A child with ADHD may feel restless because of various connections between the brain and body. For example, a child might struggle with
- The dopamine and norepinephrine levels in their brain might be lower. These chemicals help a child feel motivated and focused. If their levels are reduced, they will try to find other ways to stimulate themselves, such as fidgeting.
- Your child might be feeling anxious, stressed out, bored or overwhelmed. You might notice them wiggling, tapping, talking and more.
- Your child may have night have difficulty regulating their impulses or they may feel overestimated from various noises, sounds, lights, textures or sights. They might struggle to focus without even realizing it.
- They might be dealing with hyperarousal and therefore have excess energy, which makes it difficult for them to manage their bodies.
In other words, it’s important for us to remember that when a child has an excess amount of energy, they aren’t choosing this. Most often, their body and brain are trying to find a balance in what can be perceived as a world that is too fast, slow or overwhelming for them.
Therefore, it’s important to help our children by providing them with the right environment, tools and support. Remember that every child is different so it’s essential to adapt the following steps to meet the needs of your child.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Movement
When your children have a lot of pent-up energy that they need to release, take them to your local park for have them do some short dances from Just Dance on YouTube.
To learn more about specific exercises for different ages groups, check out step #3.
#2. Connection
Focus on developing a deep connection with your children. Hold them close, talk to them and listen to them. Don’t rush to judgement or blame them when they can’t manage their energy. Having a calm adult can help a child with ADHD manage their restless behavior.
#3. Coping Skills
Show your children how to do deep breathing exercises, like taking a deep breath in and blowing out a candle on a birthday cake. You can also show them how to do some simple mindfulness exercises to help them practice self-regulation.
If you want a step-by-step format about how to teach your children how to self-regulate in a safe environment, join me inside of ADHD and Autism Self Regulation by CLICKING HERE or on the fallowing image.
#4. Creativity
Find out what your child enjoys doing and have them engage in. Creative projects like drawing or building with blocks can help a child with their feelings of restlessness.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The importance of understanding why a child with ADHD might have extra energy.
- Four ways to help a child with ADHD calm down: movement, connection, coping skills, and creativity.
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!
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.
