Helping ADHD Students Succeed in the Classroom

Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can create a challenge in the classroom for any teacher. Here is a list of classroom strategies for ADHD children and tips that will help to keep your students focused and on task.

Make it Interactive

ADHD students thrive on interaction and it’s easy to turn many activities into interactive games that will hold their attention. For example, a list of spelling words, math problems, science vocabulary, etc. can easily be turned into a puzzle game. Begin by taking a sheet of white paper and writing the answers on the page in a random fashion. On the opposite side, write a special note to the child, a picture, a clue to a hidden treasure — whatever your reward will be for the child completing the task. Cut apart the answers in puzzle shaped pieces and scatter on the floor. Each time the child gets the answer right, he* picks up that piece and adds it to the puzzle. Slowly the puzzle comes together and when it’s finished they will be able to see the picture, phrase, clue, etc.

Consider the Amount of Work

When children have a hard time focusing, placing a sheet full of problems in front of them will often lead to a mental shutdown. To avoid this, simply break the task up into smaller groups of problems, or even determine how much practice is really necessary to show that the skill has been mastered. Often times it is not necessary to complete 50 math problems to master a skill. For some children, you may have to take it problem by problem. This is easily accomplished by using smaller sheets of paper (post-it notes work well) and writing one problem on each.

Offer an Energy Escape

ADHD children are not only good at multi-tasking, for some, their high level of energy makes it a requirement. If your student is having a hard time sitting still, give them something to do while they are listening. A simple swishy ball, silly putty, legos, playdoh, etc. will allow them to keep their hands busy and their mind listening. The goal here is to give them a mindless task to keep their hands busy so their mind can focus on what you’re teaching. Obviously, if you give them a complex object to work with, their focus will shift to that, so keep it simple.

Incorporate the Child into Lessons

This is a very simple way to bring a child back who has drifted off to his own zone. Simply use the child’s name in a story, math problem, example scenario, etc. He will feel special that he is the focus and will ultimately listen to hear more about what he is doing in your story. This is especially effective with children who tend to daydream. When they hear their name, they quickly snap back to the moment and are quick to wonder what’s happening.

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Add Motion to Your Lessons

This idea not only works for ADHD children, but your other students will love it as well. Using a bean bag, cards, or other simple manipulatives, you can create movement activities to help children learn the concepts presented. For example, if you are learning about beginning/middle/end sounds, simply write letters on a variety of cards and scatter them onto the floor. Choose a student, give him a word and have him jump on the card with the appropriate letter for that sound. This interactive movement helps keep all your students engaged and learning, and it keeps your ADHD child right where you want him — actively learning and on task.

Block Out Distractions

Distractions from other students is a key problem for many ADHD students. There is a lot of action going on in schools and classrooms and they are distracted by it all. To help your students stay focused, offer a place that is blocked from these distractions. This can be a simple workstation set up like a study corral or an area where students can use headphones (with only classical music or other tunes you approve) to block out surrounding noises.

Offer a Schedule or Checklist

Students like to know what is going to happen throughout the day and offering a schedule of the day or checklist of tasks is a great way to help your ADHD students prepare themselves for activities. This can be placed on the board or if your schedule is consistent, print it out, laminate it, and tape it to the child’s desk. If the student is having a difficult time with a certain subject or activity, it may help them to stay on task if they know recess or their favorite subject is next. It also helps them to plan and organize their minds for the day — especially if you have schedules that change each day or frequently.

Practice the Needed Skills

As teachers, we always are sure to teach the basics of reading, math, writing, etc. When we’re trying to help our ADHD students, sometimes we need to take it a step farther. Consider incorporating activities and lessons that include listening and attention games to build skills. This will help all of your students to become more aware of details and following directions, which is always a plus.

Monitor Your Teaching Style

Students love their boisterous, energetic, and fun-loving teachers for all the excitement they bring to their classroom; but if you have an ADHD student, you may need to bring it down a notch. They too will love the performances, but may get caught up in all of the excitement and have difficulty settling back down. You may notice that when the activity is over or the “action” has ended, your ADHD student is still continuing. This is a common scenario and one that can be prevented by using a more low-key teaching style. Don’t worry, you don’t have to stop your energetic style of teaching, just monitor when and how you use it so that those great lessons have great endings.

*A single gender is used to ease reading and is not intended to reflect a gender bias in this article or this site.