The first idea is an app for a tablet; this could be for either IOS or Android. The app allows you to create to do lists, planners and checklists to organise your work.
How will it work?
The child creates a list of tasks that need to be finished that day. This could be done in collaboration with the parents or teachers. When the child wants to do a task, it simply clicks on it and gives the amount of time he/she will need to finish the task. After that, they press start and the tablet will close everything off and shows a timer with the given time. In that way, there is no distraction.
As soon as the time is up, the app will automatically go back to the last pages used. Is the task finished? They can check the box and they will get a reward.
The reward will be in the form of a puzzle. With every tasks they have finished, they get a piece of the puzzle. As soon as everything is finished and they collected all the pieces of the puzzle, they can start putting the pieces together, as a reward of finishing all the tasks. The more tasks, the bigger the puzzle.
To keep them even more motivated, they could collect points/stars. With those rewards, they can unlock different types of brain games. These brain games help children to solve problems in a fun way. It is also a good time to have a break. Letting children do something else helps them to rest as well. You cannot expect a seven-year-old to do homework for longer than an hour. There need to be a break between the tasks. Otherwise, children will get frustrated, tired and that will not help the training process.
Some schools in the Netherlands are working with iPads. When the children need to work individually, you could use this same method to make sure the child stays focused on his/her tasks.
It would be helpful if the parents/teachers will be involved. Children with EF disabilities need help and understanding. That way, they will stay motivated and will continue to learn to take care of their selves. In addition, parents can answer questions together with the children. This will increases the thinking process.
Keywords: Planning/time management, organisation, working memory, sustained attention, goal directed persistence, task initiation.