Brain Exercises
for Kids with ADHD
These easy, fun brain exercises
provided by child psychologist,
Dr. Robert Myers can help improve
executive function in children with
ADHD. Try them out during your
child’s focus breaks.

1. Story Based Games. To play these
games, all you need is a good story
and a good imagination. There are
two versions of the game that you
can try:
Read a short story and give
the child a “pop quiz” on the
content. Start off by reading a paragraph or
two from a story. Next, ask your
child to come up with what he
thinks might come next. Provide
guidance to keep the content
connected to the original story.

Then, you can add your take on
what happens after your child says
what he thinks happens next. If
possible, keep trading back and
forth and see what happens.

This helps with building
working memory and
concentration. It can also help
in the development of logic
and sense of humor.

2. Mazes. You can find mazes
appropriate for the age of your child
for free online, such as krazydad.

com/mazes. Start off with easy ones
and move forward. Keep track of
speed and errors. Of course, don’t
forget to praise improving scores!
This is great for concentration,
planning, sequencing,
processing speed and visual-
motor integration.

3. Dancing Sequence Games. There
are various versions to select from,
depending on your child’s age and
what he or she likes. These games
can be played on various video
game platforms, including Xbox 360,
Wii and Play Station 3. You will also
need to purchase the dance mat that
goes with your system.

These games can improve
concentration, processing speed,
planning, sequencing and motor
integration. Added bonus: They
can also be a good form of aerobic
exercise. multiplication, division, addition and
subtraction. It is supposed to help with
recalling the order of operations in
complex math problems.

The struggle that students with ADHD
have with math problems that require
them to conjure up the correct order of
operations has to do with their working
memory and ability to maintain focus
throughout the multiple problem
solving procedures.

Solution? Make it visual
Have your student highlight math
signs and symbols. Make colored pens,
markers and highlighters your kid’s
best friend by encouraging him or her
to color or highlight the sign, –, +, =, x,
and ÷ of each problem.

ADDitude Magazine recommends
highlighting math signs because it is a
visual reminder to the student of the
kind of math operation needed to solve
the problem.

It may also be helpful in downtime to
allow use of mobile math apps that
work on the topic with which your
child is struggling. These tend to be
effective because of the very high level
of visual engagement kids have with
video games and screen time.

Struggle 3: Staying focused
enough to finish the problem
Aside from issues with working
memory, issues with focus are why
students with ADHD tend to struggle
with math problems. Staying intently
focused on a single task takes a ton of
mental energy, which often conflicts with
the desire that many kids with ADHD
have for constantly changing stimulation.

This is why completing a mathematical
proof, a complex word problem or a
problem involving intricate problem
solving procedures can seem out of
reach for your child.

Solution? Focus breaks
Have your child take a focus break.

Focus breaks are 2-5 minute breaks
when the student steps away from his
homework, even if it’s in the middle
of a long mathematical problem, and
does something unrelated to his work.

This might be spending a few minutes
on the phone, playing fetch with the
dog or better yet, a brain exercise to
improve your child’s focus.

By using these strategies, children with
ADHD can feel much more confident
in their studies and strengthen their
math foundation.

For over nine years, Christine Rosenfeld
tutored students from Pre-K to college
at Educational Connections Tutoring.

With offices in Fairfax, VA and Bethesda,
MD, Educational Connections’ tutors
travel to students’ homes to help improve
their confidence and grades through
1-to-1 tutoring and organization/time
management coaching.

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