Helping your ADHD child succeed in school - Tips for Parents

I am happy to be joining Sherry Clarke of Clarke Coaching as a co-author on her blog.  This month we shared tips for how parents can help their ADHD kids in school.  As both an ADHD Mom and Parent I know school can sometimes be a struggle, these practical tips can make a difference.

 

School is back in session across the nation and today we are sharing a few ways parents can help ADHD child do well in school.

Exercise – Physical Activity

Children and adults with ADHD need to move.  Physical activity is good for everyone; however, those with ADHD have an even higher need for regular activity in order to focus. They need physical stimulus and activity regularly.  Unfortunately, one thing many schools are cutting back on is recess time and physical education classes. Often this equals your ADHD child coming home after sitting for most of his school day, which can cause tantrums and other negative behaviors.  This also often triggers fights about homework, because the last thing an ADHD child wants to do is sit for another even five minutes.  After- school sports, martial arts, dance, running around in the backyard or jumping on the trampoline are great ways to help your ADHD child decompress after school and actually increase his or her ability to focus again when it is time for homework.   Since they are engaged in structured time all day at school, it is very helpful for them to “just free play.”   ADHD Expert and Author Dr. John Ratey explains “Exercise is like medication…  Exercise turns on the attention system, the so-called executive functions — sequencing, working memory, prioritizing, inhibiting, and sustaining attention. On a practical level, it causes kids to be less impulsive, which makes them more primed to learn.”

CONTINUING READING ON CLARKE COACHING BLOG. 

Why I want my children to Volunteer

Recently my husband, my newly adult stepdaughter and I spent some time volunteering with disaster response activities for a large wildfire in our community.  Although most of the time we did not volunteer on the same projects or at the same time it was a cool experience to volunteer on the same event.   Watching her choose to volunteer was a great reinforcement for all those times we helped volunteer her growing up!

Before becoming “mostly” a stay at home mom I spent a decade in the non-profit industry and one of the many hats I wore over the years was that of Volunteer Coordinator.  I love the non-profit industry and I have been able to work with several of the leading charities including Shriners Childrens Hospitals, The American Red Cross and the YMCA.  I grew up regularly volunteering through church and school projects. My husband and I share this passion – we actually met while working for the Red Cross!  Although we both no longer work there, we are still volunteers and refer to it is a family affair.   

As a mom and a former Volunteer Coordinator I want my kids to volunteer as they grow up and thought I would share 'why'...   You might call them reasons, lessons learned or even benefits but ultimately for me they are why I encourage my kids to volunteer. 

Exposure and Connection:  Charities or non-profits provide an excellent opportunity to exposure children to new experiences, people and opinions.   Volunteering can provide connections to friends, mentors, the community and causes that may inspire your children now and even shape future careers.  Even in smaller areas there are a variety of places to volunteer from recognized non-profits to schools or faith based initiatives.

Skills:  Non-profits are often more willing to provide training to volunteers because quite frankly – they need the help!  Volunteering provides a fabulous opportunity for children to learn a variety of skills from how to care for an animal, office and clerical, public speaking, photography, fundraising or interviewing.  There are also organizational specific skills such a disaster response, emotional first aid, childcare or teaching that volunteers can acquire through non-profit training programs that are often free.  One of my best volunteers over the years started at age 14 helping answer phones during a large national disaster, after four years and a variety of other assignments; he became the person who interviewed, placed and orienting new volunteers to the organization.  Due to his experience and organizational knowledge most people had no idea he was a teenager!  

Problem Solving:  Just as non-profits will introduce children to different experiences and people; volunteering will also require children to learn to be flexible and develop creativity.  Both of which are essential parts of problem solving.   Charities often have limited workforces, supplies and other resources.  This requires staff (paid and volunteer) to find ways to adapt and meet needs in non-traditional ways.  The adage “Necessity is the mother of invention” is almost always true in the non-profit world. 

Gratitude and Social Responsibility:  Every year, as Thanksgiving approached, I would receive calls from parents wanting to know if we had family volunteer opportunities available.  They wanted to teach their children about gratitude.   Volunteering allows children to see others needs and recognize inequalities and inadequacies in the world.  It can also motivate children to become more educated about the world or a specific problem, their own beliefs or how their actions can be a positive contribution to society.   

Commitment:  I want my children to serve because they believe in something and want to do – not just because there is a monetary benefit attached.  Exposure to others who are already living this example is much more powerful than a lecture from me! Generally speaking there is no amount of money you could pay someone that would match the dedication of a volunteer that is committed to an organization or cause.  Most people would be truly amazed at the amount of time and energy dedicated volunteers contribute to causes simply because it is their passion.  In my years of experience I can tell you of countless times that the first person I saw in the morning (even on a really early morning) was a volunteer and the last person I talked to at night was a volunteer.  I don’t say this to encourage my child (or yours) to devote their lives to non-paying volunteer service but rather because that dedication, commitment and passion that leads volunteers to contribute their time and talents is an example I want my children to see!  

Need some ideas on how to get your kids involved?  Check out your local Volunteer Center or ask at your church or child’s school. 

Have little kids who aren't quite old enough to volunteer? Think of doing Random Acts of Kindness to plants the seeds as they grow older! 

Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn Chex Mix - Kid Friendly Recipe

Chex mix is always a crowd pleaser and works great as a quick gift as well! It is also easy to involve the kids by having them measure the cereal, popcorn and mix it up (with supervision of course!). This blend is easy to mix up and always gets rave reviews. 

Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn Chex Mix

1 stick of butter

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of dark corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

6-8 cups of popped buttered popcorn

4-6 cups of rice Chex

1 cup of cinnamon Life (optional - you use all Chex) 

Combine the popcorn and cereal in a large bowl or pan.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add sugar and corn syrup until well combined.  Make sure to stir frequently so it does not burn. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon and vanilla.  Drizzle the syrup mixture over the popcorn mixture and stir gently to incorporate.  If you want to add sprinkles (a kid favorite)... make sure to do it while the syrup is still slightly warm so they stick but not too hot or they will disolve.  Store in an plastic bag or air tight container. 

Tip:  This mix is not overly sweet and the coating is meant to add a light glaze, rather than completely coat every piece of popcorn and cereal. If you want it fully glazed, you can double the syrup mixture.  

This is great to put in a mason jar or bag up for a quick treat for a friend or teacher!

Summer Game Plan... or my attempt to not go crazy with small children in the Vegas Heat!

June has arrived, we are counting down the final days of school and I've been busy pinning all the amazing Summer Bucket lists popping up on Pinterest.   This year my three youngest kids are 5, 4 and 2 and I've decided it's time to create a plan of attack for our summer.

I don't like to schedule everything but I find that if I just "hope" we will do things and have fun, we end up spending hours doing nothing. {Correction, I spend time trying to figure something out while the kids go crazy or fight - not all the time of course but that is generally how it feels}.  Another problem with not having a plan is that we live in Vegas. If we want to go out and do some activities we need to start early before its 1,000 degrees outside.  Let's just say I'm not a morning person so hoping I get moving early without something scheduled just doesn't work so well. I decided it I needed to take all these great ideas I'm pinning and come up with the Garcia Game Plan for Summer.

First, I love the bucket list concept but I knew that wouldn't quite work for us.  My oldest son who just finished Kindergarten, loves check lists, but he also due to ADHD loves to hyperfocus.  He will see one thing on that list and I will hear about it non-stop until we do it, and quite frankly my sanity can't handle hearing about something twenty times a day that I know we can't do until August!

I knew both my ADHD self and my son needed something that enough structure to keep us on track and therefore having fun but also flexibility since life happens!  When I saw this idea, I fell in love! The idea comes from a Power of Moms post, a site that always has great support for Moms. I love the idea of having a "theme" for each day that I can plan for and my kids can look forward to but it also gives me flexibility to change it up easily.

Make Something Mondays - craft, bake, paint, build
Take a Trip Tuesdays - try a new park, museum, hike or activity
Wet and Wild Wednesdays - anything water related, pool, splash pads etc.
Thinking Thursdays - library, learning. experiments, practicing
Fabulous Fun Fridays - open day to pick anything fun to do together

After deciding on our schedule I made a big list of things to do including activities I know my kids like and choices from the summer buckets lists I'd pinned as inspiration. Almost all of our activities will be free or very low cost even our "trips".  Once that was done I started dividing the list into our "schedule".  This is my planning list, to keep us on track, not for the kids to see.

I also created another sheet that has a list of bonus activities - extra ideas to fill our days if needed, weekend activities - both scheduled and optional, and finally a list of "bored" activities I can suggest to the kids when they inevitably tell me they there is absolutely nothing to do! The bonus activities involve my participation while the "bored" list can be done individually with siblings.

I'm still deciding how to visually display our plan for the kids (it's not like school is over in two more days or anything - nothing like the last minute!). I thought about a take on an advent type calendar like we do for Christmas but I'm leaning towards just doing just one week at a time and using a card for each day that they can turn over and see what the activity for the day will be each morning. Once I actually create it I will try and remember to post it! My goal is to plan our week using my planning pages each Sunday when I do our family meal plan.  We will see how it goes.

I'm also still coming up with how to introduce this to the kids.  I'm thinking some type of celebration on the first day of our summer.  Any ideas?  Again, I've got lots of time to decide - you know a whole two days! 

Did you create a summer plan? bucket list? What's on your list? 

Happy Summer!  

Rebecca

Mini Moments or That's Why God Made Them Cute!

Ever had one of those days where it felt like the kids were crawling the walls or the fighting and whining would never end?  One of those moments where if you heard, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" again your head would literally pop off?  Lately it's often my very destructive one year old that gets me wanting to tear my hair out.  If you hear silence, a scream or a crash you can pretty much be sure she is destroying something or beating on her almost 4 year old brother... again.

It's in the those moments, when let's face it you are really tempted to either A) Walk out the front door or B) follow Bill Cosby's comic wisdom and take them out of this world! Of course reality sets in and you realize you would never do either one of those but for that brief, brief fraction of a second when your last nerve's last nerve has been squashed on one too many times those thoughts do flash through your mind.  Or maybe that's just me???

It is in those moments that I always seem to say, "That's why God made them so cute!"  

Personally, I think I have some darn cute kids... 

Look at those two happy boys.  You gotta admit those smiles are pretty darn heart melting!  Bonus: my family room doesn't look like a tornado went through it either so I'm guessing company must have been coming over!

Baby girl rocking big brother's sunglasses and playing in her seat while I cleaned out my van one day.  Again - how could something so cute ever terrorize her brothers right? 

These are the mini moments of motherhood that I cherish.  They make up for those gross moments of cleaning carpets & car seats, the sibling fights that seem to never end and the whining that you can hear in your self!  These mini moments are what God gives us to remember how precious these little ones are and how lucky I am to be a mom.  After a few kids and a realization that one day the fighting, whining and destruction will stop, and my house will be empty, I've started to cherish these a little bit more! 

Yesterday I had one of those mini moments.  My little man coming home from preK all excited to tell me about Goldilocks & The Three Bears. School was a big transition for my 3 year old but just recently everything seems to be clicking and he is loving learning.  But honestly the best part - was his little voice saying the word porridge and explaining that they lived in a cottage, "which is like a whittle house". 

I'm hoping to start documenting these moments more and sharing.  What have been your mini moments this week? I'd love to hear!