Traveling with ADHD - Vacation Behavior Management
If you're traveling with a child with attention deficit disorder this summer, rest assured there are ways you can help your ADHD child manage hyperactivity.
- Plan break time. You may be pressed for time and anxious to get where you're going, but the trip will go more smoothly if you plan time for breaks. Ideally, stop at least every two to three hours. If your child needs more frequent breaks, work in time for that as well. Take along a Frisbee, jump rope, or other athletic toys, and supervise your kids while playing in a safe area away from traffic. Encourage them to play until they've run off their excess energy. Take care of bathroom and snacking needs, and then hit the road.
- Pack healthy snacks such as low-fat cheese sticks, fruit, and veggie sticks or special foods for kids with diet restrictions.
- Consider budgeting spending money for each child for the trip. Get roles of dimes, nickels, or quarters at your bank in the amount you've chosen for each child. Choose nickels or dimes for children who need frequent reinforcement.
Before the trip, write each child's name on their roll of coins, and explain that this is their spending money. Also explain that for each time you have to discipline them for fighting, breaking rules, or failure to follow your instructions, you will take away one coin. Keep the rolls with you.
When it is necessary to discipline the kids, tell them specifically what they've done wrong and that you're taking away a coin. Keep a tally on the roll how much is left in it. Tell your child how much is left when you remove a coin.
If you believe it would be more effective, you can reverse this strategy and have your kids earn coins for positive behavior. For example, for every half hour of playing appropriately, following rules, and complying with your instructions, reward the child with an amount of money. Keep a tally. Praise your child when you give a reward and say the new total of money aloud. You may want to also give examples of what kinds of things he can buy for that amount of money.
- Pack a bag of favorite travel-friendly toys for each child. Kids should have things to do alone and with the group
- Use thinking games to occupy kids who need interaction to stay positive and focused:
Thinking Games for Toddlers
thinking Games for Home School, and Travel
Visual Guessing Games
Games to Entertain Infants and Toddlers
More on Traveling with ADHD
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