2026 Newsletter Term 02 | Issue 01

Executive function in toddlers involves developing the ability to focus, remember, and regulate behaviour. In a Montessori environment, these skills are nurtured through a prepared space that promotes independence and choice. As children select and complete activities, they naturally build concentration and self-direction.

Practical life experiences, such as pouring and dressing, strengthen sequencing, coordination, and persistence. Consistent routines and a calm environment support children’s sense of security, helping them manage transitions and develop self-regulation.

Educators guide this process through observation, modelling, and gentle support. Opportunities for problem-solving and social interaction further build independence and align with the Early Years Learning Framework, supporting children’s wellbeing and active learning.

Warm regards,

Executive Function in Preschool: Managing Big Feelings

Executive function refers to the developing skills children use to manage their thoughts, actions, and emotions. For preschool-aged children, this might look like waiting for a turn, remembering what comes next, coping with disappointment, or using words instead of reacting physically. These skills are still very developing, which is why young children need time, repetition, modelling, and calm adult support.

One important executive function skill in the preschool years is emotional regulation. This is the ability to notice feelings, begin to understand them, and gradually learn ways to respond. In the Burbangana classroom, children practise this when they name emotions, listen to stories about feelings, implement breathing strategies or ask an educator for help when something feels too hard.

Over time, these small moments help children build the foundations for self-control, resilience, and positive relationships. At home, families can support this by naming feelings calmly, offering simple choices, and helping children practise repair after conflict, such as checking on someone, listening to how they felt, offering comfort, or finding a way to make things right.

Warm wishes,

—Vanessa, Merrill, Zaneta, Teresa.

Dear Families,

In the Orana classroom, we place great importance on developing children’s executive functioning skills through purposeful Montessori experiences. Executive functioning refers to the mental processes that help children plan, focus, remember instructions, regulate emotions, solve problems, and manage tasks independently. These foundational skills support not only academic learning, but also confidence, resilience, independence, and social development in everyday life. At this stage of development, we are seeing wonderful growth in the children’s ability to think, organise themselves, and manage their learning within the classroom environment.

Working Memory

The children are strengthening their ability to hold and process information in their minds while completing tasks throughout the day. We observe this when children remember phonics sounds while blending and building words, hold individual sounds in their minds while writing dictated words, and recall steps in mathematics activities such as fetching quantities using large number cards. Children are also developing working memory when they dictate complete sentences to teachers while remembering their ideas and sequencing their thoughts clearly. These experiences support concentration, sequencing, and the development of early literacy and numeracy skills.

Self-Regulation & Inhibitory Control

The children are increasingly learning to manage their impulses, emotions, and behaviour within the classroom community. We see this growth when children wait for their turn to speak during group discussions by raising their hands, practise quieter voices during the work cycle, and participate in Montessori silence games and “Sleeping Lions.” The children are also practising remaining silent for one minute using a timer and are learning to politely raise their hands to ask questions or interrupt appropriately rather than speaking over others. Emotional regulation is also developing steadily. When children need time to calm themselves, they may independently choose to use the classroom calming space and set a 10-minute timer before rejoining the group.

Cognitive Flexibility & Problem Solving

Executive functioning also involves the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and try different strategies when faced with challenges. We observe this when children attempt new methods if they encounter difficulties, ask teachers for support tools such as tracing paper when copying complex flag symbols, and independently seek solutions rather than giving up quickly. Many children are also learning to revisit unfinished work later in the day with fresh ideas, persistence, and increased confidence. These experiences help foster resilience, flexible thinking, and confidence in learning.

Planning & Organisation

The Montessori environment is intentionally designed to help children become organised and independent learners. The children are becoming increasingly capable of selecting work independently, gathering and preparing all the materials needed for activities, and setting up resources for projects such as maps, and bookmaking. They are also learning to carefully pack away materials after use and place name cards on unfinished work so they can continue later during the afternoon work cycle. Many children enjoy understanding the structure of their day and regularly refer to the classroom daily schedule chart. They also respond positively to visual and pictorial schedules when there are routine changes.

Sustained Attention & Long-Term Projects

Many children are now able to maintain focus on tasks for extended periods, particularly when working in areas of strong personal interest. We observe this through detailed tessellations and geometric designs, continent maps, Australian maps, and other cosmic education projects. Children are also engaging deeply in constructing story maps, writing narratives, designing flag collections, and repeatedly creating books to strengthen their writing and bookmaking skills. These long-term projects foster perseverance, creativity, concentration, and deep engagement with learning.

Independence & Responsibility

As children become more familiar with classroom materials and routines, many are beginning to work with greater independence and responsibility. We are seeing children transition directly into work after selecting an activity, independently prepare their learning spaces, and use self-correcting Montessori materials to check their own work. Many children are also beginning to seek teacher feedback appropriately, particularly for handwriting, writing tasks, and booklets, while independently organising completed work into subject folders. These experiences help children develop responsibility, self-confidence, independence, and ownership over their learning.

Why Executive Function Matters

Strong executive functioning skills help children become confident learners who are able to manage emotions, navigate social interactions, stay organised, solve problems independently, and develop resilience and persistence. These skills also prepare children for future academic and life challenges. In Montessori education, executive functioning naturally develop through meaningful work, independence, movement, repetition, social collaboration, and carefully prepared environments that support the whole child.

Warm regards,

Executive function refers to the developing mental skills that help children pause, plan, organise, remember instructions, manage impulses, shift between tasks, and persist when work becomes challenging. In a Cycle 2 Montessori classroom, these skills are not taught separately from learning. They are practised each day through the life of the prepared environment.

Maria Montessori wrote, “The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.” This feels especially true at this stage of the year. Much of our work as teachers is to observe carefully, then adjust the environment so children can find purposeful concentration. Sometimes this means offering more freedom and independence. At other times, it means adding clearer structures, shorter choices, direct modelling, or a return to familiar routines.

In Aikya, executive function is supported through freedom within limits. Children learn to choose work, gather materials, complete a task, return it carefully, and reflect on their contribution to the classroom community. Circle time, community meetings, choir singing, poetry recital, and shared responsibilities all help children practise listening, waiting, remembering, contributing, and considering others.

The prepared environment does not remove challenges. Rather, it offers children a thoughtful structure in which challenge becomes manageable. Through concrete materials, repeated practice, observation, and carefully limited choice, children are gradually supported to move from dependence toward independence. This growth is seen not only in their academic work, but also in the way they organise themselves, relate to others, and take responsibility for their learning.

Warm regards,