Millions of children in the United States have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, you might be wondering how to best meet his or her needs. This could including throwing your child the best possible birthday party. Here are a few tips for throwing perfect birthday parties for children with ADHD.
Understand ADHD First
If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, it’s important that you understand what he or she is going through and how you can help. Talk with a child ADHD specialist about how you can best meet your child’s needs. Children with ADHD benefit from organization and minimal distractions. You might want to organize your home and help your child know where everything goes. You can also create a quiet space for your child to work on homework. A place that’s free of distractions will best suit his or her needs. Children with ADHD also do well when they’re able to exercise and use their energy constructively. Provide your child with lots of time to be active and productive.
Organize Your Child’s Party
A birthday party is sure to be filled with distractions. If you haven’t organized the party fully, your child might be overwhelmed by the different activities and people. Make sure you’ve fully planned the party. This includes creating a schedule and providing clear instructions to the guests. Let your child know the schedule ahead of time since they will most likely be looking forward to different events you have planned. Depending on the type of party you’re throwing, you will probably want to provide set times for eating food, playing games, engaging in activities, and opening presents. Since ADHD is a popular diagnosis, doing this for your child will also help any other children with ADHD feel comfortable at the party.
Rent Things to Keep Them Active
Children with ADHD benefit from being active and using their energy. One of the best ways to keep the kids at the party active is fun rentals. Make sure you’ve scheduled the rental playtime into the party and that the guests and your child know what rentals are available to play with. It’s also easy for you to theme your child’s party around specific rentals. Basketball hoop rentals are perfect for an NBA party, and the hoop is delivered right to your door. You could rent arcade games and throw your child an arcade party. You could even rent a petting zoo! No matter what you decide to rent, make sure you have plenty of games and activities for your child and the guests. This will help keep them occupied and active, and as long as you’ve appropriately scheduled the activities, your child will not feel overwhelmed or distracted.
Let Your Child Take Breaks
Since it’s your child’s birthday party, you might be tempted to force him or her to be there the whole time, but kids with ADHD need the occasional break. You can build break times into the party if that works well for your child, or you can let your kid know that he or she are able to take a break in the house whenever it’s needed. Remind yourself that your child isn’t being rude by leaving the party. He or she is just making sure they can fully engage with friends. You also might want to take a break at some point during the party, so appoint a friend or spouse to be your backup if it’s needed.
Throwing your child a birthday party doesn’t have to be stressful. If you keep the party organized, provide excellent activities, and build in breaks, your child and his or her friends will have an incredible time.
