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Games for Children With ADD

Kids with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) require a calm environment, and it is important not to overwhelm them with too many ideas. Kids with ADD or ADHD have a short attention span, tend to be easily distracted and have a very high activity level. Choose games that are quick to play and have smaller goals.

  1. Card Game: Memory

    • Lay out several cards face down, making sure that each card has a match. Players attempt to find matching pairs. Players turn up two cards, and if the cards match, they pick them up. If not, they turn them face down again. The player who finds the most matches wins, or if playing alone, the game ends when all matches are found. This game encourages the child to develop a longer attention span. Note that an ADD child might get frustrated playing the game, especially if he cannot find the matches. As such, place the matching cards closer together and play the game in short time intervals.

    Board Game: Clue

    • Clue requires each child to plan out her game strategy and attempt to solve the mystery based on the clue given at the beginning of the game. This game is beneficial to those with ADD because it hones organizational skills as the kids must prioritize information and make educated guesses to determine who killed whom.

    Board Game: Chutes and Ladders

    • Kids with ADD are easily frustrated when they cannot achieve a specific outcome. Chutes and Ladders helps them learn to handle frustration. Encountering a ladder allows the kid to climb quickly to the top, but encountering a chute takes the kids quickly to the bottom. The child can experience the frustration of this quick failure in a safe environment and generalize to real life situations. The quick success experienced by encountering a ladder will elicit excitement from an ADD child, and she also gains experience in control.

    Game Of Imagination

    • Because of their short attention span, kids with ADD are often not able to finish a scenario or see a situation through. As such, making up scenarios and playing with imaginative situations gives these kids practice in everyday situations. Reference real life skills situations when designing your scenarios. For instance, describe a scenario in which a child talks out of turn in class, and discuss what the consequences would be.

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