Katharyn Havens shows how to use index cards with single activities written on them, drawn randomly from a bag for 5-, 15-, or 30-minute sessions. The unpredictability keeps kids with ADHD engaged without rigid schedules, mixing fun tasks like photography prompts with academic drills like multiplication practice.
Chapters
So here's an idea in case you have multi-age kids all at one time, or maybe some of us have a little more trouble with focus than others. I came up with this idea of choice cards, basic index cards where I have written ideas of things that we could do. Everything from documented, where everyone takes a camera and has a mission to go take a photograph, Something like, you know, the color purple. Play a game of chess. Multiplication practice. Just one sheet. So you see, some of them are things that are more fun, some of them are tasks. I have one for cursive handwriting. Memorize a line and practice it for 15 minutes. In any case, some of them take 5 minutes, some of them take 15 or 30 minutes, but it's a great way to have your day flow. We just put these in a bag where you can't see them and someone picks out a choice card. So you could do this once or twice a week, or you could actually have a whole day where you just do choice cards one after the other. In any case, I found it very helpful, especially if you have kids who have ADHD, for example. It just helps it to feel like we're moving along and things are new and there's going to be something next, but not even I know what's next. So that makes it really fun. Anyway, it's been helpful for me. There you go, in case you can use it. Choice cards.
