Tori Cordiano, Ph.D.

04/16/2026

Impulse control is an executive functioning skill, and it takes decades to fully develop. Building in a pause and asking a curious, collaborative question can help kids of all ages strengthen this important skill.

04/02/2026

03/30/2026

Working memory is a core executive functioning skill, helping us to follow instructions and complete multiple steps. It also has a limit, and that limit is lower for kids and teens with a still-developing prefrontal cortex.

03/25/2026

For more on executive functioning, check out my virtual course for parents and be sure to sig up dorky free newsletter (link in bio)

02/10/2026

“Good enough, most of the time” applies to sleep, family dinners, one-on-one time, and other aspects of family life. It helps parents take an aerial view, assess what needs adjusting, and recognize what is already working pretty well.

02/02/2026

Absences can start to pile up by this point in the year, and some kids have a hard time getting back to school after they’ve been out. Repeated absences can contribute to school avoidance, making it important to get kids back to a regular school routine.

01/29/2026

In talking with older kids about difficult topics, start with curiosity, listen to their concerns, and above all, remind them that you are a safe space for hard conversations.

01/26/2026

Is homework becoming more of a struggle as the year progresses? Consider these three ideas to refresh the area where your kids complete their homework and studying.

01/22/2026

Keep these two things in mind when your tween or teen’s homework habits need adjusting.

01/20/2026

Time for a January check-in! We’ve been back to school for a couple of weeks now (barring the snow and sick days that are so common this month), so it’s a great time to take inventory of what is working for your kids and what needs to be tweaked during homework and study time.

I’ll share more about addressing this with older kids in a separate post. For younger kids, you might consider designating a specific “homework spot” if you don’t already have one. Ideally, a homework spot is near enough to provide support if needed but not in the middle of the household action, where distractions are constant.

01/13/2026

Looking to start any new routine with your kids this year? Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Don’t let intricate chore charts or complicated homework routines get in the way of simply getting the job done. What new routines are you implementing this year?

01/08/2026

Chores are a great way to practice independence and executive functioning skills, and they contribute to a sense of community and belonging in a family. To get chores off the ground, consider the following:
✅Start small, with steps that kids can reasonably accomplish right now, and hills up to larger tasks
✅Set clear expectations for why the job entails
✅Allow kids to have a say in when and how they complete chores, even if their ideas are different than your own