Tag : executive functions

Let Them Jump!

• LovingGrADDitude
• June 15, 2019
• ADHD hacks, ADHD strategies, ADHD teens, executive functions, exercise and ADHD, frontal lobe

I love trampolines.  I love watching children jump, roll, flip, laugh, giggle and smile whilst playing.  They are my preferred choice of activity for our boys and if space allotted, I think every house should have one (or even two if there’s space for both).  I love how multifunctional they are: yes – they are more than entertainment for our children. They are a hidden gem of ADHD hacks!

Trampolines are one of the best forms of entertainment and activities for children.  They can be a study tool, an excellent means of exercise to release dopamine and they help with proprioception (awareness of where your body is in relation to the environment) in the body…all wrapped up in…well…can’t really wrap it up, but all presented in the round mass it is!   Besides the obvious “fun” part of jumping and twisting and turning and falling, it’s total entertainment for those participating!

How Trampolines Help Those with ADHD

It’s been said that one hour of hardcore exercise (or trampoline jumping) is the equivalent of 3-4 hours of a focused mind (no brain fog): think homework, projects, studying for exams and reading comprehension.  What would it look like if your child were able to sit and do homework for 2-3 hours without focus challenges? If an hour of exercise seems too long, what about 25 minutes? That’s easy for a child who loves to jump and fall and twist and maybe even shoot hoops on their trampoline.

Now let’s “jump” further along (all the pun intended here!): What about merging the two?  A great study hack and tool is using the trampoline to study – how much more fun would homework and studying be for spelling words, memorization of math facts, history facts, etc, giving your children verbal quizzes while they are jumping all around – what about throwing a ball while they tell you definitions?  How would studying look for them if the trampoline was perceived not only as a source to get the wiggles out, but also as a study tool and concentration? Maybe even allowing them to sit and do homework on the trampoline?

No, you don’t need go and buy a big one although they won’t break the bank!  The one we own can easily be moved from room to room. And, no, you don’t necessarily need a trampoline, BUT, what ADHD’ers need to help with after school focus when the meds wear off is EXERCISE to trigger the dopamine which helps to activate the frontal lobe.  So, whether it’s a trampoline, or jumping jacks, or running, or basketball, or Parkour EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE after school, find something – anything – that your children will engage with exercise -wise! Why? Your body needs it to decompress from the day and your brain needs it to help better support its function of helping you focus.

I say, “Let them Jump!”

With Much GrADDitude (and lots more jumping!),

Kelly