The adaptive habits framework shifts attention from capacity to context. When classrooms, homes, or activities repeatedly prompt specific EF actions, children form routines for applying those skills with less effort. Over time these routines change the decision to use EF: what felt like a demanding mental task becomes a familiar step children take automatically when a situation calls for it.
This perspective matters because it points toward practical change. Designing spaces, schedules, and interactions that invite repeated, manageable practice could help more children develop reliable EF habits. The article offers new lines of study and intervention that connect everyday settings to long-term growth in self-regulation and inclusion. Follow the link to see how researchers suggest building environments that cultivate stronger, more accessible executive habits for all kids.
Executive functions (EFs) develop dramatically across childhood and predict important outcomes, including academic achievement. These links are often attributed to individual differences in EF capacities. However, individual difference accounts underemphasize contextual influences on EF. We propose a complementary perspective, the adaptive habits framework, which emphasizes how contextual factors support or hinder EF engagement in children. Contexts that support repeated EF engagement establish habits for engaging EF in similar contexts and in similar ways. Such habits, in turn, reduce the effort associated with engaging EF and thus increase the likelihood of deciding to engage EF in the future. We interpret empirical findings through the lens of adaptive habits, discuss the implications of this framework, and propose novel research approaches and interventions to support EF in children.
