Last Updated on December 9, 2022 by Mike Robinson
If you are a parent of a child with ADHD, then you have likely realized how unique ADHD children are. Children with ADHD have special talents. They are unmatched in terms of inventiveness, compassion, and humor. Their perspective on the world is highly distinctive. That means the activities for children with ADHD that you select could have a major impact on their development.
As a parent, you want your child to realize that ADHD isn’t a “fault” at all and that with the correct support, it may even be a benefit. Therefore, the focus of this article will be on activities to emphasize each child’s unique skills so that they can develop self-confidence. In other words, focus more on what your youngster can accomplish correctly than what they can’t.
Children with ADHD may be born with some awareness of their limits and may have poor self-perceptions; this attitude does not support their ability to grow. They need to be encouraged and shown how to fully enjoy their lives while having ADHD. Learning these abilities, especially when you’re young, may be quite helpful.
21 ADHD-Friendly Activities for Kids
Play Memory
Playing Memory is valuable for working on your child’s short attention span. You can modify it to the child’s abilities and in various degrees of difficulty depending on the child’s age.
It’s all about matching pairings of cards (with photographs, drawings, numbers, etc.). The deck must contain two of each card.
You can make them yourself, customizing them to the child’s tastes making the game more appealing. After you have many pairs of cards, shuffle them and set them on the table.
You play the game by laying all the cards on the table in rows and columns face down. The first person takes their turn by lifting one and looking at the picture (for example, a vehicle) and then raising another (which can be, for example, a balloon). The goal is to match the second card you turn over with the first one.
This game improves attention deficit by having the child pay attention to the positioning of the cards and look at the drawings on each card.
When he successfully lifts two cards with the same drawing during his turn, he saves them and continues to play. The game is over when all of the cards are matched. The winner is the individual who has preserved the most pairs of cards.
Simon
In addition to helping with impulsivity, Simon’s game helps children with ADHD pay attention, which is one of their most significant weaknesses.
It’s an electrical game in which color quadrants light up in a random pattern and make their own music.
The child must wait until the gadget has finished running the sequence before repeating the sequence given in the right order.
This game helps youngsters to improve their self-control and memory skills.
One of the game’s benefits is that it has multiple levels, with the pace of execution increasing as you go through the appropriate sequences.
There are other Tablet programs that allow you to operate in the same manner.
Here are a few examples: Neurogames: Fun and effective learning!
Jonathan Reed, a child neuropsychologist, designed them.
We can discover the “Impulse” among them.
Tower
“The Tower” is one of the games that help with impulsivity.
It’s a physical and mental challenge in which players take turns removing blocks from a tower and stacking them on top until the structure collapses.
The formation of shifts is one of the advantages of this game, as is one of the advantages of board games.
Furthermore, the game compels the youngster to pause for a minute and prepare for his next move by restraining his impulsivity.
The child must remove the block with care, using fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques can be used to help youngsters with ADHD become less hyperactive. For children, the most suited can be those of Koeppen, which is a child-friendly modification of the famous Jacobson’s Relaxation Technique.
Children generally want to be active and play, but they also require moments of relaxation and calm, and there are more children with hyperactivity symptoms.
The Koeppen relaxation technique is based on tension and distention, therefore, focusing on different regions of the body (arms, hands, face, nose, etc.) causes children to recognize tension and then relax it, allowing them to distinguish between the two.
Mikado
The Mikado is an old and enjoyable game that can help children with ADHD improve their fine motor skills and impulsivity.
A set of very thin sticks with colored bands in the corners make up this game.
To begin, all of the sticks are linked and set vertically on a surface, allowing them to fall.
Once they are spread out on a flat surface, you begin to play.
The sticks will fall in a scattered pattern. You have to remove the sticks one at a time by using the end of another stick. If you remove a stick from the pile without moving any of the other sticks, you get to keep that stick. If not, you lose your turn. Whoever ends up with the most stick at the end wins the game.
Mindfulness activities
Children benefit greatly from mindfulness since it improves their attention and reduces hyperactivity.
Mindfulness is based on awareness and full attention, which allows for the exercise of attention as well as a sense of calm and well-being that counteracts hyperactivity.
Puzzles
The age-appropriate puzzles can also be a highly enjoyable exercise to work with youngsters with ADHD.
The puzzles allow students to concentrate on a task while also improving their attention and motor abilities.
Drive a straw
The straw game is entertaining and beneficial for improving attention and impulsivity. You’ll need continuous paper, a marker, some paper balls, and a straw for this.
We’ll do this by drawing a road with curves on continuous paper. We’ll lay the paper balls on the road and try to convince the child to take the ball along the road by blowing with the straw.
Search for hidden objects
Looking for hidden objects in photos containing many things is a fun exercise for kids.
Obtain some photos with detailed drawings (for example, a city where there are many buildings, different shops, people on bicycles, animals …).
The more elements in a drawing, the more difficult it will be to find specific things.
It’s about encouraging the child to seek out certain characteristics, such as “how many buildings do you see in the photograph?” “How many cats do you see?” “Find the bakery,” “find the girls with long hair,” and so on.
This will assist the child in maintaining attention and focusing on a task.
Labyrinths
Labyrinths are another simple, enjoyable, and beneficial practice for improving attention and planning.
Print out or make a labyrinth or maze. Have the child use a pencil to draw a line from the entrance to the exit. The child must pay attention and focus. They are not allowed to cross the lines with their pencil. You should instruct them to do it calmly and pay attention.
The child should concentrate on the work at hand and devise a strategy for completing it in order to discover a way out.
Maps
Maps are a basic exercise that allows a child to work. It allows you to customize it to the child’s level of difficulty while also allowing you to learn and revise school ideas.
All you need is a map of your city or state, a map of your country, Europe, the planet, or even a globe.
Then you ask the child in front of the map to find you a specific location, such as “find Malaga,” “find Paris,” and so on.
This requires the child to focus all their attention on the map. Start out with easy locations and then gradually make them more difficult.
Physical activity for children with ADHD
Physical activity is an excellent activity for hyperactive children. Make physical activity and sports a priority.
Introduce the child to a sport that he enjoys and that allows him to socialize with other kids.
Allow him to engage in a lot of physical activity: take him to the park, rollerblade, or whatever he enjoys.
Self-instructions: stop, think and act
The primary goal of self-instructions is “Stop, think, and act.” It’s a cognitive method for dealing with impulsivity in children with ADHD.
It’s about choosing an unacceptable action that occurs frequently, such as “getting up from the table while eating” or “leaving class while doing an activity.”
The self-instructions should be tailored to each child, taking into account the areas they need to improve upon.
Self-instructions should be spoken aloud and used to curb impulsive conduct.
This is how to use them. When the child feels they want to stand up, he should think:
- Why did I stand up?
- What am I supposed to do now?
- I need to take a seat right now.
- I know I can sit for a little longer.
It is hoped that by doing so, the impulsiveness of engaging in that action at that specific time will be delayed a bit longer.
Work with the Stroop effect.
When it comes to dealing with impulsivity, the Stroop effect comes in handy. It’s a challenge in which the color doesn’t match the word.
The word YELLOW, for example, is written in red, RED in blue, and GREEN in yellow.
It’s about the child saying the color in which the word YELLOW is written, which is “red,” but he’ll be tempted to read the word, so he’ll have to think first and say it correctly.
The turtle technique
The turtle strategy can also be quite useful for dealing with impulsivity.
We must inform the youngster that, at specific moments, we will transform into turtles and that we must learn how turtles act.
They may wander around with their heads and legs exposed, but when they feel threatened, they hide and only exhibit the shell.
We must inform them that they are free to act in this manner.
When he feels out of control, he can transform into a turtle and hide inside his shell.
Encourage the child to imagine positive thoughts, release anger or bad feelings, and relax.
Similarity games
Print and laminate a variety of graphics with various colored drawings to focus attention.
Many images or figures will be printed in red, while others will be printed in blue, green, or yellow.
We’ll mix them all up and then ask the child and then give the child a few commands like,
“Give me only the cards with red items,” for example.
If the figures are geometric (we include large circles, small circles, large blue squares, and small green squares ).
We may create any combination we want and ask the child to come up with certain groupings.
“Give me only the small triangles,” for example, or “give me only the huge blue circles.”
Obviously, this task will be tailored to the child’s skill level.
Bingo
Many strategic games allow the child to practice focusing and paying attention. In addition to bingo, you can play dominoes, tic-tac-toe, or checkers.
Strategy games
Many strategy games allow the child to work on attention and concentration. In this sense, for example, you can use the domino, the tic-tac-toe, the chess, or sink the fleet.
Find the differences
The games that require you to notice distinctions are also excellent for working on your attention. To do so, we show the child drawings that are quite similar yet have minor differences, and we invite you to spot the differences.
Variations are possible in this regard.
For example, we create a picture to start with like a star and then create eight different stars next to it, one or several of which may be identical and the others differing somewhat.
We ask the child to identify which stars are identical and which are not.
This activity can be done with a wide range of things.
You can also set a series of numbers, such as “3 4 5 6” and then put “3 4 6 5” or “3 5 4 6” or “4 7 4 6” and ask the youngster to pick the ones that are the same.
Listening tasks
These activities require the child to pay close attention to something and respond to your questions.
You can describe things, make-up stories, jokes, riddles, or anything else that comes to mind. Then ask them questions to help focus their attention.
We can also ask them to describe their surroundings or different illustrations, such as where everything is located, the colors, the area in which they are, etc.
Tasks to complete
There are several ways to do this activity. You can show an image with a missing component and ask the child what is missing. Then have them draw the component in place.
Another popular variation of this task is drawing a random shape on a blank paper. Then ask the child to complete the drawing by adding to the shape and making it into whatever their imagination comes up with. This is a great activity to develop creativity.
What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiologically based disorder. It’s a condition marked by impulsivity, inattention, and activity levels that are out of step with the child’s developmental stage.
These child struggles to control their behavior, making it difficult for them to adapt to the various social settings (school, family, relationships).
They are children who perform below what is expected based on their talents and have other behavioral and emotional issues.
ADHD should be viewed as a cognitive condition affecting executive functioning rather than a behavioral disorder.
As a result, people with ADHD have a self-regulation deficit, also known as an executive control deficit, which means they have trouble self-regulating their behavior and arranging it from the present to the future.
Symptoms of ADHD
The presence of three symptoms defines attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- – Attentional reduction
- – Hyperactivity
- – Impulsivity
When we talk about lack of attention, we refer to different aspects, such as:
– No attention to detail
– He forgets daily activities
– It is easily distracted by stimuli external to it
– Lose or forget things that are necessary
– Can not maintain attention in the activities that it enhances
– He does not listen when he is spoken and he has difficulties to follow conversations
– Do not follow instructions
– Forget conversations where you have to make a lot of mental effort sustained
Regarding hyperactivity, we refer to:
– It is uneasy
– He gets up from the seat when he should be sitting
– It goes from one place to another when it should be I want to
– Speech in excess
– Acts without stopping as if driven by an engine
– Has difficulty playing quietly
And regarding impulsivity:
– Has difficulty waiting for his turn
– Interrupts and annoys other children
– Answer the questions before they are finished.
Characteristics of children with ADHD
Academic performance is poorer than expected for their chronological age and intellect in the majority of youngsters diagnosed with ADHD. The signs of the disease can help to explain this.
Hyperactivity, impulsivity, and trouble paying attention are not excellent companions for a successful learning process.
Furthermore, ADHD is frequently linked to learning challenges or abnormalities, particularly in the areas of reading, storytelling, writing, arithmetic, and mathematics.
For example, it is estimated that half of all children with ADHD have difficulties learning to read, write, or do the math, which severely impacts their academic performance and educational attainment.
With the passage of time, the number of persons diagnosed with ADHD has risen, which has sparked debate.
The age at which a person is diagnosed has also dropped.
Also Read: Dyscalculia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Long ago, the prevalence was around 6%, but recent evidence suggests that it is now between 10% and 20%.
ADHD is estimated to impact 3-7 percent of school-aged children, according to the Clinical Guide to ADHD.
It has been linked to the preponderance of males vs. females, which has been overlooked and is now thought to be equivalent in both sexes, with females experiencing inattention and males experiencing hyperactivity.
It has also been thought to be restricted to the infant-juvenile period, which is incorrect because it is still in the adult stage.
Children with ADHD might show signs at a young age, although it is usually detected and treated between the ages of 7-9 years.
