“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
— Frederick Douglass
I’m a high school special education teacher. I work with teenagers who are brilliant, capable, and trying their hardest. Often they are struggling because they didn’t develop executive function skills when they were younger.
Procrastinating. Forgetting assignments. Losing materials. Difficulty organizing thoughts. These challenges don’t just appear in high school, they’ve likely been there all along.
By the time students reach me, they’re often frustrated. They’ve spent years being told to “try harder” or “just be more organized” without anyone teaching them how.
What if kids learned these skills earlier? Not through worksheets and lectures, but through stories they actually want to read?
Six early reader books for ages 7-10 where young characters navigate adventures while naturally learning and using executive function strategies. These are the same tools I teach high schoolers, but introduced early through story.
Real strategies, naturally woven in: Memory systems and organization tools used by characters solving problems, not explained in sidebars.
Age-appropriate adventures: Friendships, school challenges, community activities, and adventures. The kinds of stories 7-10 year-olds want to read.
Characters who think differently: Protagonists who experience some anxiety, working memory challenges, and organization struggles who then discover strategies that work for their brains.
More prevention, less remediation: Teaching these skills at age 7-10 means fewer frustrated teenagers struggling years later.
Book One: Complete | Book Two: In Progress
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
— Frederick Douglass