educational and developmental psychology

14 activities for children with ADHD (to work on care)

April 3, 2024

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is one of the neurodevelopmental disorders known and diagnosed in the western world, characterized by the presence of inattention that may or may not be accompanied by hyperactivity and impulsivity. This is a problem that can cause severe difficulties for the child who suffers from it, and in many cases there are adjustment problems in the academic and social sphere, mainly due to a lack of development of some executive functions.

In order to solve these difficulties, it may be of great interest to carry out some type of activity that allows these functions to be trained. Throughout this article we will propose various activities for children with ADHD in order to enhance their abilities in a fun and entertaining way.

Related article: "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also in adults"

ADHD: brief description of the disorder

Before entering into specific activities, it may be relevant to briefly mention what is known as ADHD.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a disorder characterized by the presence of at least six symptoms of inattention and another six of hyperactivity and impulsivity for a minimum of six consecutive months.

Among the typical symptoms of inattention we can find problems in the maintenance of attention, loss of conversation or lack of listening due to having a busy mind, forgetting daily activities, avoiding activities that require sustained attention, inability to follow or finish tasks, forgetting slogans, loss of objects or carelessness.

In regards to hyperactivity / impulsivity Motor restlessness, excessive speech, inability to save turns are common , intrusion in the activities of others, anticipation of other people's responses before they occur, inability to stay still or sitting or running in inappropriate contexts. We must bear in mind that there is also ADD, in which there would be inattention but not hyperactivity.

It is a neurodevelopmental disorder, that is, a condition that appears as a consequence of difficulties in the process of normative development and whose symptoms appear during it (although this does not mean that it only exists in childhood or adolescence, also present in adults). In the case of ADHD, it can be observed concretely a slowing down of the development of the prefrontal cortex , something that has repercussion at the time of developing the so-called executive functions. Among the functions that tend to present deficits, we observe attention, working memory, inhibition of behavior, self-organization capacity or ability to make and maintain plans.

It is also important to bear in mind that we are facing problems beyond the control of those who suffer from it, something that needs to be highlighted, given that for many people it may be difficult to realize, for example, in the case at hand.

Proposals of activities for children with ADHD

When generating activities for children with this problem, it must be clear that they must consider activities that must be clearly explained, that allow for the completion of breaks and that, even if they are aimed at the empowerment of capacities, be entertaining and lived as something interesting for the child It is also usually advisable to use more visual activities, not entirely verbal. The presence of distracting stimuli should also be withdrawn or avoided.

Taking this into account, we will now see a series of activities that we can carry out together with a child with ADHD that can help us to train skills and abilities in which they may have difficulties.

1. The seven differences

A typical and simple game as well as fun that is based on detect the differences between several images . The level of difficulty may vary depending on the age and ability of the subject. It allows to train attention to details and working memory.

2. Letter soup

Another typical and highly known activity and used on occasion to entertain a large part of the population, word soups can also be useful for children with ADHD given that allow to train selective attention, the ability to organize and the inhibition of behavior .

Maybe you're interested: "The 15 types of attention and what are their characteristics"

3. In slow motion

Another way to train the attention capacity and the inhibition and management of behavior is through the performance of various actions in slow motion.An example could be interpreting an astronaut on a mission to the Moon, who must place a flag somewhere on the lunar surface (the child's house, for example), in zero gravity. You can come up with a whole story, can even become a group game .

4. The turtle technique

This small and simple activity can make it possible to strengthen behavior management and reduce impulsivity. It's about playing with the child and teaching him to become a turtle, learning to act little by little and to take refuge in the carapace when they perceive a threat, in order to calm down.

5. Memory or couples game

This well-known game allows to train memory and attention , the subject having to find pairs of letters between a group of cards face down, being able to raise only two at a time before putting them upside down again.

6. Construction games

If the child likes them, building games are an excellent way to train the ability to plan, control behavior and attention to detail. From LEGOs to models, It can be a fun and useful activity that in addition can be molded to subject to the taste of the subject.

7. Eco game

This activity, to be carried out preferentially in a group, is based on the fact that one participant follows a word and the rest echoes, repeating the last syllables. You can also add the fact that each time the child has to reduce the repeated syllables and sounds. Promotes attention and verbal work memory .

8. The initial of my name

A simple activity that is based on that we will randomly say different letters in a continuous way, having the minor to give a pat when you hear the one that corresponds to your initial. It can also be done by saying words at random having the subject to applaud when a specific one is said. It encourages continued attention.

9. What have I saved?

Memory and attention are some of the skills that allows this activity to be promoted. It is a question of providing the subject with a series of different objects to keep in a box. Once this is done, you must say what you have saved. It may be useful to propose to him beforehand that he generates a fantastic story that allows to include all the objects in question, in such a way that the organization is also worked on.

10. The hanged man

This well-known game allows the maintenance of attention, behavioral inhibition, planning or ability to organize .

11. Team sports

Physical activity is usually pleasant for children with hyperactivity, since it allows them a great movement. In addition to releasing energy, many sports also can favor attention to stimuli or details , such as table tennis.

12. Chained words

Another simple activity to carry out and that allows training not only attention, but also the need to wait for your turn to speak. It is about forming a chain of words, making the players take turns saying a word that must begin with the last syllable of the word that the previous person has said.

13. Imitate me

This game allows work attention and memory . The first person must do a specific activity (which can come from pre-prepared cards), so that the rest should look at what they do so they can replicate it later. An example could be replicating a dance choreography.

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14. An invented language

The idea of this activity is to generate series of symbols without meaning per se, as if it were a new language, which correspond to the letters of the alphabet. We should leave several relatively short messages throughout the house that the child will have to translate in order to find the next clue, for example, to find a small treasure (for example, some sweets), arranging for it a small chop.