by Shari McMinn
For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13-14 ESV).
One of my adopted children came to me heavily medicated to be classroom-compliant. Diagnosed with ADHD at the young age of five, he was basically comatose when I first observed him in his public school kindergarten classroom.
When he arrived at our home as a foster-to-adopt child, we worked with his therapist to wean him off of prescriptions to reveal the true boy God had created him to be — and he was all boy! Rough and rowdy from the get-go, wanting to play wildly outside every chance he could, constantly wiggling while we worked on homeschool assignments each day. God had hard-wired him to be a warrior, and he eventually became a US Marine. How did we help him learn each day, despite his highly distractible nature?
Well, we worked with the wiggles and let him be exactly how God created him to be, with a few social skills and manners learned along the way! He was fearfully and wonderfully made, and we needed to embrace that in order to help him flourish.
Simply put, ADHD is the simultaneous presence of uncontrolled hyperactive behavior, teamed with high distractibility and the inability to focus on attention to details.
Thankfully, our local public library had a copy of CHEC’s Homeschool GUIDEBOOK for Colorado. I found this checklist regarding ADHD in Chapter 8: “Different Learners”:
ADD with Hyperactivity (ADHD)
___ My child is fidgety.
___ I have to stop the horseplay because my child does not know when to stop.
___ Things seem to mysteriously break when my child touches or plays with them.
___ My child seems confused about how to control behaviors.
___ I am often reminding her to think before she acts.
___ My child has difficulty controlling himself in groups of other children.
___ This child is an excessive talker. I am often looking for the “off” button.
___ Manners have been a struggle for my child due to her constant interrupting, blurting out, or having trouble taking turns.
Sound familiar? As I learned more about how that particular son of mine was formed by God, I began to see strikingly similar characteristics in my husband, one of my biological sons, and one of my adopted daughters. It helped me understand them better as God’s perfect and unique creations, and it especially helped me to realize how they needed to interact with their world in order to thrive.
Far too many children, especially boys, are diagnosed with ADHD in institutional classrooms. This recent news article discusses the modern cultural phenomenon, questioning whether it is the child or the learning environment that is the problem. You may have heard of “forest schools” or “wild and free” homeschooling. Well, I think we need a bit more of that type of active learning for our ADHD kids. And it would likely benefit all of our children — and parents too — to get out and be more active!
With those ideas in mind, here are some strategies we implemented to help that particular son with ADHD — and frankly, these helped all of our homeschooled students, as well as my late husband.
Before school time starts each day:
- Get everyone up at a reasonable time, making sure children get 10-12 hours of sleep nightly.
- Take time for physical exercise, whether that be a walk, indoor calisthenics, or outdoor chores.
- Enjoy a hearty breakfast together; include protein, not just carbs; avoid processed foods, foods with dyes, sugar, and caffeine.
While school is in session:
- Help each child individually with English and math, letting the others play outside while awaiting their turn.
- Enjoy a snack and exercise break mid-morning; again, go outside if possible.
- Allow your ADHD student to use fidget toys, stand up, or sit on a bouncy ball while doing school.
- At first, work in 5-minute sessions, building up to 10, 15, and then 20 minutes on a task over months and then years of time.
- Enjoy a hearty lunch, then outdoor physical education with your students.
- Have hands-on lessons in the afternoon, allowing for physical movement while you learn together.
After school:
- Once schoolwork is complete, get the kids outside again for gross motor play activities.
- Limit electronics as much as possible to prevent addictive behavior.
- Provide opportunities for further physical activity with outdoor or indoor chores.
- Invest in sports equipment such as a basketball hoop, bicycle, exercise trampoline, rollerblades, skateboard, and soccer rebound net.
- Enjoy a relaxed family dinner, involving children with meal prep and clean-up.
- Spend time before your bedtime routine for calming physical activities like board games and nighttime walks.
- Get to bed on time for a good night’s sleep to recharge and refresh for the next day.
The key to helping ADHD kids thrive is providing an active and interactive learning environment. Whether ADHD is diagnosed or perceived, it has real effects on student outcomes. Make your homeschool adapt to your student’s needs, and over time, with their maturing, they will learn to adapt to a more structured homeschool and lifestyle routine. Eventually, their bodies and brains will develop more fully and they will indeed be able to navigate the “real world” of life in the 21st century.
Need more resources for homeschooling your ADHD child? Here are some links to check out:
My next Unique Learner blog, “Anxiety, Depression, and Other Emotional Issues While Homeschooling,” will be posted on March 26, 2025 (the 4th Wednesday).
Shari McMinn, your trusted homeschooling friend
P.S. If you have a topic I should write about, please email me with your suggestion(s). This blog is for you!
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Shari’s wisdom is gold to me. She gets teaching kiddos who need extra help. She’s wise beyond her years. I’ve gleaned so much through her blog posts!