What are the benefits of playing games with children who have ADHD and Dyslexia?
Board games bring families closer, encourage friendships, teach life skills, lengthen children’s attention spans, and develop the brain.
These amazing side effects of having fun together, and playing board games, can work for anyone. Kids with a double diagnosis (both ADHD and Dyslexia) should spend extra time playing games because this is by far the most fun way to improve executive functioning skills and attention spans!
Games can be used to lengthen your child’s attention span even if your child doesn’t have a diagnosis. Maybe he/she just needs to work on skills they will need before starting school.
Games are a great tool for building skills even if you only suspect your child has ADHD or Dyslexia.
Don’t wait for a diagnosis to help your child build life skills.
There are endless benefits your whole family can enjoy from playing games!
Annie Eklöv
Taking time to sit down together as a family, putting your phones and electronics away for some screen-free time, and playing board games that induce laughter are just a few of these benefits!
We have several different diagnoses in our family.
I am originally from the USA, but I married a Swede and moved to Sweden sixteen years ago.
We make frequent trips to the USA to visit my family, but over the years Sweden has felt more and more like home.
My husband David and I have three kids and live on a farm founded in 1790.
It’s not a working farm, and when we bought it some of the buildings were in such bad shape we barely managed to save them from falling down.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any animals yet, but we would like to get chickens soon.
My son Lage (13) has ADHD predominantly hyper and dyslexia.
My daughter Maria (10) has ADHD predominantly inattentive (what was called ADD) and she has a more extreme form of dyslexia.
My five-year-old is a bit too young to test for disorders, but she is starting school this fall and it will be interesting to see how that goes.
I (Annie) have dyslexia, and my husband David and I probably both have a touch of ADHD although we were born before it was commonly diagnosed in the 70s and 80s.
ADHD/dyslexia and ADD/dyslexia combinations caused us to take a different approach to game playing at our house.
Often kids with ADHD/ADD also have dyslexia. I wish doctors and researchers would spend more time considering this ADHD/Dyslexia link and researching how it affects kids.
I am excited to share some of our family’s favorite games.
These are games that one or possibly all of us really enjoy.
ADHD/dyslexia and ADD/dyslexia combinations caused us to take a different approach to game playing.
Annie Eklöv
The games on our list are great whether you have a diagnosis or not. They are fun to play if you have only Dyslexia or just an ADHD/ADD diagnosis.
I have found that these games are wonderful for kids who have ADHD or ADD combined with dyslexia.
Games for 3-6 year olds.
Small children need an adult or older child to explain the rules. Often someone older needs to play the game with 3-year-olds.
All of these games can lengthen your child’s attention span if you put your phones and iPads down and play from beginning to end without interruptions.
All these games will develop your child’s brain and help him/her practice new skills.
1) Memory
(Memo in Swedish)
This is my five-year-old’s favorite game. She often asks my husband and me or her big sister to play with her.
My ten-year-old Maria usually doesn’t mind playing with her little sister even though she wouldn’t pick this game herself.
I think Memory can be a great game for Maria to play. She needs to work on remembering to improve her reading and math skills.
Because of her ADHD predominantly inattentive combined with Dyslexia diagnoses. She can spontaneously forget everyday things like letters, numbers, and the names of her friends.
Memory is a great game for all ages. It improves grandpa’s memory as well as the grandchild’s.
- The game teaches = Helps Improve memory, taking turns
- Game length = 10-15 min
- Reading required = None once the rules are explained
- Number of players = Often played with 2 players, but can be played by up to 4 players.
2) Go fish
(Finns i Sjön in Swedish)
My Girls like Go Fish. This is a classic game in the USA, and it can improve language skills.
Kids ask for different fish trying to find a pair.
My daughter, who didn’t know what the fish was called when we first started playing this game, would describe the fish.
Describing objects (or fish) is a good way to expand your vocabulary.
- The game teaches = Skills for turn-taking, helps kids practice giving away cards when asked (Many kids struggle with this), and children learn to communicate, and learn the names of fish.
- Game length = 10 -15 min.
- Reading required = None, once the rules are explained.
- Number of players = 2-6 players
Go Fish can be played with a regular deck of cards if you can’t find the classic game.
3) Ker Plunk
(KerPlunk in Swedish)
The picture is the USA version.
This game is easy for kids to play without any help from adults. It’s a great game for kids with ADHD, ADD, or Dyslexia.
I got this game out when my daughter was struggling with friends and needed something structured to do when she had friends over.
- The game teaches = Helps kids improve logical thinking skills. (If I remove this stick will it cause a ball to fall?)
- Game length = 10 minutes
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = 2 – 4 players
4) Tic tac toe
(luffarschack in Swedish)
My kids like Tic tac toe. We usually have a nicer wooden version of the game sitting on our coffee table.
Most kids learn tic tac toe early. It’s easy to play and short which makes it a good game for kids with ADHD, ADD, or Dyslexia.
Younger kids usually just put X’s or O’s wherever they like without any strategy, but they soon learn that with a little bit of strategy, it’s easier to win.
- The game teaches = Logical thinking and taking turns.
- Game length = 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = two
5) Connect Four
(Fyra i rad in Swedish)
This is a classic game in many countries. Like Tic Tac Toe it’s a game that kids like to play early.
It’s fun to plop the pieces into the slots and practice taking turns even if small children don’t understand the strategy behind the game.
Children often catch on fast and learn that their actions evoke a reaction in their opponent. A great game for learning strategy skills.
It doesn’t take long to play. It’s a great game for kids with ADHD, ADD, or Dyslexia to play without adult help.
- The game teaches = Kids learn game strategy skills, develop logical thinking, and become better at turn-taking.
- Game length = 5 -10 minutes
- Reading required = None after the rules are explained.
- Number of players = Two
6) Diggin’ Doggies
(Vilda Valpar in Swedish)
My five-year-old can play this game with her friends (Five and six-year-olds) without any help from mom or dad.
Three-year-olds will need help from an older sibling or a parent, but most three-year-olds like this game.
The Dogs are looking for bones.
You push on the doghouse and a dog barks one, two, or three times. This tells kids how many steps their dog can take when looking for bones that are the same color as their dog.
The game is partially strategy and partially luck.
Sometimes it can be frustrating because the child doesn’t get the right amount of barks, so they can’t get to his/her bone.
This is a good life lesson. Sometimes things go well for us sometimes they do not, and sometimes things happen that are out of our control.
- The game teaches = Kids practice patience and taking turns especially if four people are playing.
- Game length = The game time depends partly on where the dog’s bones are and how many barks the dog gets. It’s taken us anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to play.
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = 2-4 players
7) The Brick Man
(kloss Gubbe in Swedish)
I can’t find it for sale in the USA or England. You could make your own by pasting pictures on wooden blocks.
The point is to blindly pick blocks with body parts or clothes on them. You can make a very tall man with extremely long legs or a very high hat.
Turn the blocks so the picture side is down and take turns picking. The first person to build a complete man with a hat wins.
This is a fast and fun game for small kids. An excellent game for kids with short attention spans.
- The game teaches = Taking turns
- Game length = 10 min
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = 2-3 players if you have the actual game.
If you make your own game you can make as many complete men as you have family members.
As long as each person can make a complete man with a hat you can have as many players as you like.
The game will take a bit more time if you have many players.
8) The Hungry Hippo
(Hungry Hungry Hippos in Swedish)
This game is great for kids to play all by themselves, but it’s extremely loud!
Put this game in the playroom or outside in the playhouse, so you don’t have to hear it!
- The game teaches = Kids can work on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Game length = 5 minutes (My kids usually play several times in a row.)
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = 2-4
9) Bingo Lotto
(Lotto in Swedish)
There seem to be endless variations of this game.
Alphabet lotto, Sight word lotto, phonics lott, numbers lotto, and Animal lotto to name a few.
It’s not Bingo where you use numbers and try to get a whole row although it’s a similar concept.
In this game, you have cards that you want to match to the same picture or letter on your board.
My five-year-old really enjoys this game.
- The game teaches = Letter, number, and word recognition depending on which version of the game you have.
- Game length = 15 minutes
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
It can be helpful if an adult says the names of the letters or numbers that the child finds if the child is working on learning his/her letters and numbers.
- Number of players = 2-4 players for most games. I have seen lotto games that 6 people can play, but these seem rare.
10) Tenzi
(Tenzi in Swedish)
Most 3-year-olds can understand Tenzi.
We usually play the game starting with 1 and working our way up to 6. The first person to roll all sixes wins, but you can play the game an easier way.
For very small children it’s easier to roll the dice and pick the number that they have the most of.
They can then try to roll the rest of the dice to that same number.
When you have 3-6-year-olds playing you may consider each round to be one complete game.
In other words, rolling all your dice to twos and saying Tenzi can be considered one game.
My mother gave this game to my cousin’s children one Christmas.
This inspired my cousin who is a first-grade teacher to take the game to class. She thought it could help her students with number recognition.
- The game teaches = Number recognition
- Game length = 5 mins for one round of the classic game (Make this a game for small kids) 15-20 to play the whole game, but it can go faster if you get lucky and roll lots of the same number.
- Reading required = None, after the instructions are explained.
- Number of players = You need at least 2 players. Your players are only limited by the amount of dice you own. Everyone needs their own set.
ADHD predominantly Hyper combined with Dyslexia and Games, Tips for Parents
My son was a hyper child.
He still is hyper, but his hyper-activeness expresses itself in different ways now that he is 13. It’s more like nervous energy that takes on different forms.
When he was little he didn’t have the concentration skills to sit down and play a game.
If he wanted to be included in a board game we would call him to come whenever it was his turn.
He would run off to play between turns and that’s ok.
Even if your child is running off when it’s not his/her turn he will learn skills like turn-taking from playing games.
Lage doesn’t have extreme dyslexia and although he struggled to read for several years it finally ‘Clicked’ and he now enjoys reading.
He was ten when he started reading more. He is now thirteen and enjoys games that require reading like risk (if the game doesn’t take too long).
Some games may need an imposed stop time, so kids with ADHD/ADD know how long the game will take.
ADHD Predominantly inattentive (ADD) combined with Dyslexia. games tips for parents.
Things for parents to be aware of when playing games with children who have this combination of diagnoses.
My daughter is ten and a half and still struggles with reading.
When she was tested for dyslexia a couple of years ago they found that she had a more extreme form of this disorder.
I can’t expect her to play the same games or read the same books that her brother did at the same age.
Maria likes to play games, but she often insists on being paired up with an adult or older cousin when playing games like Settlers.
She doesn’t often run out of patience for the game or run off between turns, but she doesn’t like to be in a position where she has to read publicly.
I think the pressure of having to read publicly in a time restraint, makes her nervous. It causes her to shut down and forget basic words.
She refuses to read out loud when we are playing games and we need to respect that.
Most of the time she automatically passes any cards to her partner who whispers them in her ear.
She likes games, and I won’t pressure her to read when we play more advanced games because I don’t want to take the fun out of it.
If you can keep the fun kids will learn anyway.
Board games can bridge gaps between kids
I found that when my daughter who has ADHD predominantly inattentive and dyslexia was struggling with friendships, games helped her play with others, within the boundary of set rules.
When free play that required role-playing was hard for her, she would often argue about what to play with her friends.
I found that getting a game out was often a lifesaver.
Because there are rules in games everyone knows what to expect.
Knowing what to expect, cut down on arguments, and helped Maria begin to play less structured play when the game was over.
Games Tips for Parents of Kids who have ADHD.
If you suspect your child has ADHD you may need to play short games at least to start with.
I suggest picking a game for your child that allows YOU (the parent or adult) to decide how long you will play the game.
If your child has a very short attention span, start with ten minutes, then play the same game every day and increase the time by a minute a day.
This should slowly increase your child’s attention span.
When your child feels the game is extremely boring, buy a new one or trade games with a friend.
Just remember it must be a game where the players can adjust the time played.
If you want to play harder games let him/her run off between turns as long as he is in earshot and can easily be called back to take his/her turn.
Games Tips for Parents of Kids who Have Dyslexia.
If your child struggles with reading or is too young to read, explain the rules of a new game the first few times you play.
Hopefully, they will soon remember the rules and will be able to play with a friend, without the need for adult help.
Kids who need help reading may have;
- Dyslexia
- Other reading disorders
- Could be bilingual (Bilingual children are usually late talkers and late readers)
- Could be too young to read yet or just a late reader
- May need glasses
- May have eye problems.
- I had problems eye tracking as a child. Even though I knew what the individual words were, I could not follow the words down the page to read properly. This is easily fixed once the problem is identified.
you have to take into consideration that games that require large amounts of reading will not work for these kids unless you pair them with an adult or older child.
Some games won’t work at all if they can’t read by themselves.
Gestures is one game that comes to mind. It requires quick reading. We tried this game with Maria and it was a disaster.
A teacher friend recommended different forms of Lotto or Bingo Lotto, Like simple words Lotto or Building Language lotto, for kids with reading problems.
I even saw a learning phonics Lotto!
These games encourage number, letter, and word recognition.
This is why we should use games as teaching tools at home and in school!
Older kids and teenagers develop their brains through games that require problem-solving skills. Strategy games like Risk or Settlers are great for this age group.
“Strategy games are useful in helping the frontal lobes of the brain develop.Those frontal lobes are responsible for executive function skills, which include planning, organizing, and making good decisions.” says Beatrice Tauber Prior, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist who owns Harborside Wellbeing practice and is the author of children’s books.
Of course, small children develop their brains as well as teenagers while playing games for their specific age level.
Both school and home could benefit from longer attention spans!
Learning to sit and wait your turn has great social benefits, but it can also lengthen a child’s attention span.
If your child knows they are in the game till it’s over, even during the boring parts like waiting his/her turn, this helps him/her learn that it’s ok to be bored.
Games help kids realize that boredom is seldom long-lived.
“If your family sits down for a game of Chinese checkers, be sure to complete a full game without everyone checking their phone, asking Alexa to play a song, or turning on the TV for the latest football scores,” Prior Psy.D. says. “Finishing a board game without interruptions will help lengthen the declining attention span of kids in a world filled with digital distractions.”
Games teach skills like waiting your turn, being a good loser, and teamwork.
They bring people closer together and help families and friends work on relationships without digital distractions. (If you can all put your phones away before you start!)
Often board games help us harness our emotions and work on things like, not becoming jealous or yelling at someone who is winning.
Games are great opportunities for laughter and bonding both at home and in the classroom.
Conclusion
I hope this post has given you a deeper understanding of ADHD, Dyslexia, and how games can help.
If you wish you had time to play more games, make a change today.
Get out your calendar and schedule one evening for your family to play games together. Then stick to it, don’t let excuses get in the way!
I hope that this post has given you a deeper understanding of ADHD, Dyslexia, and how games can help your child.
Check out my other posts about the games we love for different age groups. Click below.
20 Amazing Games for 7-10 year olds with ADHD/ADD and Dyslexia!
Games transform Kids
15 Awesome Games for 5-7 year olds, with ADHD and Dyslexia!
If you need some encouragement try reading my post, 16 positive traits of dyslexia, A new perspective
Or check out my post Fourteen positive traits of ADHD that I see everyday!
Moms (and Dads too) make sure you take care of yourselves.
Annie
You need to make sure you’re not falling apart if you are going to properly take care of children with diagnoses.
If you need inspiration read my post, 21 ways to care for yourself while caring for others
If you need book tips and more information check out our page OUR FAVOURITE RESOURCES. Our Favourite Resources
(Source) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200504/laughter-the-best-medicine
(Source) https://www.harborsidewb.com/
(Source) https://bpsmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13030-019-0146-3
(Source) Info about eye tracking. https://gbvisiontherapy.com/
Copyright Annie Eklöv
