School Supplies for ADHD Children

Right Color & Design Make Organization Easier for Special Needs Kids

Aug 12, 2009

Kids with ADHD can really benefit from the right school supplies. Color, simple designs, labels can make it easier to be organized and stay focused

Children who have ADHD have an unusually hard time staying organized, especially at school. One easy way to help a disorganized, distractible child is to choose school supplies wisely. Little things can help prevent chaos!

Buy Extra Supplies

Every parent gets a school supply list. However, the quantities of pencils, crayons, etc. that are specified are only the minimum quantity. It's a sure bet that the child who has ADHD will lose a few of his supplies during the year. Rather than punishing the child for a problem he can't control, parents can buy duplicates of items for later use. The very best time to buy extras is at the beginning of the school year, when stores typically run deep discounts on supplies as a marketing tool.

Colors Help Organization

One way to help a disorganized child is with color. The child can choose the same color spiral notebook and folder for each subject. Even better, when the child gets his textbooks, he or she also can decorate the spine of the book with a piece of colored duct tape to correspond with the spiral and folder. For example, if social studies is "red," then the folder, spiral notebook and textbook should all be marked with red. Or, if stretchy book covers are preferred, they should be bought in the designated color for the subject. This way, if a child has social studies homework, he can grab everything red to take home, without too much searching for the correct materials.

Extra Books Save Stress

Children with ADHD have an usually hard time remembering to take their schoolbooks home for homework. Many ADHD experts advise parents to ask for an extra set of schoolbooks, one to keep at school and one to keep at home. This extra set can be part of an Individualized Education Plan or a 504 plan, which provide extra academic and/or social supports to children with special needs.

Keep Supplies Simple

Parents who have children with attention issues are often advised to help their child reduce visual clutter in the environment, because clutter can add to distractibility. Choosing pencils, holders, bags, etc. with plain designs will provide less visual clutter in the locker and desk.

Children with ADHD typically struggle to keep track of anything and everything. One way to make it easier is to make the supplies easier to find. While opaque decorated containers for pencils and such can be attractive, a child will likely do better using see-through containers. Keeping things in plain view eliminates having to take the mental step of remembering what supply is in which bag.

Labels Help Organization

There's a reason that many teachers are fiends for labels in the classroom: It makes organization easier. The same applies for any child, particularly one who has extra trouble keeping supplies together. Even an older child will benefit from having all school supplies clearly marked. Parents or the child can label everything with an indelible marker. Other options: A low- cost labeling machine to make labels for supplies or the purchase of a variety of preprinted, brightly colored labels.

While a child who has Attention Deficit Disorder will have extra organization problems in school, there are many strategies that can help him cope. Among the most simple is to buy school supplies with care, taking advantage of color, product design and labels that will help the child keep things in order.

The copyright of the article School Supplies for ADHD Children in ADHD Children is owned by Katherine Spitz. Permission to republish School Supplies for ADHD Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.