Want to know how to homeschool ADHD successfully? Harnessing the attention of your child’s ADHD brain can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible. The key to homeschooling ADHD is to work with the ADHD brain. I know because I’ve homeschooling ADHD for more than 14 years. Here are 29 tips to help you know how to homeschool ADHD without losing your mind.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.
29 Tips for How to Homeschool ADHD
I’ve asked pediatric occupational therapist, Alicia Mathews, MS, OTR-L, to join me in sharing our best ADHD teaching strategies. As you read through these homeschool teaching tips, remember that “brain-body optimization” is the key.
Here are 29 effective teaching strategies to help you homeschool your ADHD students.
A good occupational therapist has a deep understanding of the brain and the body. In the end, they know how to optimize both for effective learning.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.
1. Sensory Input & Movement Is a Must
Any learning that requires a child to sit and pay attention can be tough. Many kids with ADHD are wired for movement. Physical movement releases feel-good chemicals that stimulate the brain and relax the body.
When teaching the ADHD brain, get kids moving strategically! We recommend the RIGHT sensory input before children sit for learning. The right movement includes vestibular and proprioceptive sensory input.
2. Understand Vestibular Input
Vestibular input is the sensory system that allows us to know where our body is in space. That sensation you feel when on a swing or riding a roller coaster is the brain’s way of understanding that you’re not on solid ground, for example.
When the head moves through space histamine is released, which increases attention and alertness levels.
Outside vestibular activities include:
- Going down a slide (headfirst is always fun & increases vestibular input),
- Swinging high in the air,
- Riding a scooter
Indoor vestibular activities:
- Log rolls,
- Spinning in an office chair,
- Inverted yoga poses
In my home, we love these Yoga Pretzel cards. Have your child grab one or two cards. Then incorporate movement breaks into your homeschool routine.
- Flynn, Lisa (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 60 Pages – 07/24/2018 (Publication Date) – Adams Media (Publisher)
3. Proprioceptive Input for The ADHD Brain
Proprioceptive sensory input refers to movement, changes in joint position, and deep pressure. This type of movement releases serotonin, which decreases hyperactivity levels and “calms” the body and mind.
This is why we grown-ups love a deep-tissue massage.
Outside Proprioceptive Activities:
Outdoor proprioceptive activities your ADHD child can do before or while learning include:
- Climbing a rock wall,
- Maneuvering through monkey bars,
- Jumping on a trampoline.
Inside Proprioceptive Activities:
Indoor proprioception activities you can try to optimize your child’s brain for learning are:
- Pushing/pulling a heavy bin of toys,
- Deep pressure with a sofa cushion,
- Climbing up the stairs on hands and knees.
Homeschooling An ADHD Brain?
Grab FREE ADHD Homeschool Teaching Tips Cheat Sheets!
4. Short Lessons
When working on a difficult activity, always start with small increments of time. Even 5 minutes can seem like forever.
Set a short time expectation ahead of time. This will allow your child confidence that they can do it. And whatever you do, stick to your word. If you say 5 minutes, stop at 5 minutes.
5. Your Words Matter
Kids with ADHD and other executive functioning challenges are constantly bombarded with messages that tell them they’re not good enough. Friend, our words matter. When laying out expectations to a student, I usually preface them this way,
I just need your best effort for 5 minutes. I know you can do it.
Slowly increase the time when skill and confidence develop. Small chunks of intentional teaching over time will yield fruit.
6. Obstacle Course
When movement can be incorporated within a lesson, try utilizing an obstacle course. Place lesson materials throughout the course.
Likewise, incorporate a “writing/reading/math” obstacle within the course. Have your child help create the course for increased motivation.
7. Alternative Seating for Improved Attention
Studies show that forcing kids to sit still limits learning. When sitting still, those with ADHD struggle even more to maintain attention.
This is because they’re using their limited cognitive energy to control their movement.
In the end, this limits their ability to receive and process information (i.e., learn).
A wobble chair, therapy stability ball, or chair band can help a child who needs to sit still. For fidgety kids, these allow them to make small movements without distracting others.
At the same time, alternative seating can help kids who need to increase attention (inattentive ADHD types). For the child who seems daydreamy, offering alternative seating can help them stay alert.
Here are 19 of the best seating options for ADHD.
8. Stop Fighting Against ADHD
Remember, our kids have all been designed differently on purpose. Don’t fight it. Use the ADHD wiring to your student’s academic advantage. If something doesn’t work, try another option.
9. Look Behind the Behavior
Despite the dominant belief that kids are lazy, there’s almost always a legitimate reason for academic struggles. Here’s a common and yet often missed example.
When the brain spends energy controlling small eye movements, it has less fuel to focus on controlling behavior and attention.
Homeschooling An ADHD Brain?
Grab FREE ADHD Homeschool Teaching Tips Cheat Sheets!
10. Warm Up the Eyes
When reading and writing, the eyes perform a variety of movements. If these skills are not present or automatic, the brain has to work harder to compensate.
Understandably, this negatively affects a child’s ability to focus and sit still for several reasons. Here are some easy eye warm-ups you can do at home to prime the eyes and the ADHD brain for optimal learning.
11. Toss a Ball or Balloon
Hit a balloon or toss a large ball back and forth 10 times. You can change it up by varying the type, height, and speed of the object.
12. Eye Tick Tocks: Improve Learning
Complete “tick-tocks” by having your child follow an object with their eyes.
- Try up and down movements 10 times in a slow pattern.
- Follow with looking right and left.
Add music and increase efficiency by following the rhythm.
Quick Tutorial: Improve Attention
Why using a swing can improve your child’s ADHD symptoms and improve attention.
- Consult your child’s Occupational Therapist for more.
13. Play “Eye Movement” Simon Says
Mirror eye movements made in the four corners of your visual field. Start with 1 movement and increase until someone loses the pattern!
14. Natural Lighting
Fluorescent lights can quickly cause fatigue, especially with intensive reading activities. Use natural light when possible.
When natural light isn’t possible, remove some of the light bulbs in an overhead light. Another option is to position your child with their back facing the light source.
15. Slanted Desk & Eye Convergence
Many children struggle with eye convergence. Convergence refers to the left and right eye working together to focus on text both near and far.
This often explains a child’s complaints of headaches and lack of desire to read. When homeschooling a child with ADHD, try offering a slanted desk area such as:
- Slanted board
- Large binder
- Pillow desk
16. Limit Distractions
Too much visual stimulation drains the brain of needed energy that could be used for more effective learning. Limit visual distractions in your neurodivergent student’s workspace when possible. Use a cardboard office to help.
17. Clutter Drives Us Nuts for A Reason
Full pages of text can be overwhelming for children. I certainly become overwhelmed when I walk into a cluttered house.
Too much visual input increases stress and shuts down the ability to receive and process information. When there’s too much text on a worksheet, for example, kids become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sensory input.
Visual Discrimination and Reading Challenges
Skipping words or full lines of text is not a sign of laziness. It may be a sign of visual discrimination or other eye-tracking issues.
Here are some quick tips to reduce visual clutter:
- Use a piece of paper to cover half of a page,
- Or use a line marker when reading
- Purchase a page “window.”
Think less is more when it comes to struggling students with ADHD.
18. Reduce the Number of Problems
When working on a new or difficult topic, reduce the number of problems. Many students struggle when they hit multi-digit multiplication or long division.
Instead of handing your child a sheet of 20 (or more) math problems to work out. Start with one!
One way to make complex math problems less stressful is to use a whiteboard. Write one problem at a time and allow your child to succeed one problem at a time. Check out this video tutorial where I demonstrate this process.
Related Post:
19. Create “Loose” Structure
At some point in the homeschool journey, you will hear that “homeschooling is NOT school at home.” This is true. However, one strength of traditional schools is that they provide students with structure.
“Structure” can mean a lot of things.
- Have a general rhythm to the homeschool day
- (i.e., we do math, reading and printing practice every day)
- We don’t have screen time until schoolwork is complete
- Schoolwork is done at the kitchen table (or wherever)
In the end, you’re looking to create some general rhythm that your child can depend on.
20. Use a Visual Schedule
Kids are less anxious when they know what to expect. This makes using a Visual Schedule helpful for ADHD kids. Note that this can be particularly challenging if you have ADHD as well.
I know this because I am that ADHD homeschool mom. Creating and sticking to structure is NOT my strength. In the end, do your best and lean into visual tools to help your child. Here are ideas on how to create a weekly homeschool schedule.
21. Stay Out of the Way
People with ADHD often struggle with emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is one aspect of executive functioning that controls emotional responses. Challenges with emotional dysregulation can look like this.
- Temper Tantrums
- Meltdowns
- Oppositional behavior
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Tears
When asked to do something he doesn’t want to do, my child’s default response is to dig his heels in and shut down. This is not unusual when homeschooling ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergent students.
Independent Learning
One way to alleviate some of the battles is to provide your child with as much agency as possible. Get out of your own way. According to American academic Angela Duckworth,
Overbearing parents and teachers erode intrinsic motivation.
If your child wants to be independent, use that to your advantage. Help them develop intrinsic motivation by giving them opportunities for independent learning. In my homeschool, when I remove the audience (me), my child is less stressed and able to learn more.
22. Choose Your Battles
At the end of the day, kids with ADHD receive a lot of negative messages from the world around them. The last thing you want to do is fight with your child about everything.
When that happens, you’re at risk of losing the most powerful parenting tool you have. Your ability to influence your child through relationship.
One of the best tips to know how to homeschool ADHD is this. Choose your battles.
This means you may need to let go of some ideals you’ve always thought were non-negotiables. Check out Barely Surviving to Outright Thriving for more on that.
23. Consider an OT Evaluation
If your child has ADHD or is struggling with schoolwork, I highly recommend a PRIVATE OT evaluation. An occupational therapist can provide you with much insight into your child’s brain, behavior, and learning.
If you’re concerned about the financial and time commitment, don’t be. The OT evaluation alone will be full of information to help you understand how your child is wired.
You’ll then have a starting point to look for strategies to best support your child.
Youtube Short: Occupational Therapy Eval
Check out this quick tutorial to hear why the OT eval is key to helping your child!
24. Use Board Games
Use games to increase your child’s interest in learning. Board games and card games are excellent ways to teach academic content.
When using educational board games, your child’s focus increases. This occurs because “play” is more interesting compared to doing a worksheet.
Interest leads to higher dopamine levels in the brain. (This is why stimulant medications work for ADHD because they increase dopamine in the brain.) Use games to teach your child, improve executive function skills, and naturally increase dopamine.
25. Give Your Child Agency
Kids with ADHD don’t like being told what to do. If you tell your kid to, “Do math NOW!” you may get push-back.
While it can be frustrating to you as a parent, there is a bright side. Your child is wired to be independent. And this is one of your child’s greatest strengths. When kids demonstrate a pattern of opposition or demand avoidance, it’s time to think outside the box.
Give your child as much agency as possible. As often as you can, allow your child to choose the schoolwork they do and in what order.
You’ll limit the head-butting, save relational currency for when you need it, and your child will learn more.
26. Try Interest-Based Unit Studies
When teaching kids with ADHD, it’s important to create as many opportunities for dopamine as possible. Dopamine is the “get stuff done” neurotransmitter that’s low in the ADHD brain.
How do you increase dopamine? Use their interests to drive learning.
Brainstorm Unit Study Ideas With Your Child
Partner with your child and brainstorm areas of interest they would like to learn about. Then use that interest as the subject area of your child’s learning. For example, if your student loves Minecraft, try this printable Minecraft multiplication game. Learn how to use unit studies in your homeschool.
Sensory Processing In Your ADHD Home & Homeschool
In this video, I dive into the sensory systems and how they impact the brain, behavior, learning, and everything else.
27. Accept the Position of CEO
Many envision homeschooling as a mom teaching every single thing every day, at home. And this, my friend, is simply not true.
When you homeschool, you take the reins of your child’s education. That means you choose the curriculum and you may teach them yourself. Or, you may not.
You can choose other educational options for your child. That includes what your child learns, who teaches, how, when, and where. In the end, consider yourself the CEO of your child’s education.
28. Outsource Subjects
Part of taking charge as homeschool CEO can include outsourcing some of your child’s subjects.
Maybe your child needs extra math support and you’re sick of the stress on your relationship. Use an online math curriculum or sign your child up for a class at a local co-op.
Online Homeschool Programs We’ve Used
Another option is a quality online class like True North Homeschool Academy. My oldest daughters, both with ADHD and dyslexia, have taken classes at TNHA.
Specifically, they’ve taken:
- Writing
- High School Chemistry
- Middle School Physics
True North Homeschool Academy has been great for my older kids. They get to learn independently while freeing me up to focus on my youngest student.
Even more exciting for neurodivergent learners is Outschool! My older students have LOVED it and have taken some amazing classes including:
- Voice Acting
- US History
- Book Studies
- Social Clubs
Consider outsourcing a subject or two in your ADHD homeschool.
29. Comparison is a Theif
This one is a tough one and easy to slip into. When we’re homeschooling neurodivergent kids (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, etc.), it’s easy to get caught up in the pressure to perform.
Remember, your child is who they are for a reason. They’ve been designed with gifts, passions, and purpose. When you start to become overwhelmed by arbitrary academic benchmarks designed for a prototype student, breathe.
Then look at where your child is, and start there. One baby step at a time. You’ll get there faster than trying to force a timeline that your child is NOT designed for. Join our Private Facebook Community for more support.
What Are the Signs of ADHD in Kids?
ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) displays itself differently in everyone.
Some signs of ADHD in kids are:
- Your child may have trouble paying attention to whatever is not interesting,
- Your kid’s bedroom, backpack, or binder may be perpetually disorganized,
- Perhaps your child’s ADHD may show itself through impulsivity,
- Blurting things out (‘Did he just say that out loud?’)
- Dare-devil behaviors and thrill-seeking
- Low frustration tolerance:
- rage,
- meltdowns when things are challenging,
- shutting down when overwhelmed, etc…
Those are just a few signs of ADHD in kids (and adults). Hint: ADHD has a high heritability rate.
Strengths of ADHD
Guess what? ADHD is NOT a bad thing. When you understand the ADHD brain, it’s easier to harness its strengths. Some of the benefits of ADHD are:
- Hyperfocus
- Passion
- Creativity
- Adventurous
- Outside-the-box problem solving
Which ones resonate with you?
Traditional Teaching, Homeschooling & ADHD
Teaching ADHD students using traditional teaching approaches sets you and your kid up for failure. I know this because I made this mistake for way too long. Insisting on teaching kids with a sit still, listen, and do what I say mentality is a recipe for disaster.
For more info on ADHD in kids and how to most effectively harness the power of the ADHD brain, check out Homeschooling the Distracted Child.
Homeschooling the Distracted Child!
Sick of the uphill battles every.single.day?
Remember:
We’re all students. We’re always learning something. Adults and children alike.
Recap: How to Homeschool ADHD
When homeschooling kids with ADHD or other executive functioning challenges, the possibilities are endless.
You homeschool to provide your child with the best educational experience possible. Fortunately, there are many ways to do this.
- Movement breaks with the right sensory input
- Visual schedules
- Use your child’s interests
- Independent learning
- Use games and fun
- Outsource a class or two
So, what say you? What helps you best homeschool your ADHD child? In this with you!
About the Author:
Lindsay is a trauma-informed educator with a Master’s Degree in Teaching. Her mission is to support moms to equip neurodivergent kids (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Anxiety) to thrive as exactly who they’ve been created to be. Wait until you hear the story that led to it all…
Homeschooling An ADHD Brain?
Grab FREE ADHD Homeschool Teaching Tips Cheat Sheets!
Alicia Mathews is a pediatric occupational therapist with 10 years of experience in North Carolina. She has a Master of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She developed OT Avenue, LLC in 2017. Alicia currently works in home health and private practice.
Homeschooling An ADHD Brain?
Grab FREE ADHD Homeschool Teaching Tips Cheat Sheets!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a nominal fee from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. See my disclosure policy for more info.
What a great blog post, my son has ADD and a lot of the advice mentioned here is useful for him…… every start of the new year is a struggle for him, dependent on who is teacher is? I have to teach his teacher how to teach him!!
Kay, I am so glad to hear that you have found some of these tips useful. Your son is blessed to have you!!
Very good info. I’ve worked with children with ADHD and these are excellent ideas
Thank you so much for your encouragement! Love these kiddos and want them to thrive! Thank you for loving those kids well. 🙂
Wow this is an excellent source of information. I love your research. My son is
ASD with ADHD and major depression. I will definitely be bookmarking this and pinning it! Thank you for these amazing ideas!
Makayla, So glad you found this helpful. That means so much to me coming from a momma who knows what it it like to live in the trenches navigating the messy of parenthood. Looking forward to knowing you more! 🙂
This was such a great read, thank you. As an ADHD diagnosed person myself I became a homeschool parent so my children would be forced medications and so that they could learn to their best ability. Well, now one of my boys I would guarantee is highly ADHD. I have never had him tested, but just knowing the signs and symptoms he would be. But now as the teaching parent, I actually get to see and experience first hand the frustration I am sure my teachers had. Finding good proactive ways to help my child learn has been a little difficult, even though I myself am the same. Reading this I found many things we could add to our homeschool life that would make learning better for my little guy!
Thank you, Beth
https://theupcycledfamily.com/tips-and-tricks-for-helping-homeschool-kids-to-focus/
So fun!!! Love hearing from another ADHD momma raising her ADHD kids! I can’t wait to hear how these ideas work out for your sweet boy. I am constantly looking for more tips and strategies for my family (including me). Thanks so much for the encouragement, Beth! 🙂 Have a great week!
These are great tips. I need to be more aware of the time. I try to push my son for too long at once.
Totally hear you. It’s so easy to think longer is better. I fall into that trap as well some times. Shorter, more relaxed lessons will stick and yield fruit so much better every time. I always need the reminder as well. Thanks, Adriane! 🙂
Thanks for telling me that we should let them focus for short periods of time first if I’m trying to make my sister do a difficult activity. My parents and I are thinking that she might have ADHD because of her unnatural behavior, so we might find your tips helpful in making her focus. I also hope that it’s not too late to seek treatment for her condition so she won’t have a hard time growing up.
Be encouraged! 🙂 It’s never too late to support our kids with what they need to thrive. My biggest piece of advice is to look for the strengths of her ADHD. Learn as much as you can about the incredible abilities and possibly shift your perspective to see what could be. Adults have much greater capacity for executive functioning which allows us to be the ones to shift our expectations in order to serve our kids well. Your sister is blessed to have you in her corner. Yay!
Hi!
Your info is so great. I pray to God for you so that you can give us more beautiful tips.
Thank you.
Thanks for the chance to win the gift card!
You got it, Girl! Buying homeschool curriculum can cost a lot of money! Hope you win!!
Thank you for the helpful info! I am hoping to try a lot of these tips/strategies this coming year.
Kim, I am so glad you found these homeschooling ADHD tips helpful! Please circle back to me and let me know how the year goes! 🙂
My son has ADHD like his dad. Thanks for the post! It’s been a process learning to deal with it.
Hi Kara! I totally get the ADHD parenting journey. As you continue to learn, it will become easier. Your boy is a gift to this world, Friend! 🙂