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Cognitive & Learning Skills Guide

An Occupational Therapy–informed guide to help you understand and build your child's thinking, memory and learning skills — through everyday moments at home.

For parents & carers · Easy-read online edition

Welcome

Children develop cognitive and learning skills at different rates. These are the skills behind listening, remembering, thinking, planning, solving problems, staying organised, finishing tasks and coping with change. From an Occupational Therapy point of view, learning happens through the relationship between your child, the task, and the environment around them.

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How to use this guide: Pick just one or two skills to focus on at a time. Keep activities short and playful. Increase the challenge gradually as your child grows in confidence. And most importantly — celebrate effort, strategy and independence, not speed or perfection.

Skills by age

Every child grows at their own pace. Use this as a general guide to skills that are typically emerging at each stage, along with simple ideas you can try at home.

2–3
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Joint attention, matching, cause-and-effect, following 1-step directions, early memory, simple problem solving, pretend play.

Try: Match socks, match lids to containers, hide-and-find toys, copy actions, pretend cooking.

3–4
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Following 2-step directions, sorting, following familiar sequences, visual attention, short recall, flexible play.

Try: Treasure hunts, sorting containers, memory pairs, cooking steps, "what comes next?" games.

4–5
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Sustained attention, early planning, counting, comparing, visual discrimination, sequencing, problem solving.

Try: Simon Says, shopping-list memory games, patterns, simple board games, pack-away routines.

5–6
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Listening, remembering instructions, inhibition (stop-and-think), sequencing, understanding time, finishing tasks, school routines.

Try: Read and retell stories, first/then/last language, number hunts, mazes, a school-bag checklist.

6–8
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Working memory, planning, organisation, reasoning, flexibility, self-monitoring.

Try: Scavenger hunts, card games, category games, planning a snack, memory challenges.

8–10
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Independent planning, prioritising, problem solving, flexible thinking, recall, metacognition (thinking about thinking).

Try: Plan a family activity, pretend budgeting, strategy games, a study checklist, explaining solutions out loud.

10–12
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Complex planning, organisation, abstract reasoning, study skills, time management, self-monitoring.

Try: Plan a project, estimate how long tasks take, organise a drawer, flashcards, teaching a skill to someone else.

12–18
years

Skills to notice & encourage

Executive functioning, goal setting, prioritising, independent study, flexible problem solving, reflection.

Try: A weekly planner, breaking assignments into steps, meal planning, budgeting, study blocks, reflecting on strategies.

Core cognitive skills

These are the building blocks of learning. Each one can be strengthened through short, playful practice.

Attention & Concentration

What it means: Staying focused on a task and returning to it after a distraction.

Try at home: Puzzles, I Spy, sorting games, spot-the-difference and short listening games. Start with a manageable duration and build up gradually.

Working Memory

What it means: Holding information in mind while using it.

Try at home: Memory trays, matching games, short shopping lists, clap-and-copy patterns and multi-step scavenger hunts.

Following Instructions

What it means: Understanding, remembering and completing directions.

Try at home: Use First–Then–Next language, visual cues and wait time. Start with one step and build up to several.

Executive Functioning

What it means: Planning, starting, organising, holding back impulses, switching tasks and checking work.

Try at home: Use Plan–Do–Check. Practise packing a school bag, preparing a snack or organising a drawer.

Problem Solving

What it means: Spotting a problem, coming up with options, testing them out and learning from the result.

Try at home: Ask "What could we try?" Build bridges from cardboard, solve container-and-lid challenges, and look for more than one solution.

Sequencing

What it means: Understanding the order that steps or events happen in.

Try at home: Sequence morning routines, recipes, stories and clean-up tasks. Ask "What happened first, next and last?"

Cognitive Flexibility

What it means: Changing rules, strategies or plans when needed.

Try at home: Change a familiar game's rules, sort by a new category, take a different route, or find another way to build something.

Visual-Spatial Skills

What it means: Understanding shapes, positions and how things relate to each other in space.

Try at home: Blocks, boxes, paper shapes, puzzles and treasure maps. Copy or create simple designs together.

Learning Strategies & Metacognition

What it means: Thinking about how you learn, and which strategies actually help you.

Try at home: Ask "What helped?", "What was tricky?" and "What will you try next?" Build a personal learning toolbox together.

Everyday household activities

You don't need special equipment — everyday routines are full of opportunities to build these skills.

Laundry Sort & Match

You'll need

Socks, clothes, baskets.

Skills built

Matching, categorising, visual attention, working memory, organisation.

Grade it up or down

Start by matching pairs; add a colour or type rule; then ask your child to remember the sorting rule themselves.

Kitchen Helper

You'll need

Bowl, spoon, plate, simple ingredients.

Skills built

Sequencing, attention, planning, following directions, independence.

Grade it up or down

Use 2 steps first, then add more steps and picture instructions. Adult supervision required.

Treasure Hunt

You'll need

Household objects and simple clues.

Skills built

Working memory, attention, language, visual scanning, problem solving.

Grade it up or down

Start with one clue; add multiple clues, categories or a simple map as they progress.

Card or Board Games

You'll need

Your existing family games.

Skills built

Attention, memory, inhibition, flexibility, turn taking.

Grade it up or down

Start with simple rules, then gradually add strategy or change the rules.

Build & Copy

You'll need

Boxes, blocks, cups or containers.

Skills built

Visual-spatial skills, planning, problem solving.

Grade it up or down

Copy a simple design first, then build from a picture or a verbal description.

Pretend Shopping

You'll need

Food packets, containers, a paper list.

Skills built

Planning, numeracy, memory, categorisation, decision making.

Grade it up or down

Add a longer list, a pretend budget, or ask them to compare choices.

Story Detective

You'll need

Books or family stories.

Skills built

Listening, recall, sequencing, reasoning, prediction.

Grade it up or down

Ask who/where/what first, then move on to why, what next, and alternative endings.

Clean-Up Challenge

You'll need

Toys, baskets, a checklist.

Skills built

Task initiation, organisation, sequencing, self-monitoring.

Grade it up or down

Use a visual checklist and gradually reduce how many prompts you give.

The OT home practice formula

A simple five-step approach you can use with any activity in this guide.

1Prepare — Reduce clutter and gather materials.
2Connect — Use your child's interests.
3Grade — Adjust steps, time, cues or rules.
4Support — Model, use visual or verbal cues, and fade help over time.
5Reflect — Ask what worked and what to try next.

Supporting learning at school

You know your child best. Sharing what you notice with teachers and therapists helps everyone support them well. Consider asking yourself:

A learning-friendly home environment

Small changes to your child's environment can make a big difference to their focus and confidence.

Making activities easier or harder

Every activity in this guide can be adjusted to match your child's current level.

To make it easier

Use fewer steps, fewer objects, visual cues, modelling, extra processing time, and reduce distractions.

To make it harder

Add more steps, more objects, fewer prompts, time management, new rules, independent planning, or ask them to explain their strategy.

Parent observation snapshot

Use this simple checklist to reflect on how your child is going right now. There's no right answer — it's just a starting point for conversations with teachers or therapists.

Skill Independent Sometimes needs support Frequently needs support
Attention
Working memory
Following instructions
Planning / organisation
Problem solving
Flexibility
Sequencing
Learning strategies

Tip: print this page, or simply jot notes beside each skill on your own device.

When to seek additional support

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If difficulties with instructions, memory, attention, task completion, organisation, planning, problem solving or flexibility continue despite appropriate teaching and support at home, it may be worth discussing your concerns with your child's teacher, GP, paediatrician, psychologist, speech pathologist or Occupational Therapist.

Trust your instincts — persistent concerns that affect school or home participation are always worth a conversation.

Final message

Children don't need expensive educational toys to build cognitive skills. Everyday routines already give them everything they need to practise thinking, listening, remembering, planning, problem solving, flexibility, organisation and reflection. Focus on connection, participation, independence and gradual progress.

Disclaimer: This is an educational, OT-informed parent resource. It does not replace individual assessment, diagnosis, therapy or medical advice. Adapt activities to your child's abilities, communication, regulation, safety needs and interests. Adult supervision is required where appropriate.