How to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child with Rest and Exercise

As you already know, children have a lot of physical energy. Younger children get their energy in spurts and then need to rest afterwards, while older children develop the kind of sustained energy that gets them through soccer and baseball games.

When children don’t get enough rest or exercise, their reaction is the same - irritability and loss of concentration. So it’s essential that you make sure your child gets plenty of both.

Let’s talk about rest first. All children need at least eight hours of sleep, and younger children need more. Since every child has different needs, I suggest you talk to your pediatrician to figure out the right amount of sleep for your child.

Young children also need a regular bedtime throughout the year. Of course there’ll be exceptions for special occasions, but even on vacation it’s important for your child to stay with her usual habits. This is particularly true for children with ADD/ADHD, since the more regularity they have, the more stable they’ll become.

Children need quiet times during the day as well. School can be exhausting for any child, and a child with ADD/ADHD is going to wear out even more because of all the effort he has to use just to sit still.

So be sure your child has at least half an hour - hopefully more - every day just to relax and calm down. This should be time without television or the computer. She can read, draw a picture, sit under a tree, or stare at the ceiling, just as long as the time gives her a chance to let go of the day’s frustrations and gently pull herself back together.

Now to exercise (physical activity). Your child needs to have some free and unstructured time to do what he likes at the pace he likes. Anything from walking the dog to riding a bike to shooting hoops fits here - actually just about anything physical fits as long as it’s her choice.