Engaging Activities for Clients with ADHD: 9 Creative Approaches

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the prevalent mental health issues in children. Symptoms of ADHD may fade as a child grows or persist into their teenage years and adulthood. Treatment methods vary according to the individual’s age, with options including behavioral therapy, stimulant medications, and non-stimulant medications. Keep reading to discover nine ADHD activities you can implement with your clients.

Psychotherapy for ADHD typically involves behavioral therapy techniques, though new research is revealing benefits from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Researchers examining CBT focus on how negative feedback from significant individuals such as teachers and family members during childhood can lead to unhelpful thoughts and beliefs. These beliefs can reinforce expectations of exhibiting symptoms like inattention, hyperactivity, and challenges with impulse control and motivation.

Behavioral therapy targets specific ADHD-related symptoms that impact a client’s daily life. These symptoms may include issues with impulse control, hyperactivity, inattention, and problems with executive functioning. Such challenges might manifest as difficulty planning, completing tasks, postponing gratification, and shifting focus between activities.

Benefits of ADHD Activities for Clients

Engaging in ADHD activities offers numerous advantages for clients. Regularly incorporating these activities can help create a structured routine in therapy sessions. Interactive activities, often employed with children and teens, can enhance concentration and support emotional regulation.

Moreover, ADHD activities provide clients the chance to understand emotional regulation in a nurturing setting, which is particularly beneficial for those who have faced ongoing challenges with emotions or significant emotional repercussions. Furthermore, these activities can offer positive reinforcement that clients may lack outside their therapy sessions.

Therapists who utilize worksheets in sessions should explore the options available through TherapyByPro. TherapyByPro is a top resource for therapists and clinicians, offering a wide assortment of customizable worksheets, treatment plans, and note templates. Some examples of commonly used ADHD worksheets include:

ADHD Activities for Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises that children aged six and younger should consider alternative treatments before starting medication. These options can include parent training and behavioral management techniques. For children between six and twelve, additional behavioral management approaches are often more applicable. Older children might access specialized support or care within their educational settings, including collaboration with school psychologists and various behavioral classroom interventions.

Play therapy can effectively assist children experiencing ADHD symptoms, enhancing social skills, impulse control, and cooperation. Here are some ADHD activities suitable for kids:

1. “Simon Says” is a classic game that can help children struggling with impulse control, attention issues, and following instructions. This game, when incorporated into therapy, can strengthen executive functioning skills by encouraging children to focus, slow down, and listen carefully to instructions in a risk-free environment.
2. Creating an obstacle course is another engaging physical activity for children who exhibit restlessness and emotion regulation difficulties, particularly with frustration. You can design a course featuring a variety of tasks such as hopping, crawling, and balancing, providing a constructive outlet for excess energy while promoting goal-oriented behavior.
3. Another beneficial approach is parent training for young clients with ADHD. You can guide parents in establishing a positive behavior chart that encourages the use of positive reinforcement at home. Parents can select two or three target behaviors and track completion with stickers, awarded immediately upon achieving the desired actions. After receiving a certain number of stickers, your client can earn a small, pre-agreed reward, such as added playtime, selecting a family activity, or a small toy.

ADHD Activities for Teens

Treatment for ADHD in teens offers more options than for younger children, but attention to their mental and developmental state remains crucial. Incorporating behavioral therapy and parent training can help enhance their day-to-day functioning. Here are some activities tailored for teens with ADHD:

4. Teen clients can benefit from utilizing a thought-feeling-behavior chart. This exercise enables them to observe how specific triggering events influence their thoughts and emotions, which then lead to particular behaviors. This awareness can unveil negative thought patterns that feed into impulsivity, helping clients develop emotional regulation and self-monitoring skills beneficial in various aspects of their lives.
5. Goal laddering is another effective activity for clients who struggle with pursuing goals or often feel overwhelmed. This strategy encourages clients to define specific objectives and break them down into smaller, achievable tasks, fostering motivation as they experience positive reinforcement from completing smaller steps toward their larger goals.
6. In continuation of rewarding progress, assist teen clients in developing a reward system. This involves setting precise behavioral goals related to their ADHD symptoms, such as completing assignments, enhancing emotional regulation, or curbing impulsivity. Together, you will craft a reward system that can boost their motivation to accomplish these tasks, serving as an impactful strategy for those who encounter challenges with delayed gratification, self-discipline, and commitment.

ADHD Activities for Adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about one-third of adults…

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Many individuals who showed ADHD symptoms during childhood continue to face these challenges in adulthood. Treatment strategies differ for children and adolescents due to their unique developmental needs. For adults with ADHD, typical treatment options involve medication, therapy, psychoeducation, or a combination of these approaches.

7. Time blocking can be an effective method for adults coping with procrastination linked to ADHD. This process assists clients in organizing their daily schedules using colored blocks to designate specific tasks or activities, such as work time, exercise, meal preparation, and more. It helps enhance time management abilities while building a daily routine and learning to prioritize effectively.
8. Cognitive restructuring may prove beneficial for clients dealing with issues like self-doubt, perfectionism, and feelings of shame related to their ADHD. In this activity, clients identify negative automatic thoughts and collaborate to replace them with healthier alternatives. This process can aid in better emotional regulation and foster self-compassion and more realistic thinking in daily situations.
9. Environmental mapping involves assessing a client’s home or work setting to identify and minimize common distractions. Factors such as clutter, lighting, and phone placement are examined to reduce external stimuli. The goal of this exercise is to boost productivity and concentration by mitigating external distractions.

Conclusion on Selecting ADHD Activities for Clients

We appreciate your interest in our suggested ADHD activities suitable for clients of different ages. It’s important to tailor treatment interventions to each individual, considering their environment and personal characteristics. With appropriate treatment approaches, clients can see improvements in inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, positively impacting their work or academic performance.

Structured activities are a great way for clients with ADHD to develop vital life skills that enhance their effectiveness at home, work, school, and in social environments. If you want to learn more about how to implement ADHD activities in your clinical practice, we recommend pursuing supervision, training, and ongoing education opportunities. This will provide you with fresh insights and expertise to better address your clients’ needs.

TherapyByPro is an online directory for mental health services that connects mental health professionals with clients seeking help. If you are a mental health provider, feel free to Join our community and add your practice listing here. We offer assessments, practice forms, and templates that can assist mental health providers in streamlining their workflows. Check all of our mental health forms, worksheets, and assessments here.

References:

• Buitelaar JK. Optimizing treatment strategies for ADHD during adolescence to minimize ‘lost in transition’ to adulthood. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2017 Oct;26(5):448-452. doi: 10.1017/S2045796017000154. Epub 2017 Apr 17. PMID: 28413998; PMCID: PMC6998898.
• Karbasi Amel A, Rahnamaei H, Hashemi Z. Effects of play therapy and storytelling on the social skills of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Educ Health Promot. 2023 Sep 29;12:317. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1104_22. PMID: 38023093; PMCID: PMC10670883.
• Knouse LE, Safren SA. Current progress of cognitive behavioral therapy in treating adult ADHD. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2010 Sep;33(3):497-509. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.001. PMID: 20599129; PMCID: PMC2909688.
• Treatment of ADHD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.-b).

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