Developing Executive Functions in Primary School

This book provides teachers and education professionals with a practical and theoretical guide to integrating the development of executive functions into everyday teaching, without turning it into a separate subject or standalone activity. It explores attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibition and planning, highlighting their role in learning processes and transferable skills. In line with the emphasis placed on executive functions in the 2025 Italian National Curriculum Guidelines, the book offers practical tools for developing more informed and inclusive teaching practices, including for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and specific learning difficulties (SpLD).

The practical section includes a wide range of activities covering four key areas (reading, writing, mathematical skills and reading comprehension) organised by level of difficulty. The activities are playful and multisensory, combining cognitive tasks with movement, gestures, colours, graphic organisers, challenges and puzzles to encourage participation, motivation and active learning.