Mother’s Day is a festive day filled with French toast, pancakes, spring attire, and special time spent with mom. Yet it can also be a great time for learning! Kids with ADHD can enjoy short, engaging activities that integrate learning and will make their mom happy. The key is keeping the activities hands-on, structured, low pressure, and fun!  Try some of the ideas detailed below, ideally with help from someone who isn’t mom.

“Why I Love Mom” Sheet

Kids with ADHD can strengthen their writing skills with a “Why I Love Mom” fill-in-the blank sheet that moms will certainly love! For this activity, create a sheet that says “All About My Mom” at the top, and include writing prompts with spaces for your child to fill in, like the ones below:

“My mom is so ____”.

“My mom’s favorite color is _____”.

“My mom’s favorite food is _____”.

“My mom cooks the best _____”.

“My mom is really good at ____”.

“My mom always says ____”.

“My mom would win a gold medal in ____”.

“My mom and I like to _____”.

“My mom really loves _____”.

“I love my mom because_____”.

If your child struggles with writing, have them dictate their answers to you and you write them down. Using this approach will still build language and communication skills!

Mother’s Day Scavenger Hunt

A little movement is great for kids with ADHD, and everyone in the family will have fun with this Mother’s Day scavenger hunt. Have your child write 6-8 clues on notecards and put them around your home (you can help them write the clues if needed). The final clue should end with a special surprise, like a homemade brunch! The clues might look something like:

1. If you’re in a breakfast mood, go here to find some food!
2. For your second clue, put these on before your shoe.
3. If you want your teeth to be clean, go to this room to brush, especially if you ate a jellybean!
4. Next is the place where you lay your head. Go look under your bed!
5. Another clue must be told. Look where we keep our yogurt and milk cold.
6. Then turn around and you will see a special treat made by me!

Mom will love these silly clues and the whole family will have fun with this scavenger hunt.

Make a meal!

Making a special meal for mom is a great way to reinforce reading, writing, and math skills. Have your child come up with ideas for a special meal they want to make. They might decide to make pancakes, eggs, and blueberry muffins. Once they have decided on the items, they should look online or in cookbooks to find the recipes for the foods they want to make. Next, they should write down a list of ingredients they need to buy from the grocery store.

When it’s time to start cooking, they should work on making the menu items, one at a time, and set out the ingredients they need to make each item. They should follow each recipe step-by-step (a great way to work on sequencing), measuring out each ingredient and following the recipe instructions until all items are made. They should then set the table with forks, knives, cups, and all the items they made for their special meal. Mom is sure to love it!

Decorate a Dessert

Another fun cooking-related activity that kids with ADHD can do for Mother’s Day is to set up a “decorate a dessert” station. Have your child decide which dessert they want to decorate. They might choose cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or another dessert they like. They should also decide which toppings to include and make a list of ingredients they need to buy from the supermarket for this activity.  They can get creative with the toppings and include ones like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, marshmallows, gummy bears, shredded coconut – you name it! Fresh fruit, like bananas or raspberries, can work too, along with drizzles, like chocolate or caramel syrup.

When your child is ready to set up the station, they should put each of the toppings in small bowls next to the desserts and have fun decorating them with mom!

Plan the Perfect Day for Mom – Budget Game 

A great way for kids with ADHD to build math skills on Mother’s Day is with a “plan the perfect day for mom” budget game.

To play this game, give your child a budget for the day, like $30. Have them make a list of everything they want to do for mom and come up with an approximate price for each item, which they should include on their list. For example, their list might look like:

Breakfast in bed: $10

Special cake: $8

Movie rental: $3

Flowers: $7

After they create their list with corresponding prices, have them write the total at the bottom. Then ask your child whether their total is above or below the budget and, if so, by how much.

Mother’s Day is a special time to spend with mom, and it’s also a great day to have fun while learning. Try these activities at home and this Mother’s Day will be one mom never forgets!

EBL Coaching specializes in one-on-one in person and virtual tutoring for students in grades pre-K-12 with specialized learning needs. They use research-based, multi-sensory techniques, including the Orton Gillingham method, to develop students’ reading, writing, math, note taking, test taking, and executive functioning skills. Each student is evaluated and then receives an individualized learning plan to address their specific academic needs. Learn more at http://www.eblcoaching.com/. Dr. Emily Levy, Founder & Director, is happy to hear from anyone who is in need for their child. You may reach her thru her website, and mention you heard of her thru MotherhoodLater.

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