Introduction.

Welcome to the world of Brains at Work! Have you ever felt like some things are just harder to do—like remembering where you put your homework, staying focused, or keeping your cool when things go wrong? That’s because our brains are still learning how to plan, organise, and solve problems—a set of skills called executive functioning!

Think of your brain like a team of superheroes. Each hero has a special job—some help us remember things, others help us stay calm, and some help us make decisions. But guess what? These heroes don’t start out fully trained! It takes most people until the age of 27 to master all of these skills. 

That means everyone—kids, parents, and even teachers—are still learning, too!

In this book, you’ll meet a group of friends who face a big classroom mission, but each has their own challenge to overcome. By working together and learning new strategies, they discover how to turn their struggles into strengths!

The Classroom Challenge.

It was the day of the big Classroom Challenge—a group project where everyone had to work together to solve a tricky puzzle and find the hidden treasure!

“Alright, team!” said their teacher, “To win, you need to find the hidden clue, solve the puzzle, and complete the task before the bell rings!”

Each friend was excited to start—but also worried about their own challenges.

Drifty Dana gets distracted.

Dana started brainstorming but... wait—was that a butterfly outside? Dana stared at the clouds, lost in thought, as her pencil hovered over her notebook.

“Dana, we need your ideas!” called Planning Parker.

By working together, Drifty Dana and Planning Parker 

use checklists and timers to stay on track with the challenge.

“Wait… what were we doing again?”

Rollercoaster Riley Feels Overwhelmed:

Riley was excited—then nervous—then frustrated! “What if we fail? This is too hard!” He crossed his arms, feeling stuck.

“Deep breaths, Riley,” said Flexible Frankie. “We’ve got this.”

I wish I had a remote for my feelings!” Riley sighed.

By working together, Riley and Frankie practice deep breathing and self-talk to manage emotions.

Flexible Frankie Struggles with Change. 

Frankie wanted to follow the plan exactly as hey imagined. But when the puzzle didn’t match his idea, he froze.

“But… I’ve always done it THIS way!”

“Maybe we can try a new way?” suggested Sam.

Lesson: Frankie learns to see change as an opportunity to grow.

Organised Ollie Loses Everything. 

“Where’s my notebook?” Ollie panicked. Her bag was a disaster zone, with papers spilling everywhere.

“I swear I JUST had it a second ago!”

“Let’s organise a system so you can find things faster,” Planning Parker suggested.

Lesson: Ollie learns to use folders, labels, and a daily routine to stay organised.

Planning Parker Can’t Decide.

“So many choices... what do we do first?!” Parker froze.

They wanted to start, but didn’t know how!

“Try this list: Must do, Should do, Could do,” said Riley.

Together Planning Parker and Rollercoaster Riley learn to prioritise using simple strategies.

Scrambled Sam Runs Out of Time.

Sam rushed in late—shoelaces untied, snack in hand.

“Wait… I thought I had more time!”

“We need to manage our time better,” Gus said, handing Sam a watch.

Lesson: Sam learns to use alarms and a schedule to stay on track.