Did you know that 6.1% of children take medicine for ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders? Truthfully, ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders found in both children and adults, and finding the right treatments for it can be a tad difficult.
Some parents choose to medicate their children, but others look for more natural ways to help kids focus. While medications certainly work, there are several downfalls in the way that it affects the children. That is why some parents employ more natural techniques to help direct their kid's minds to the task at hand.
If you have a child with ADHD, it can be tough coming up with creative ways to help them focus. Read below to learn more about the seven best, natural ways to improve your child's concentration skills at home and in the classroom.
1. Present Projects in Small Bites
Whether the task is homework, a school project, or chores, you should always break these tasks up into more bite-sized chunks. Before presenting your child with a multi-step project, try to plan how to take it on step-by-step.
One effective way to do this is to make a chart. On one side of the chart, list the assignments such as cleaning or homework problems.
Children respond well to visual stimuli. So, it couldn't hurt to use stickers as a method of checking off these tasks. By doing this, your children will be more motivated to accomplish their daily goals.
When it comes to homework, you shouldn't make the child sit down to finish an entire section of problems all at once. Instead, have them do problems 1-10, take a break, then go back to tackle more of the assignment.
2. Schedule Play Time
Exercise raises our dopamine levels, making it a fantastic way to get children to focus and pay attention. Since dopamine links to our ability to concentrate, you should take your child out to play every day. For children with ADHD, everything can get piled up in their minds.
That causes their attention to shift at a moment's notice. However, exercise provides a physical release of those mental constraints. Going to the park and letting your child run around, climb, and swing clears their mind of any stress that home or school projects may create.
On top of this, studies show that physical activity aids in the development and growth of brain cells. It also helps those cells to work better together, improving focus in children with ADHD.
3. Less Screen Time, More Activities
Limiting your child's access to their devices will improve their mental focus and keep their brains physically healthy. This day in age, most children have their first cellphone by ages 12-13.
While it is okay for children to spend some time doing activities on a screen, an extended amount leads to brain deterioration. Therefore, it would be wise to keep your children from spending all day on their devices. Instead, have your child focus on activities for mind therapy.
These can be anything from games to creating art. They may be an effective way to stimulate your child's brain and teach them focus, but they are quite a bit of fun, too! Therefore, your child won't view these brain games as therapy at all.
Make Art
Art therapy has several different benefits for children. For a child with ADHD, it focuses the mind and reduces stress. Therefore, you can have your child participate in art by getting them their favorite coloring books and utensils.
Along with coloring, you can employ other artistic activities such as:
- Creating mandalas
- Making paper mache
- Making jewelry
- Learning to sew
- Making an art collage
- Making sculptures from clay
- Finger painting
You can employ these methods at home or hire a therapist who will teach your child the importance of creating art. By making your child paint, color, or sculpt, you teach their brains to make new serotonin levels within their brain.
Play iSpy
iSpy is a game that relies on focus. It's a fun search and guess game that all children enjoy, especially if they answer correctly. Take your child into a room or outside and play this game. It will teach your child to pay attention and become more observant.
Go For a Walk
Don't go for an ordinary walk, though. Be sure to point things out to your child, so they learn how to appreciate and observe the world around them. Show them animals, teach them about different plants, and so on.
Often, children with ADHD can get lost in their thoughts. Bring the child outside of themselves, and introduce them to the big, wide world around them.
4. Set Goals With Rewards
Another motivator for children is a reward system. Now, any parent that has a child with ADHD knows how hard it is to get them to sit down and do their homework or some other task.
Likewise, teachers experience the same problems when getting a child to focus in school. However, if the kids know there is a reward waiting for them after accomplishing their goals, they will be much more motivated.
These rewards do not have to be anything major, either. It could be as simple as letting them choose from a box of small toys from the Party Store.
5. Get Rid of Distractions
Eliminate all distractions that will give your child an excuse to stop doing their work. Make sure they are in a quiet room with no extra sound. Designate a set time as homework time. During this hour, everyone should be silent, and all TV's need to be off.
6. Take Breaks
Working for an extended period will cause your child's mind to drift. Observe how long your child can work before they start to procrastinate.
Is it ten minutes? Twenty minutes? However long it is, set a timer and have them work until it rings. Then, take a five to ten-minute break where your child can rest and refocus their mind.
7. Use Vitamins
Medications cause a slew of negative side effects in both adults and children. These can include things like:
- Lack of motivation
- No appetite
- Stunted growth
- Development of nervous tics
- Mood swings
Due to these side effects, parents look for more natural remedies to help their children. Vitamins for kids with ADHD have become a vastly popular alternative to medications.
Vitamins do not necessarily treat ADHD specifically. However, they are vital to aid the child's brain growth and functioning. A healthy brain means stabilizing ADHD symptoms by improving the part of their brains that allows them to focus.
The essential vitamins that play a role in this are:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Magnesium
Joy Spring offers some of the best vitamin drops and gummies on the market for children. Our brain boost bundle is a favorite in aiding children's brain growth and development.
More Vitamins to Help Kids Focus
As you can see, you don't always have to medicate your children to help with their ADHD. There are several methods you can employ to help kids focus. Everything from taking breaks to playing therapy-based games will develop and boost your children's concentration skills.
If you want a healthy alternative to medications or are in the market for kids' vitamins in general, Joy Spring urges you to shop our vitamins for focus selection today!