Do you remember going back to school after summer feeling different?
You walked taller. You looked teachers in the eye. The 'big kids' didn’t seem so big anymore.
What happened?
Endless days
Summer has a rhythm of its own. The days feel longer, routines loosen, and there’s more time to play. For young children, this isn’t just a welcome break - it’s a chance to grow in ways busy term-time schedules don’t allow.
Long, lazy afternoons in the garden, family outings, or simple moments with friends add up to something powerful: time to choose, explore, and play without being told what to do. This freedom doesn’t just keep your child busy - it builds independence and self-control.
Researchers call these skills executive functions - the brain’s control system for focus, memory, flexible thinking, and planning ahead. They develop fastest in the early years, and summer is the perfect time for your child to strengthen them through open-ended play, independent play.
A test of character
Building sandcastles at the beach is a real test - of skill, patience and character.
Can you remember all the steps your parents showed you? You picked a good spot, yes? And sand that was neither too wet nor too dry? Did you tap the bucket in just the right way to make sure it came off smoothly? No-one wants a collapsing castle at the very moment it’s presented to the world.
It's also wise not to rush. Building on an unstable base leads to disaster but that's not the only problem with impulsivity: You absolutely must not, ever, kick your brother's sandcastle over. No matter the provocation, it will only make things worse.
And then, after such heroic work, the tide comes in and washes it all away.
It's heartbreaking.
And it's the perfect test of your executive functions.
What are executive functions - and why does summer matter?
Executive functions are your child’s internal toolkit for getting things done:
- Working memory. Holding steps in mind, like remembering how to build the castle.
- Inhibitory control. Pausing before acting or taking turns - try games that involve rules. Read more about how these games help.
- Cognitive flexibility. Adapting when the tower collapses and trying again.
These skills grow through playful, hands-on experiences. When your child chooses what to play, solves problems, or negotiates with siblings, they build the focus and flexibility they’ll need in school.
Summer offers the ideal setting for this growth. With fewer schedules, children get the freedom to invent games, practise self-control, and stay absorbed in their own ideas - all while playing.
Research insights
Science confirms what we see in summer play: the skills your child practises on the beach or in the garden matter more for school success than IQ. In a landmark study, researcher Adele Diamond found that early executive function skills - focus, memory, and self-control - predict how well children do in school more accurately than intelligence tests. And the best part? These skills grow fastest in playful, low-stress settings - exactly what summer provides.
Apply it:
- Self-regulation: Games that involve rules, turn-taking, or delayed gratification help children practise inhibitory control. Read more about how these games help.
- Flexible thinking: Activities where there’s no single “right answer” - like pretend play or open-ended play - encourage children to adapt and approach problems from new angles.
- Working memory: Building a train track or playing with a pretend shop requires you to hold several thoughts in mind at once - see train sets or kitchen & shopping collections.
- Build EF skills with friends. Negotiating roles in role-play, resolving conflicts, or inventing shared rules all demand communication and perspective-taking.
Toys that spark storytelling and problem-solving
Some toys are just built for summer. Certain toys lend themselves perfectly to the kind of slow, imaginative play that long, sunny days encourage. When you choose toys that don’t have a single fixed purpose, you open the door to richer play and stronger executive function skills.
Here are some ideas:
- Doll’s houses and figures. Imagine a doll’s house where the family goes about daily life - eating, sleeping, and playing endless games. What better way to build working memory, sequencing, and flexible thinking as you role play each scene? Want to learn more? Read our guide to dolls’ houses.
- Wooden railways. Set up a loop, add bridges, and tell the story of the day - a favorite starter is the Wild Pines Train Set.
- Pretend play props. Serve afternoon tea with the Birdie Afternoon Tea Stand, set up a shop with the General Stores. If you're short of space,
- Wooden animals. It's hard to beat the play and story-telling potential of a toy farm. You could re-enact Rosie's Walk, The Little Red Hen or Farmer Duck, or sing along to nursery rhymes like Old Macdonald.
- Blocks & construction. Open a box of Garden Blocks and see what emerges. For why blocks matter, read our post on block play.
5 summer shifts that build executive function
- Mix age groups. Cousins, neighbours, and family friends bring new games and roles. You have to learn to adapt, negotiate, and lead.
- Stretch the day. Hide-and-seek at dusk. A nature walk at dawn. Use these warmer, longer days to see the world anew and bring play outside where it feels different and exciting.
- Encourage big projects. Dens built over days. A cardboard city painted piece by piece. These slow-burning activities teach persistence and planning.
- Use what’s around you. Shells, flowers, and sticks become treasure, food, or fairy furniture. Seasonal materials spark creativity and keep play tied to nature.
- Make space for boredom. Empty time invites invention. When there’s “nothing to do,” children learn to make their own fun - the perfect EF workout.
Try this: At bedtime, instead of a story, open the back door and step out into the night. Take a flashlight. What will you discover? Which creatures are awake - and what shadows can you make? What sounds do you hear? Are they far or are they near?
Final word
It’s September. The summer is over. And your child has changed.
They walk taller. They linger less at the door. They hold your gaze and answers their teacher with a new confidence.
What happened?
Those long, lazy days did their work. The hours spent building castles, inventing games, and solving small squabbles rewired their brain in ways no worksheet could. Summer didn’t just give your child a break - it gave them practice.
Executive function isn’t taught in a lesson. It’s built in the pauses: waiting to take your turn in a game, persisting with a tricky build, finding a new way to play when the old one falls flat.
When you think back on this summer, you’ll see it everywhere. That hour lost in pretend play. The delicate negotiation with a cousin over who got to be “shopkeeper.” Even the stick that became a magic wand.
These weren’t small things. They were the foundations of focus, flexibility, and self-control.
So when September comes and your child seems somehow older, know it wasn’t magic. It was summer - unhurried, playful, and exactly what their growing brain needed.
Tonight: Before term-time routines return, let your child lead one last game. Step back, watch their focus, and see how far they have come.