As Thanksgiving approaches, classrooms and homes are excitedly buzzing with thoughts of pumpkin pies, gratitude, and turkey crafts. But for children with ADHD, asking them to sit down and write a list about what you’re thankful for can feel frustrating.
It doesn’t mean that your children aren’t capable of understanding it or meaningfully engaging in these activities. What they need, are activities that can be adapted so that they are hands-on, fun and inclusive for all learners.
In this article, I’ll share three simple gratitude activities that will not only work for kids with ADHD, but also for the rest of your children. Plus, I’ll link helpful tools like my Gratitude and Thanksgiving Resources and my YouTube video on teaching kids to say “please” and “thank you” to give you extra support.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Thankfulness Collage
Children with ADHD often connect learning about gratitude best through multi-sensory activities.
- Provide kids with fabric or textured paper, natural items, and pictures.
- Invite them to create a collage of things they’re thankful for.
- Post it up on the bulletin board so that it becomes a wall of gratitude.
#2. Gratitude Role-Play
Some children benefit from moving their bodies.
- Have your children brainstorm what they are grateful for.
- Then have them choose one or two items and ask them to role-play saying thank you for the items. They can also have someone be kind to them or give them a gift while the other person responds with thanks.
#3. Appreciation Reflection
Many children with ADHD need time to reflect on what they are thankful for.
- Teach children about the concept of thankfulness.
- Play games to engage children in learning about gratitude. You can use the following resource for it.
- Brainstorm what your kids are thankful for as a whole class.
- Turn on some soft music so that your kids are able to focus.
- Use the following resources to help your children write a more in-depth reflection about what they’re thankful for. Choose the reflection journal that best meets the needs of your children.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The reason of teaching about appreciation and thankfulness to children with ADHD.
- Three simple inclusive gratitude activities for kids with ADHD: thankfulness collage, gratitude role-play, and appreciation reflection.
Free Resources:
For a taste of the resources that were mentioned in step two, check out the following resource in my FREE Education Resource Library.
Teach your little ones how to make good choices with the following FREE Resource:
Next Steps:
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
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I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
Disclaimer: I’m a teacher and a parent. I’m not a medical professional, so please don’t take this as medical advice. The advice that I provide in my videos and online are strategies that I have used in my own class or at home that have worked beautifully.
