If you’re a parent in Burlingame, San Mateo, or Hillsborough, you’ve probably considered hiring a tutor at some point. Maybe your child is struggling with math, falling behind in science, or having trouble with writing assignments. Tutoring seems like the obvious solutionâsomeone who can explain the material better, help with homework, and boost those grades.
But what if tutoring doesn’t solve the problem?
What if your child understands the material when the tutor explains it, but still can’t complete assignments independently? What if they ace practice problems in the tutoring session but bomb the test at school? What if grades improve temporarily but slide right back down once the tutor isn’t there?
If this sounds familiar, your child might not need more content help. They might need executive function coaching.
What Are Executive Function Skills?
Executive function skills are the cognitive processes that help us plan, organize, focus, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks. Think of them as the brain’s “management system”âthe skills that let us:
- Start tasks without procrastinating
- Keep track of materials and deadlines
- Manage time effectively
- Focus despite distractions
- Shift between tasks flexibly
- Control impulses
- Regulate emotions
- Monitor our own progress
These skills develop throughout childhood and adolescence, but they don’t always develop at the same pace. Some kids are naturally organized and self-directed. Othersâdespite being bright and capableâstruggle with the “how” of learning even when they understand the “what.”
5 Signs Your Child Needs Executive Function Coaching
1. They Understand the Material but Can’t Perform Independently
This is the hallmark sign. Your child gets it when someone explains it. They can do practice problems with support. They understand concepts in tutoring sessions.
But when it’s time to complete homework alone, they freeze. When the test comes, they can’t recall what they learned. They know the material but can’t demonstrate that knowledge consistently.
This isn’t a content problemâit’s a retrieval and application problem. The executive function skills needed to access stored information, manage test anxiety, and work independently are underdeveloped.
Explains content, provides guided practice, helps complete tonight’s homework.
Builds study strategies (like active recall and spaced repetition), develops test-taking approaches, and creates systems for independent work.
2. Their Backpack and Materials Are Chronically Disorganized
Papers crumpled at the bottom of the backpack. Assignments forgotten or turned in late despite being completed. Lost textbooks. The planner you bought sits unused or filled with indecipherable scribbles.
You’ve tried everything: color-coded folders, digital apps, organization systems. Nothing sticks.
Organization isn’t just about having the right toolsâit’s about the executive function skills to maintain systems over time. Your child may lack the cognitive skills to categorize information, plan ahead, and follow through on organizational routines.
Helps with tonight’s homework, maybe checks to see if materials are organized.
Builds organizational systems tailored to your child’s brain, teaches the cognitive skills behind staying organized, and creates sustainable habits through consistent practice and accountability.
3. Time Management Is a Constant Battle
Homework that should take 30 minutes takes three hours. Long-term projects become last-minute panic sessions. Your child genuinely doesn’t understand how much time has passed or how to estimate how long tasks will take.
They either rush through work carelessly or get stuck in perfectionist rabbit holes. Bedtime is chaos because things that should have been done earlier suddenly become urgent.
Time blindness and poor planning skills are common executive function challenges. Your child may struggle to break down tasks, prioritize steps, or monitor their pace.
Helps complete the immediate assignment more quickly by explaining content.
Teaches time estimation, project planning, breaking large tasks into manageable chunks, and using timers and schedules effectively.
4. You’re Constantly Reminding Them of Things They “Should Know by Now”
“Did you check your planner?” “Did you pack your homework?” “Did you study for the test?” “Where’s your permission slip?”
You’re exhausted from being your child’s external brain, and they’re frustrated by your constant nagging. The problem isn’t that they don’t careâthey genuinely forget, even when they have every intention of remembering.
Working memoryâthe ability to hold and manipulate information in your mindâmay be weak. Your child isn’t being defiant or careless; their brain literally isn’t holding onto this information long enough to act on it.
Provides structure during the session but doesn’t address the underlying memory and self-monitoring issues.
Builds external systems that compensate for weak working memory, teaches self-monitoring strategies, and develops the habit of checking and double-checking independently.
5. They Have ADHD, and Medication Alone Isn’t Enough
If your child has ADHD, you’ve probably already discovered this: medication can help with focus and impulse control, but it doesn’t teach organizational skills, study strategies, or time management.
Medication opens the door to learning, but someone still needs to teach your child how to walk through it.
ADHD impacts executive function directly. While medication addresses neurochemical imbalances, it doesn’t build the practical skills needed for academic success.
Provides content support, which may help somewhatâbut doesn’t address the ADHD-specific challenges with organization, planning, and task initiation.
Provides ADHD-specific strategies, builds compensatory skills, creates systems that work with ADHD brains (not against them), and offers consistent accountability and support.
The Knowledge Tree Difference: Foundation First
At Knowledge Tree, I believe knowledge is like a tree: without a strong trunk, the branches can’t thrive. That’s why I don’t jump straight to organizational tools or study hacks.
I start by understanding where your child is coming from:
- What foundational executive function skills are missing?
- What strategies have they tried before, and why didn’t they stick?
- How does their unique brain work best?
Only then do I introduce strategiesâstrategies that are research-backed, personalized, and sustainable. The goal isn’t dependence on me. It’s building the skills your child needs to succeed independently.
Can Executive Function Coaching and Tutoring Work Together?
Absolutely! Many students benefit from both. If your child struggles with specific subject content AND lacks strong study skills or organization, combining tutoring and executive function coaching provides comprehensive support.
The tutoring helps them understand chemistry or master algebra. The executive function coaching helps them manage their time, stay organized, prepare for tests effectively, and work independently.
What to Do Next
If several of these signs resonate with you, it might be time to explore executive function coaching. Here in Burlingame, San Mateo, and Hillsborough, more families are discovering that the missing piece isn’t more homework helpâit’s building the foundational skills that make all learning possible.
Schedule a Free ConsultationAt Knowledge Tree, I work with students from elementary through high school to develop these critical skills through personalized, one-on-one coaching. We work with their real schoolwork, build sustainable systems, and focus on long-term independenceânot quick fixes.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a free consultation to discuss your child’s specific challenges and whether executive function coaching is the right fit.