Homeschooling ADHD: What is the Ideal Schedule?

Every child with ADHD is different, just like every homeschooling family is different, so the ideal schedule for one family is probably not the same as it is for another family.  There are many factors at play, such as the ages of your children, how many children there are, how many children you have with ADHD, how many "littles" you have to manage, and so forth.  However, there are definitely some things about ADHD that you can factor into your schedule to make it work better for your child with ADHD and for you.

 Try to finish your hardest subjects in the morning.  The brain works best when it is well rested and adequately fed by a good breakfast.  In the afternoon, fatigue sets in and medication, if any, begins to wear off.

Factor in physical activity.  Exercise, even if brief, say fifteen minutes, improves focus.   Going outside is ideal, because nature seems to be calming for many people, but if it isn't practical, at least do jumping jacks for 15 minutes before you sit down to do your most difficult academic work.  Ideally, you also want to work in an hour or so of physical activity during the day for optimum health benefits, but 15 minutes is great for the brain.

Allow for short breaks between subjects.  In general, you want to keep things rolling along so you can finish your work before brain fatigue sets in.  However, after difficult  subjects or assignments, your child may truly need a break.  If you let him stop school for a long time, say more than 15 minutes, it may be difficult to get him back on track, but a short break can help future focus.  You can also do a short pseudo break by taking time to sing a song (think memory work), listen to a short piece of music (music appreciation, history or Bible), do a short chore, or maybe practice some physical exercises (calisthenics, stretching, or martial arts moves).

Keep lessons on difficult subjects short.  It gives you a chance to regroup if it isn't going well, and gives your child a sense that the lesson has an end, so that they will be more easily motivated.  If you have to get through a lot of material in a day and your child isn't tolerating a longer lesson, consider splitting it up into two shorter lessons within the same day.

Have a routine, but not a schedule.  A routine tells you and your child what is on deck for the day and helps everyone know what to expect next.  This way, its harder for your child to argue about whether they will or will not move on to the next subject.  However, one of the rules of ADHD is that every day is different.  There are good days and bad days.  So build in some flexibility if you can.

Build in time for supervised social interaction.  Many kids with ADHD struggle with social interactions.  Homeschooling provides the perfect opportunity for you to be the coach, but to do the best job, you have to be present, not just drop your child off.   If your child is already aware of their struggles, they may feel shy among a large group of children and may feel safer if they have play dates at home to begin with.