Games to Play With Children With ADHD

Kick Ball

• Team sports present challenges for ADHD children because they often struggle to deal with loss in an appropriate manner. To prepare your child to take part in team sports, engage her in a simple group game, such as kickball. Along with providing teamwork practice, this game allows her to burn off extra energy that she may possess as a hyper-active child. To play, gather a group of children, locate markers to serve as bases and procure a rubber playground ball. Divide the children into two teams. Place the markers into a diamond shape similar to that of a baseball diamond. The rules are the same as in baseball, except players kick the ball instead of hit it with a bat. Monitor play carefully, and help your child if you see her struggling to deal with loss in a proper manner.

Connect Four

• Connect Four is a simple strategy game that can assist ADHD children in developing patience. In this tic-tac-toe inspired game for two players, each player takes turns dropping colored checkers into a vertical playing field, working to create four in a row. Praise your child for his skill and effort as he creates vertical rows.

Clue

• The classic board game Clue assists ADHD children in building problem solving skills. Make this game central to family night and encourage the entire family to take part. Encourage your ADHD child to build skills and test smarts while competing against other family members to be the first gumshoe to solve a complex murder mystery.

My Father Went to the Market

• Children who suffer from ADHD often struggle to maintain focus and have difficulty building memory skills. Games that focus on memory building and concentration can assist ADHD children in developing thee skills. The classic word game, My Father Went to the Market, builds both of these skills. This game requires no supplies, making it an easy, on-the-go amusement option. To play, one player says, "My father went to the market and he bought..." concluding the sentence with a potentially purchased item that begins with an A. The next player says, "My father went to the market and he bought..." restating the A item, and adding a second item that begins with a B. Play continues in this fashion, adding items to the alphabetical list until all 26 letters have been represented by purchases.