“First we’re going to play the color game,” Phil Zelazo announces to a 3-year-old at the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Child Development (ICD). “In the color game, where does this blue rabbit go?” 

The child looks between a red rabbit and a blue boat, then places the rabbit with the boat. 

Then Zelazo says, “Okay, now we’re going to play the shape game. In the shape game, where do rabbits go?” The child correctly points to the red rabbit. Zelazo hands the participant a blue rabbit. “In the shape game, where does this rabbit go?” Remarkably, the child places the blue rabbit with the blue boat. They continued to play the color game even after demonstrating knowledge of the new shape rules. 

Many parents and caregivers of young children often worry about their child’s ability to adapt to new information and think critically before entering kindergarten. This is especially true as more young people are diagnosed with ADHD, autism, and other mental disorders that can impact their school success and social happiness.

This sorting task may seem easy. But it can give important insights into a child’s executive function skills, Zelazo says.

“Executive function skills allow us to adapt to new criteria, ignore distractions, and think about a situation from another’s point of view,” he says. “These skills for managing attention can predict life success better than IQ or income level.”

Developing deliberate thinkers

Zelazo, holder of the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professorship at the University of Minnesota, initially began studying executive function skills after being intrigued by the similarities between young children and people who’ve experienced traumatic brain injuries.

“[These patients] often forget what to do and get easily distracted and impulsive, much like a typical 3-year-old,” he says.

Zelazo has been in the child development field for more than 20 years. Now a leading researcher, he recently won the 2025 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Developmental Psychology from the American Psychological Association. 

Zelazo aims to understand how kids gain self-control, think flexibly, and manage impulses as they grow.

“From a young age, we learn language, memories, and how to reason,” he says. “But with development, a big change is our increasing ability to do those things deliberately and flexibly.”

It takes practice and a team

Collaboration among researchers, families, and educators is key to the ICD’s research on executive function. 

Marie Lister, who began working at the ICD as a U of M graduate student, is one such educator. Eight years later, she is the director of teaching and research at the Child Development Lab School within the ICD.

Lister leads her own preschool class and works with researchers and student teachers. Together, they support the development of executive function in young children.

Making screen time skills time

Reflection Sciences, a University-based start-up company co-founded by Phil Zelazo and fellow U of M faculty member Stephanie Carlson, is developing an app that uses the Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS) to measure executive function skills in children and adults. Zelazo and Carlson, associate director of the U of M’s Institute for Child Development, created the MEFS scale.

The app, Mind Movers, provides a series of short, personalized activities for families. Tasks include games and guidance for caregivers to help kids develop their executive function skills.

Mind Movers also connects to schools and shares anonymous data with scientists. It can help educators deliver the right systems of support and scientists learn strategies that accelerate learning.

The award-winning app is now in phase 2 of development and is expected to be available to users in Fall 2025.

“We don’t need children who can regurgitate facts and memorize. We need children who can adapt, problem-solve, and think critically,” she says.

“The education system expects kids to pay attention, sit still, follow instructions, and think flexibly by kindergarten,” Zelazo adds. “But many children don’t get the chance to develop those skills.”

Zelazo, Lister, and their team at the ICD want to help more kids develop executive function skills. They aim to do this using tools like the Mind Movers app. “When fully designed, we hope that any parent can use this app with their kids. It will help ensure they are ready to succeed in school and life,” Zelazo says.

Zelazo credits much of his research success on executive function to the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professorship that he holds.

“[This professorship] has given me the financial freedom to seize new research opportunities as they arise,” he says. “I am so deeply grateful for their support and the tremendous impact it is having for our research.”

Make a gift to support executive function research at the Institute for Child Development.