday newsletter – a trend I hope to change in 2025! There have been several things keeping us busy at Building Savvy Learners:

• We opened the doors to a brick-and-mortar location in Decatur, allowing us to provide in-person services in addition to our virtual ones.
• We expanded our offerings to include small group classes to middle school and high school students. In the fall semester, that meant we were able to work with nearly 50 students.
• We led professional development for local teachers around using Google Classroom effectively to promote executive functioning skills.
• We added two phenomenal coaches to our team, Maria Bachman and Michael Holliday, and we have plans for some additional expansions in the future, so stay tuned!

Tip of the Week: Practice Contingency Planning

I think everyone is feeling a bit depleted on the executive function front these days, so this week’s tip is one that I frequently use with students: be proactive in your contingency planning.

When we make a plan, we have a vision of how we want and expect things to go. We call that Plan A. But sometimes, Plan A won’t work for reasons we can’t always control. If we already have a Plan B, we can pivot quickly and not get stuck.

Plan B’s work best when we think of them ahead of time, before we face any disappointment or frustration. If our feelings are activated, we’re less likely to have strong problem-solving and thinking skills available until we’ve worked through our emotions.

But we're less likely to get stuck if we already have Plan B’s in mind.

If you notice your child frequently gets stuck when things go wrong, consider introducing this strategy. Parents can often do this by modeling: share your Plan A and brainstorm possible backup plans if that doesn’t work out. For example, “I’m planning to make a salad with dinner tonight, but I’m not sure the spring mix in the fridge is still good. If it’s not, we’ve got some frozen broccoli we could always use as a side. I guess that will be my Plan B.”

Similarly, when kids develop plans for what they want to do, help them proactively practice mental flexibility in generating backup plans. For example, “Plan A is that you’ll be able to finish this homework assignment in the 30 minutes right after you get home, but what if 30 minutes ends and you’re not quite done yet? What should our plan be for that?”

What are some other strategies that you’ve used to help with flexibility and contingency planning? I’d love to hear about your experiences with this – simply reply to this email and we can discuss!

Executive Function Elsewhere in the World

Here are a few of my favorite articles and resources from this week:

• I finished listening to the audiobook version of ADHD is Awesome: A Guide to (Mostly) Thriving with ADHD by Penn & Kim Holderness of the internet sensation Holderness Family fame. While this wasn’t as rich with tools and strategies as some of the books that are out there, this is a book I would recommend to those who are looking for a better understanding of what it’s like to have ADHD, either for yourself or a loved one, and how to see the positives that go along with it. The audiobook was also very entertaining.
• Doomscrolling got you down? I’ve been taking the Opal App for a test drive, and it has definitely deterred me from using some apps and nudged me toward heightened productivity this week. If you are looking to reduce your screentime and your phone’s native restrictions aren’t getting the job done, use my referral link to get a one-month free trial of Opal for yourself. (The trial of the paid version usually is only seven days).
• Teachers increasingly consult me about how they can better support executive functions in the classroom, and this Edutopia article resurfaced in my reading this week. It describes how meaningful classroom design can support organization and task initiation.

Interested in Executive Function Coaching?

Whether you’re looking for something this spring or hoping to start in the summer or fall, now is the time to book a discovery call and get on our list! Discovery calls are typically 30-minute conversations about what EF coaching entails and what’s happening that has you considering coaching as an option. You will not be pressured to make any decisions or commitments. But we’re already making decisions about scheduling and capacity for the fall, so if you’re interested in exploring this option, resist the urge to procrastinate. You can learn more at our website.

We’re also working on a new lineup of one-day workshops for parents, students, and teachers throughout the summer months. If there is a topic you’d like support with, please drop me a line. We are a mission-oriented and service-driven team that wants to support our community’s educational needs.

Have a great weekend!

On behalf of the BSL Team

P.S. If this email content is valuable to you, would you please forward it to other parents who might benefit from it? We’re on a mission to build savvy learners who can develop and leverage tools that support executive functioning, and we’d love to connect with more parents. Your support in that endeavor means the world to us.