If you have a little one with ADHD who's struggling to focus on their homework this summer, an expert has shared an invaluable and fun way to take the 'work' out of 'worksheets' and make them fun again.
Lisa Smith is an ADHD certified occupational therapist who provides training for parents of kids with the condition and her 90.4K followers on TikTok - @adhdonschedule.
The NHS explains that homework can be tricky for children with neurodiversity - and advises parents that making it more enjoyable and fun can help them get it done.
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Lisa's video is captioned: "Homework hack and tip to help your child with ADHD - all you need is dice."
It begins with a couple of dice being thrown across a fun-looking maths worksheet illustrated with a cute, smiling snail and toadstools, along with the text: "Easy tip to motivate your child with ADHD to get homework done."
The video explains Lisa's hack: "Child rolls dice and the total number they get is the number [question] on the worksheet they complete."
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In other words they'll hop around the page rather than completing it from start to finish - so how is adding in this extra step actually helping?
Lisa explains: "This adds novelty and gamification and a dopamine boost which improves focus and and motivation."
And that's not all.
As a little bonus, the video suggests that 'if they finish it within the given timeframe and without complaining they can roll 1-2 dice to get that extra number of minutes on a preferred activity (screens, playing outside, spending time with you, etc)."
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Such a simple idea that's completely free if you have a couple of unused board games lying around.
The comments were filled with mums raring to give the tip a try over the summer months.
One said: "Love this!" while another said: "That's so good".
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A third talked about the enjoyment their child gets from maths: "When you feel so lucky because your 6 year old ADHD kid LOVES math and it's like a hobby for him."
Lisa replied to the positivity saying: "There are many kids with ADHD that are math whizzes!"
If you're struggling to get your child to knuckle down to their homework, as well as fun tips like this one, the NHS also suggests encouraging your young one to try homework club because 'body doubling', or being around people doing the same task, can act as a productivity tool.
Working for just 10-15 minutes with short and regular breaks and using highlighter pens and post-it notes alongside a homework diary can also be helpful.
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For more tips, take a look at the NHS's guidance on living with ADHD here.
Topics: Parenting, TikTok, Mental Health, Health
Amelia Jones