Raising a child or teen that has ADHD comes with its own set of challenges. It can be frustrating and overwhelming (especially if you have ADHD yourself), but it’s important to foster a good, positive relationship that allows your child to grow and thrive. Being mindful about your parenting style and taking care of your own needs can help create a healthy connection that can bond you and your child. From creating routines to fostering a positive environment and performing self care, here are the best ADHD parenting tips.
10 Best ADHD Parenting Tips From Moms Who Understand
1. Create Structured Routines
Routines help children with ADHD understand expectations and feel more secure. They provide structure and predictability, which can reduce anxiety and lessen the likelihood of meltdowns and tantrums. By creating routines tailored to their specific needs, you can help your child navigate their day more smoothly, enhance their focus and productivity, and overall feel more in control. Creating daily routines is one of the most effective ways to prevent confrontations around unappealing tasks like brushing teeth, doing homework or going to school. Even simple routines like having your child lay out their clothes for the next day can be extremely helpful.
2. Limit Distractions
Children with ADHD are often easily distracted by things like TV, computers and video games. You should try to limit screen time and time on devices as much as possible, especially during times they’re supposed to be focused, such as when they’re doing homework. Limiting distractions is crucial to improving their ability to focus, learn and manage their symptoms. When distractions are minimized, your child can better engage with their surroundings, process information and self-regulate.
3. Get Them Outside
Encourage your child to spend more time outdoors doing physical activity. This provides them with a healthy outlet for burning built-up energy. Whether they play outside with friends, join a soccer team, help you garden, or swim in your backyard or neighbourhood pool, time outside is amazing for their physical and mental health. Exercise can also improve concentration and focus and reduce the risk of anxiety and depression, which are common in those with ADHD.
4. Take Time for Yourself
Self-care for moms shouldn’t be underestimated, especially if you have a child with ADHD and even more so if you also have ADHD yourself. As a mom, you’re likely prioritizing your family’s needs before your own time and time again. If you’re constantly overtired, rundown or burnt out, you’re not able to show up as your best self. Make sure you’re taking time for yourself and prioritizing self care. Take breaks and mini vacations from your kids, make time for your favourite workout classes and hobbies, do therapy, and hang out with friends. The more you take care of yourself, the better parent you’ll be able to be.
5. Help Them Get a Restful Sleep
Bedtime can be a challenging time of day for children with ADHD and their parents. Sleep is so important, especially since a lack of sleep heightens symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity and restlessness. It’s crucial to establish a healthy, calming bedtime routine with your child. Decrease screen time before bed, spend time doing restful activities like reading or taking a bath, ensure their room is dark, cool and comfortable, and consider some light stretching to help ease tension and anxiety.
6. Build Your Child Up
Children with ADHD are often faced with constant criticism and negative feedback, leading to feelings of inadequacy and shame. Make sure this isn’t the case at home. Trust that your child can learn, mature and succeed and focus on their strengths. Celebrate their achievements and teach them to be proud and confident in themself. A positive attitude and home environment can make a huge difference.
7. Create Predictability
Kids with ADHD do well when tasks occur in predictable patterns and items are in predictable places. Set up your home in an organized way and do your best to keep it neat and tidy, with specific places for commonly used items. Ensure your child knows that everything has its place so they know where to find things and where to put things away. This will help foster organization, which ADHDers struggle with.
8. Set Up Your Home with Visual Aids
Many kids with ADHD are visual learners, so it can be helpful to place visual aids around your home. Use visual schedules and task boards with symbols, pictures or written tasks and activities. This can help with organization and time management. Consider placing digital clocks around your home and put a big one in your child’s bedroom. Use timers for homework or transitional times, such as getting up, getting ready and getting out the door for school.
9. Ensure They Have Their Own Space
Make sure your child has a quiet, private space of their own to read, do homework and escape the chaos of daily life. Kids and teens with ADHD can easily become overstimulated, so it’s important for them to have their own space where they can relax or focus with minimal distractions. This helps them regulate their senses, emotions and impulses and can support self reflection and self regulation.
10. Learn How to Regulate Your Emotions
Whether your child has ADHD or you both do, you’re sure to face challenging moments that have your emotions all over the place. If you have ADHD too, emotional dysregulation is a core symptom that leads to strong emotional reactions and increased stress. Get acquainted with relaxing, stress-relieving techniques such as deep breathing, walking meditations and yoga. The better you can regulate your emotions, the better you’ll be able to manage parenting challenges.
Having a child with ADHD can be a roller coaster of emotions. Building them up, fostering a positive environment and taking care of yourself are some of the best things you can do to ensure they flourish.
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