School Supplies: Executive Function Must Haves for Students

Written By Jessy Feinberg, MS

Our favorite back-to-school stores are officially stocked with Fall items from sweaters to boots to notebooks. With back-to-school knocking, it’s a great time to take inventory of what supplies you already have at home. Then, head to your favorite store (ours is Target!) for these Executive Function must-haves to support your student’s organization, planning and time management in the upcoming school year!

  • Assignment Planner: Be sure to bring your student along so they can select their favorite style planner/calendar. We recommend something simple with an area to record the course, HW assignment and due date. Weekly planners are a great way for your student to plan ahead and keep track of longer-term assignments.

  • Live in Color: Suggest to your student that they select the same color folder and notebook for each course. Color-coding by course fosters organization so your student knows which supplies to bring to class and to carry home if they have an assignment. 

  • Multicolor Retractable Pens: Pens that can write in many colors can be used to support retention through effective note-taking and studying. Students can use the colors to represent important information, highlight vocabulary or mark key parts of the lesson with a simple click.

  • Backpack, Backpack: Shop with your student to find a backpack that they can keep organized. Ensure there are pockets to keep each of their belongings so that everything has its place!

  • Grand Central Station: Determine a strategy to keep family notes- whether it be a dry-erase board, calendar or a bulletin board, that you can hang in a central location. Then, your student can post any paperwork that needs to be signed or shared, along with displaying any important dates. Practice this routine from the first day of school to ensure your student is successful in fostering this habit.

Jessy Feinberg, MS

An integral part of the Life Solved team for over four years, Jessy is highly skilled in supporting students with writing, organization, study skills, course-specific content, and time management. She is strongly committed to helping students feel empowered as learners and to foster productivity and creativity in an increasingly digital world.

With extensive experience in educational settings, Jessy spent time teaching Social Studies in D.C. Public Schools, worked with students aged 17-24 at an Opportunity Academy, and also spent time teaching History at the secondary level at Prince George’s County Public Schools. Jessy has direct experience teaching U.S. History, AP World History, and World History at the honors and ESL levels.  

Additionally, with six years of experience as Head Counselor, Jessy spent a total of 12 years working with young adults at a sleep-away camp in the Catskill Mountains.

Jessy has a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland at College Park; she also holds a Master’s degree in Educational Studies and two Graduate Certificates in School Administration and Supervision and Leadership in Technology Integration from Johns Hopkins University.

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