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Writer's pictureRichard Lee-Kelland

Summer Holidays with children with ADHD

Summer holidays are upon us!




I've been recently contacted by the i newspaper to provide some hints and tips about how to manage the summer holiday break for children that have ADHD, you can read the article below:



I know many families who look towards the summer holiday with a real feeling of dread and, at times, guilt and worry over how to manage children over a long period when there are often competing demands over work, money and time.


- Finding activities for a child with ADHD over the school holidays can be challenging. Avoid activities that can seem attractive to children, but have long waits attached, or involve lots of different competing distractions such as fun fairs, zoos or amusement parks.  These can be very expensive days out and easily ruined if things don't go to plan.


- Better, are outdoor activities that involve some kind of easily achievable physical task - for example, building a large sand castle on a beach, building a dam over a stream or a hut in the wood. 


- Parents are often familiar with cries of "I'm bored" during the holidays. For children with ADHD it's important that the games and tasks that you give them are well within their capability in terms of their ability and the attention demands of the task.  For example If you give them a jigsaw puzzle, make sure it's one you know they will be able to complete, and reward them when they do so. Resist the temptation to try and push them into activities or games where they are out of their depth.   


-Try to keep the structure of the day in place during the school holidays, make sure bed and mealtimes are staying consistent with what happens during term time. 


- Summer Holidays can be a good opportunity to try and put ADHD friendly adaptations to learning in place, I would recommend the ADHD foundation which has a good number of resources https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/. These are generally helpful for most children and there is no harm in trying out these techniques while you are waiting for a formal assessment. 


- Long periods spent together as a family can be a source of tension. If you feel you are struggling with your own emotions, stop and take a break, put on the TV if need be and get support for yourself as early as you can. Talk to a family, friend or your GP if required. If you find that your child is becoming violent or aggressive, get support on this - I would recommend the Non-violent resistance course https://nvrpc.org.uk/ as a source of support these courses are often commissioned to run for free as part of a local SEND offer, and don't require any particular diagnosis to attend.  


- School holidays are a good time for a child to build individual skills and competence in activities that interest them. Consider working on a goal such as writing a story, going to a football club, learning to swim a certain distance or putting on a play.  Choose something they like, and set an easily achievable goal that they can feel good about reaching over the summer. 


Locally there are a number of clubs and activities available for children that are neurodiverse if you want to explore what is available contacting FLORA is a good first step.


For more information, email flora@bristol.gov.uk with your name and phone number. or you can call FLORA on 0117 352 6020.


See the Bristol SEND offer for more details:



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