30-Minute Groups: Executive Function - by Laura Filtness (Paperback)

About the Book

Teach ASCA-aligned skills in thirty-minute lessons for small group or classroom instruction. Everything you need, with minimal prep time and no extra materials required! Topics include planning, time management, organization, task initiation, attention, self-monitoring, self-regulation, impulse control, and flexible thinking.

Book Synopsis

Are you looking for an engaging tool to help your students develop essential Executive Function skills?

This workbook will equip you with everything you need to do just that! Teach crucial skills like planning, time management, and goal setting in thirty-minute lessons for small group instruction in grades 2-9. It's flexible, adaptable, and requires minimal prep time!

Designed to build strong cognitive skills for success, this workbook is rooted in practical strategies to help children become more organized, focused, and better equipped to manage their thoughts and actions.

Inside, you'll find:

• 10 Complete Lessons with ASCA(R) standards
• Comprehensive Action Plan
• Permission and Completion Letters to send to caregivers
• Attendance Logs
• Pre- and Post-Assessments for program effectiveness
• Results Report to share with interested parties

Topics include planning, time management, organization, task initiation, attention, self-monitoring, self-regulation, impulse control, and flexible thinking. The lessons and activities in this thoughtfully crafted resource are designed to help students understand these skills, practice using them, and develop strategies they can apply in their daily lives.

This workbook's practical design allows students to learn through interactive activities and real-world examples, while also fostering connection and shared learning within the group. Use the 30-Minute Groups: Executive Function workbook to help provide a strong foundation for students to become more effective learners and build essential life skills!

Review Quotes

Great for school counselors! As an elementary counselor, this book is exactly what I need going into a new school year. Since returning to in-person learning, we have noticed an increased need for support with executive functioning skills, and this book breaks down small group sessions into manageable chunks around topics such as goal setting, organization, and self-regulation. The author provides the ASCA mindset and behavior standards for each group meeting, discussion questions, stories, activities, and more. This is exactly what my students need!

Melissa Gillespie
School Counselor

Great resourse for School Counselors to run a group on Executive Functioning Skills! This is a great resource to teach kids executive functioning which is so important for kids to be successful at school and at home. I like how the lessons are flexible and tailored to different learning styles. It's also nice that they are 30 minute lessons as it seems like we are always short on time working with students in a school setting. The book has everything you need to run a group; permission form, attendance form, pre and post assessments, results reports, and a certificate of completion. Everything you need to run a group!!! The lessons are fun and engaging. I can't wait to get back to school and use this resource!

Jen Waiter
School Counselor

Promoting executive function for students! I'm excited to use this with my students this year. We begin prepping students for middle school in these years and increasing executive function really goes a long way in student success. This book contains 10 outlined small group sessions to help promote these important skills. The activities and stories are engaging to students. this will be a great tool for my students!

Tom Stafford
School Counselor

About the Author

Laura Filtness, M.Ed., is a dedicated school counselor with over 15 years of experience exploring engaging activities and the power of books to support young minds in elementary classrooms. As a school counselor, she is passionate about fostering empathy and emotional growth in students. She also believes deeply that picture books are for everyone, no matter their age. Her therapy dog, Boss, inspired her debut picture book, My Brain Is Like A Puppy.

Laura has presented nationally on a variety of topics, including incorporating mindfulness into school programs, supporting students with ADHD, and using books and cooperative activities to transform lessons. She also holds multiple ASCA Specialist certifications.

Born in Coventry, England, Laura now lives in Knoxville, TN, with her two dogs, Brooklyn and Bindu. When she's not counseling or writing, she stays busy teaching yoga and Pilates, tackling endless home renovation projects, and watching anything and everything on TV.