Studies have made the news again regarding television and our children. Too much television is not good for our kids. The very presence of a television in your child’s room can be a determining factor in how well your kids do academically. Kids today are continuing to be “plugged in.”
Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of you kids’ rooms. We move the television into a common and give our kids time limits. A comment I hear often when people ask me about the Tokens for TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so used to being plugged in they don’t know what to do. They’re bored.
It doesn’t matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the same. It’s time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time for quiet and play are important life skills. Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged play:
• Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly and Sorry! are all great games.
• Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War… There are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also teach your children how to play solitaire.
• Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community. Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange. There are also some great audio books available at the library. You can also purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores and online.
• Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough.
• Build something. LEGO’s, Lincoln Logs and K’nex. Don’t have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using toothpicks and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds funny, but it works!
• Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen floors will work fine too.
• Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own masterpieces on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family album.
Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids’ part. It’s normal. It won’t take long and your kids will be able to find other things to do instead of plugging in and tuning the world out.
There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or any kid’s craft book are great resources if you would like more ideas. There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The following recipe contains items commonly found in most kitchens.
UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH
Ingredients:
• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water
• food coloring (liquid is best)
Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add water and oil slowly.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring.
4. Store dough in air tight container.
Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Homework Help for the Attention Deficit Child
Relax. We have some tried-and-try ADHD information that should get your A.D.D. child on the right homework path.
The hyperactive or A.D.D. child especially needs consistency, a work place free of distractions, solid encouragement and praise - along with established consequences if the positive homework tips fail.
Establish a Set Homework Routine:
Work with your child to develop that routine. Some Attention Deficit and hyperactive children work best immediately after school while others need an hour or two to settle down before jumping back into studies.
To help the A.D.D. child better focus, the work area should be free of distractions, such as televisions, video games, music and other people.
Mandatory Homework Time:
We are strong proponents of establishing an allotted amount of homework time on school days. This set amount of time gives consistency to the hyperactive or A.D.D. child and discourages rushing through homework.
Talk with your child's teachers about the average recommended homework time for the child's grade level. In general, elementary school children should spend about 30 minutes each night on homework. Middle school and high school students should spend about one hour on homework.
If the child does not have homework that evening or they finish before the allotted time, the child can read until their mandatory homework time is over.
"Chunking" and Scheduled Breaks:
The hyperactive and A.D.D. child often experiences difficulty with long-range tasks. "Chunking" homework for the hyperactive or A.D.D. child helps break the homework task into smaller, more manageable pieces.
You can break a 20-problem math assignment into four chunks of five problems each, with a small break in between chunks. If using the mandatory homework time schedule, set a kitchen timer to ring every five to 15 minutes, depending on the child's attention span.
Rewards/Consequences:
As with any parenting issue, rewarding good behavior and disciplining poor behavior motivates kids toward good behavior. The A.D.D. child needs all the rewards they can get, along with firm and consistent consequences.
The homework contract clearly states that when the homework is completed, the child will earn a reward. The contract also clearly outlines consequences for not completing homework.
You can offer daily modest rewards like earning time to play Gameboy, the right to choose a favorite dinner or a modest treat or special privilege. You can give out one point for every night of completed homework for the child to cash in for a trip to the zoo after earning five points, for instance.
Effective consequences for not completing homework are losing phone, computer, stereo and television privileges for the evening. It is important that you remain calm, firm and consistent on nights when Attention Deficit Disorder child decides to get into a power struggle over homework. It may take a couple consequence days before the child realizes that completing homework makes for a better night than not doing homework.
The goal is to develop a solid homework habit. With a homework habit established, better grades will automatically follow.
Don't forget to offer the intangible rewards of smiles and praise when your child puts the effort into completing his homework. A "way to go" goes a long way in positive reinforcement for Attention Deficit Disorder children.
Additional Homework ADHD Information:
• Using an assignment book for the A.D.D. child helps parents keep track of the child's daily and weekly homework.
• If the teacher does not use an assignment book, develop a system with the teacher so you know the child's homework assignments.
• If the A.D.D. child insist on heavy parental homework help, require that the child attempt problems at least twice before asking for homework help. Attention Deficit and hyperactive children may not be able to receive "A"s on every homework and school assignment. Instead of getting hung up on the traditional grading scale, give you’re A.D.D. child an "A" for effort.
Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of you kids’ rooms. We move the television into a common and give our kids time limits. A comment I hear often when people ask me about the Tokens for TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so used to being plugged in they don’t know what to do. They’re bored.
It doesn’t matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the same. It’s time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time for quiet and play are important life skills. Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged play:
• Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly and Sorry! are all great games.
• Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War… There are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also teach your children how to play solitaire.
• Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community. Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange. There are also some great audio books available at the library. You can also purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores and online.
• Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough.
• Build something. LEGO’s, Lincoln Logs and K’nex. Don’t have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using toothpicks and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds funny, but it works!
• Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen floors will work fine too.
• Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own masterpieces on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family album.
Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids’ part. It’s normal. It won’t take long and your kids will be able to find other things to do instead of plugging in and tuning the world out.
There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or any kid’s craft book are great resources if you would like more ideas. There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The following recipe contains items commonly found in most kitchens.
UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH
Ingredients:
• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water
• food coloring (liquid is best)
Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add water and oil slowly.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring.
4. Store dough in air tight container.
Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Homework Help for the Attention Deficit Child
Relax. We have some tried-and-try ADHD information that should get your A.D.D. child on the right homework path.
The hyperactive or A.D.D. child especially needs consistency, a work place free of distractions, solid encouragement and praise - along with established consequences if the positive homework tips fail.
Establish a Set Homework Routine:
Work with your child to develop that routine. Some Attention Deficit and hyperactive children work best immediately after school while others need an hour or two to settle down before jumping back into studies.
To help the A.D.D. child better focus, the work area should be free of distractions, such as televisions, video games, music and other people.
Mandatory Homework Time:
We are strong proponents of establishing an allotted amount of homework time on school days. This set amount of time gives consistency to the hyperactive or A.D.D. child and discourages rushing through homework.
Talk with your child's teachers about the average recommended homework time for the child's grade level. In general, elementary school children should spend about 30 minutes each night on homework. Middle school and high school students should spend about one hour on homework.
If the child does not have homework that evening or they finish before the allotted time, the child can read until their mandatory homework time is over.
"Chunking" and Scheduled Breaks:
The hyperactive and A.D.D. child often experiences difficulty with long-range tasks. "Chunking" homework for the hyperactive or A.D.D. child helps break the homework task into smaller, more manageable pieces.
You can break a 20-problem math assignment into four chunks of five problems each, with a small break in between chunks. If using the mandatory homework time schedule, set a kitchen timer to ring every five to 15 minutes, depending on the child's attention span.
Rewards/Consequences:
As with any parenting issue, rewarding good behavior and disciplining poor behavior motivates kids toward good behavior. The A.D.D. child needs all the rewards they can get, along with firm and consistent consequences.
The homework contract clearly states that when the homework is completed, the child will earn a reward. The contract also clearly outlines consequences for not completing homework.
You can offer daily modest rewards like earning time to play Gameboy, the right to choose a favorite dinner or a modest treat or special privilege. You can give out one point for every night of completed homework for the child to cash in for a trip to the zoo after earning five points, for instance.
Effective consequences for not completing homework are losing phone, computer, stereo and television privileges for the evening. It is important that you remain calm, firm and consistent on nights when Attention Deficit Disorder child decides to get into a power struggle over homework. It may take a couple consequence days before the child realizes that completing homework makes for a better night than not doing homework.
The goal is to develop a solid homework habit. With a homework habit established, better grades will automatically follow.
Don't forget to offer the intangible rewards of smiles and praise when your child puts the effort into completing his homework. A "way to go" goes a long way in positive reinforcement for Attention Deficit Disorder children.
Additional Homework ADHD Information:
• Using an assignment book for the A.D.D. child helps parents keep track of the child's daily and weekly homework.
• If the teacher does not use an assignment book, develop a system with the teacher so you know the child's homework assignments.
• If the A.D.D. child insist on heavy parental homework help, require that the child attempt problems at least twice before asking for homework help. Attention Deficit and hyperactive children may not be able to receive "A"s on every homework and school assignment. Instead of getting hung up on the traditional grading scale, give you’re A.D.D. child an "A" for effort.
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