Whether it’s listening to a lesson in class, completing homework or doing a task they find uninspiring, our children and teens with ADHD tend to have a hard time focusing. Sometimes, all of us are bored and find it hard to pay attention. But when a child has ADHD and is bored, focus is more difficult. So how can you help your child with ADHD find ways to focus when they need to but are bored or disinterested?
Why do kids with ADHD become bored easily?
People with ADHD tend to have lower levels of dopamine in their brains. Psychology Today defines dopamine as the “feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that ferries information between neurons. . . This important neurochemical boosts mood, motivation, and attention, and helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses.”
This means that your child is seeking ways to boost their dopamine levels through something new or interesting. If the task is boring and uninteresting to the child, then they lose focus. They may try to stimulate themselves by turning their attention to something else or daydreaming. This can affect their ability to learn and complete uninteresting things like homework, classwork or even chores at home. This could result in lower grades at school and much frustration with parents and others at home.
My son J definitely has struggled with this throughout his life. He has a hard time concentrating in class when he isn’t interested in the subject. He also tends to put off homework and chores that he finds boring. I’m sure you can relate with your child’s behavior.
Signs of boredom
So what are the signs that your child or teen with ADHD is bored and needs help to focus on their task?
- Misbehavior – instead of focusing on schoolwork, your child is talking, playing or doing other things instead of paying attention to their lesson in class or on their homework.
- Incomplete work – your child doesn’t get homework or classwork assignments done. At home, chores aren’t finished.
- Daydreaming – your child spends time daydreaming instead of focusing on what is being taught or the task needing to be done.
- Does well only in subjects they find interesting – their grades are inconsistent at school because they do well in the subjects they like and don’t pay attention to work for subjects they find boring or dislike.
- Doesn’t feel challenged enough – if schoolwork or tasks at home aren’t challenging enough, then this can cause boredom.
- “I’m bored” – your child may complain about feeling bored, whether it’s at school or home.
Ways to help your child with ADHD focus when bored or disinterested
Whether your child is feeling bored or not, schoolwork, chores and other things still have to get done. We all have specific tasks we wish we didn’t have to do. In addition, we have all been in classes where we wish we could be doing something else. So how can you help liven things up a bit for your child with ADHD to help them better focus when they have to even if they are bored?
1. Use a timer
It may be easier for your child to focus on a task if they know how long they have to focus on it. So use a timer to determine how many minutes your child needs to work on a task. If it’s a long task, you may have to do a few sessions of working followed by a break to get it done. For those with ADHD, using a visual timer like the Time Timer (affiliate link) is a great way for them to see how long they have left.
2. Give your child a fidget toy to help them focus
Using a fidget toy can surprisingly help your child focus on the task at hand, especially if it is trying to pay attention to a lesson in the classroom. There are many types available, so maybe offering your child a variety of them (affiliate link) in their backpack will help. Be sure to talk to your child’s teacher before sending them to school with your child!
3. Try an audiobook if reading isn’t stimulating enough
If your child has to read a book for class (or even for entertainment), try to find the audiobook version if they have a hard time focusing on the written words. The audiobook with a good narrator can be more stimulating. Many times, teachers offer an audiobook version for students online for classes. You also may be able to find free audiobooks with the Libby or Overdrive apps with your library card. If not, you could consider an Audible membership (affiliate link).
4. Make the task a game
If a task is boring, you and your child could use your imaginations to turn it into a game. That can make it more fun and interesting.
5. Give them a doodle sheet
Similar to using a fidget toy, sometimes doodling on a piece of paper can keep their hands busy while their brain can focus on what the teacher is saying.
6. Take notes during the lesson
Taking notes during the lesson can be especially helpful for pre-teens and teens to keep their focus on what a teacher is saying. It also is a great way to be able to have the information needed for assignments and to study for tests.
7. Give them a reward
People with ADHD generally response to external motivators. Rewards are a great way to help your child focus on a task.
8. Teach them how to practice mindfulness
Mindfulness not only helps reduce stress and anxiety; it also can help your child learn how to be present in their day-to-day activities. That includes schoolwork or even chores at home.
Resources
Do you find your child bored at home during school breaks and at other times? Or do you need some additional help dealing with your child’s boredom? Check out these resources.
Focused Ninja: A Children’s Book About Increasing Focus and Concentration at Home and School (affiliate link)
Tolerance to boredom in children and adolescents with ADHD: A review of an invisible problem paperback (affiliate link)
