9 ADHD Activities to do with your Clients –

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health conditions among children. ADHD symptoms may resolve over time, or continue into teenage years and adulthood. Treatment recommendations for this condition do vary for different age groups, and can include the use of behavioral therapy, stimulant medications, and non-stimulant medications. Keep reading to learn 9 ADHD activities you can do with your clients.

Psychotherapy sessions for ADHD commonly use behavioral therapy methods and interventions, though research is beginning to showcase clinical gains from the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers investigating the use of CBT are working from a lens that focuses on how negative feedback from teachers, family members, and other important figures during childhood and later years contributes to maladaptive thoughts and beliefs. These beliefs and thoughts reinforce the expectation that they will demonstrate symptoms like inattention, hyperactivity, impulse control, and maintaining motivation.

Behavioral therapy can be used to address specific symptoms associated with ADHD that affect a client’s everyday functioning. This can include symptoms like impulse control, hyperactivity, inattention, and executive functioning deficits. This can include difficulties with making plans, following through on tasks, delaying gratification, and shifting attention between tasks. 

How ADHD Activities Can Benefit Your Clients

There are several benefits that ADHD activities can bring to your clients. When used regularly, ADHD activities can help your clients develop a routine in their sessions.  Hands-on activities, like what is commonly used with children and teens, can help improve focus and promote emotion regulation.

ADHD activities can also help clients learn about emotion regulation in a safe and supportive environment. This can be a valuable experience for those who have long-term struggles with emotion regulation and those who have experienced significant hardships or consequences of their emotional experiences. Additionally, ADHD activities can provide positive reinforcement that clients may not receive outside of therapy sessions.

Clinicians who utilize worksheets in their sessions are encouraged to review available options with TherapyByPro. TherapyByPro is a leading resource for therapists and clinicians with access to a diverse range of worksheets, treatment plan templates, and note templates. These documents are all customizable, allowing you to personalize them to your clinical work. Examples of ADHD worksheets that are commonly used include:

ADHD Activities for Kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children who are six and younger try alternative treatment options before medications. This can include parent training and behavioral management strategies. Children between the ages of six and twelve can often use additional behavioral management approaches that are not suitable for younger children. Older children may be able to receive supportive services or specialized care within their educational setting. This can include working with a school psychologist and using various forms of behavioral classroom interventions.

Play therapy can be an effective approach for children who are struggling with ADHD symptoms. Treatment can improve social skills, impulse control, and cooperation. Continue reading for insights into ADHD activities for kids.

1. Simon Says is a favored childhood game that can be used with children who struggle with impulse control, inattentiveness, and difficulty following directions. This game can be used in therapy sessions and can help strengthen executive functioning. Children will practice focusing on the task at hand, slowing down, and listening to what they are told. This game provides a safe environment for skill-building without being concerned about repercussions.
2. Creating an obstacle course is another physical activity that can be used with children who experience restlessness and poor emotion regulation, particularly with frustration. You can develop a course that includes a range of tasks like hopping, crawling, balancing, and completing the course in a set order. This activity gives children a healthy outlet for excessive energy while engaging in goal-directed behaviors.
3. Parent training is another common activity with young clients struggling with ADHD. You can help parents create a positive behavior chart that helps parents incorporate positive reinforcement at home. Parents can choose two to three target behaviors and use stickers to track when the task is completed. Stickers will be given immediately once they have successfully completed the desired behaviors. After earning an established number of stickers, your client can earn a small, previously agreed-upon reward. This can include something like extra play time, choosing a family activity, or a small toy.

ADHD Activities for Teens

ADHD treatment options for teens have more flexibility than with children, though it is still important to be mindful of their mental capacity and current development. You may find yourself incorporating behavioral therapy and parent training with teens to help improve their everyday functioning. Continue reading for insight into activities for ADHD that can be used with teens.

4. Teen clients can benefit from completing a thought-feeling-behavior chart. This activity allows them to track how a triggering event affected their thoughts and emotions, which led to a specific behavior. This can help increase their awareness of negative thought patterns that contribute to impulsivity. Clients can develop emotion regulation and self-monitoring skills that can improve their functioning in various areas of their lives.
5. Goal laddering is an activity that can help clients who are struggling with goal-directed behaviors or often find themselves overwhelmed. Goal laddering requires your client to identify specific goals and break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. This can help clients maintain motivation because they will experience positive reinforcement when they complete the smaller tasks that are working towards their larger goal.
6. Continuing similar to positive reinforcement, you can work with your teen clients in reward system planning. With this, you’ll help your client set specific behavioral goals related to their ADHD symptoms. This can include completing their homework, improving emotion regulation, or decreasing impulsivity. You will then help your client develop their reward system, which can help improve their motivation to complete the identified task. This can be an impactful activity for those who struggle with delayed gratification, self-discipline, and following through.

ADHD Activities for Adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that about one-third of adults who experienced ADHD symptoms in their childhood continue experiencing symptoms as adults. Due to developmental differences, treatment recommendations vary for children and teens. Common treatments used with adults who have ADHD include medication, psychotherapy, psychoeducation, or a combination of treatment options.

7. Time blocking scheduling can be helpful for adults who struggle with procrastination because of their ADHD. With this activity, you will help your client create a structured plan for their day using colored blocks for specific tasks or activities. This can include things like time for working, exercising, preparing and eating meals, and more. This can help clients improve their time management while developing a routine and working on prioritizing tasks.
8. You may find that cognitive restructuring is helpful for clients who struggle with self-doubt, perfectionism, and shame, all related to their ADHD symptoms and experiences. With this activity, you’ll ask your client to identify negative automatic thoughts that they experience, and work together to replace them with healthier alternatives. Clients may find that this improves their emotional regulation and promotes self-compassion and realistic thinking in their everyday lives.
9. Environmental mapping is a behavioral analysis of your client’s work or home environment focused on reducing common distractions. This can include things like clutter, lighting, phone placement, and other external stimulation. This activity aims to improve productivity and focus by decreasing external cues that cause impairment.

Final Thoughts On Choosing ADHD Activities For Your Clients

Thank you for taking the time to read about our proposed ADHD activities for clients of varying ages. You are encouraged to customize treatment interventions to each client, their environment, and other characteristics. With the right treatment approaches, clients can experience improvement with inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and other ADHD symptoms. This can improve work or academic performance, depending on their age.

Structured activities can help clients living with ADHD develop a range of important life skills that can improve their functioning at home, work, or school, and social settings. If you would like to learn more about how to implement activities for ADHD into your clinical setting, we encourage you to seek supervision, training, and continuing education opportunities. This can help you gain new perspectives and knowledge that allows you to better meet your client’s needs.

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Resources:

• Buitelaar JK. Optimising treatment strategies for ADHD in adolescence to minimise ‘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. Play therapy and storytelling intervention on children’s social skills 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 status of cognitive behavioral therapy for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. 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). https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/treatment/index.html