Disclosure: This sponsored post is brought to you buy Classroom Direct. They provided me with a backpack full of supplies to donate to someone in need in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own, as are all photos within this post. No other monetary compensation was given.
Ever since my husband and I got together, we’ve noticed that as the summer draws to a close, my son has a harder time with everyday tasks because school offers a totally different routine and atmosphere that he needs in order to thrive and keep his ADHD in check. Unfortunately for my son, though, he doesn’t start school until a week after our older children because he attends a local charter school, and they don’t start until after Labor Day. So while his siblings start school next week, he still has a ways to go before he can meet his new teacher and start his 4th grade year.
To help my son manage his ADHD better at home so he has more productive days at school, my husband and I have been brainstorming ideas to help my son focus better and feel calmer. My son’s ADHD isn’t as bad as some childrens’ but it does cause problems at home after a long day of school. Oftentimes we experience meltdowns from him once he gets home from school and even before school starts. Those meltdowns and temper tantrums can be exasperating to deal with and, I admit, leave me in tears some days. Neither my husband or I like arguing with my son. We know he’s easily distracted and needs set rules and instructions to follow in order to be ready for the day.
One of the changes my husband and I are making this year is that we bought a special hanging clothing rack to hang in my son’s closet that I will fill with clothing for each day of the week. He will no longer have to pick out his own clothes, which can often leave him feeling overwhelmed even though he enjoys doing it. He has even told us that this new idea will be more helpful to him.
Another change that we made is that we moved my stepson down into my old office, which allowed my son to have his own bedroom and place to decompress. Because there is quite a bit of an age difference between he and his brother, they tend to get on each other’s nerves. And my stepson isn’t overly understanding or accepting of my son’s issues sometimes, which I understand. He’s 13 and his brother is an annoying eight-year-old in his mind. By allowing both of them to have their own rooms, we are hoping that they get along better and that my son feels like he has a place to go when he feels himself losing focus or getting out of control.
Since moving the rooms around, we have redecorated my son’s room to make it a space that reflects who he is and will bring him peace. He’s a quintessential “farmboy”. He has grown up around animals and loves the dirt, and when he’s outside, he’s happiest, so his room now has all the typical stuff you’d find in an outside fort, including some fake woodland creatures. His reaction when he saw his room was priceless.
In addition, we also bought my son a lava lamp, which I’ve read can help calm a child with ADHD down.
As far as other things we do to help my son, we make sure he has good meals throughout the day. I prefer to make homecooked meals for our family because I hate all the preservatives and additives in heavily processed foods. We also limit his sugar and foods that contain red dye because they make his ADHD worse.
Another recommendation that I have for children like my own is to make sure they have a desk area in their room where they can quietly work on homework without the distraction of siblings, pets, etc. Make sure it’s also filled with school supplies that he or she may need, like pencils, crayons, paper, etc.
One other thing that I want to mention that helps keep my son in check is sports. He is almost a black belt in tae kwon do, which he does all year long. He also plays soccer in the fall and baseball in the spring. All of these activities help him burn off energy and stay focused because it helps him use his brain in different ways, which is great.
What are some of the things that you do to help your child with ADHD to make sure they do well in school?
How you can help others have a successful school year
Classroom Direct understands how important it is that EVERY child, no matter their circumstance, has the same opportunities in life, so they provided a group of us bloggers with fully stocked backpacks for a child in each of our areas.
I thought for quite awhile about who this bag should go to. While school funding was cut to the district three out of four of our children go too, I didn’t feel it was right to donate the backpack to them even though they were collecting supplies for children in the district.
See, my youngest goes to a local charter school in the same town and they get far less per student from the state and the school is free to go to. That means these teachers are doing more with less. Many families like ours have made the choice to switch to this charter school in hopes their children will get a better education. This is my son’s second year attending there, and I can honestly say the education he is receiving from his school is better than he received through the district his siblings go to.
Where we live is home to many families who fall in the low income range. They can barely afford clothing and food for their kids, never mind school supplies. Many of these students have enrolled at my son’s school. So not only does the school get less money from the state, they also have students whose parents can’t afford extra school supplies. Knowing this made me realize that my son’s school was the perfect place to go to to find a child who could use this backpack and supplies.
Once I made the decision to donate the backpack to the school so the director could give it to a family in need, I informed the director of my decision and she was touched by the gesture. In addition, to this backpack, my husband and I are also donating extra school supplies to my son’s teacher since she is buying most of their classroom supplies with her own money. My husband and I aren’t rich. We don’t have a lot of money, but we are better off than many other people, and want to try and make a difference in other people’s lives. By helping my son’s school, we are making a difference in the future of today’s youth. Hopefully our gestures of kindness, as well as those of all those who donate to schools, including Classroom Direct, create a ripple effect that leave a positive mark on the world.
If you would like to donate to schools or charities in your area, I recommend contacting your town, city or school district to find out more information about places in your area that collect school supplies. I know there are several places in our town, including the local grocery store, that have boxes to collect school items.
If you would like to shop from Classroom Direct site, you can find awesome Classroom Packs and Teacher Favorites.
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