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Fun & Games for ADHD Kids

Games provide more than entertainment for ADHD kids; they also provide therapeutic aid. Child psychologists have been using games as a means of understanding children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for a long time. Through game play, the child can often express himself better than through actual dialogue. By studying the way a child plays, a therapist can evaluate the child's perceptions. Even at home, playing is an essential part of a child's normal behavior and finding games your ADHD child can and will play may be challenging.

Pretend Playtime
- Encourage your ADHD child to fantasize and play pretend games. This can be enhanced with toy figures, such as action figures or toy animals. Fantasy games will give your child something to focus on. Initiate play by setting up a simple scenario, such as the normal beginning of a day. Say, for instance, that the superhero is getting breakfast. As the parent, you probably will need to play several roles. Play the role of sidekick so your child can practice interacting with a peer, as ADHD children often have difficulty establishing peer relationships. And if your child likes superheros, you'll also need to play the role of the super-villain. Play should try to follow a sequence of events that have consequences.
  
  Keep the scenario simple for children younger than 7 and gradually increase the complexity of the story. Use gentle prompting, such as "What happened next?" to keep the story moving. Likewise, if your child loses focus or veers of the natural track of the story, coax him back onto it. Because ADHD children have shorter attention spans, initially play for no longer than 10 minutes. Over time, the game can lengthen.
Outdoor Play
- Limit time before television and computer screens to no more than 30 minutes a day. Instead, encourage your ADHD child to have outdoor playtime. ADHD symptoms improve with time spent with nature, according to the University of Illinois Human-Environment Research Lab. Exercise, too, has been shown to help people with ADHD.
  
  For maximum benefit, instead of taking your child to a gym, take him to the park and let him get his exercise in the outdoors, running, jumping and playing classic children's games. This environment will encourage him to interact with other children his age. Even older children with ADHD will show improvement with outdoor activities, such as camping.

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