Hyperactivity
Find out more about the causes of hyperactivity and tips to manage hyperactive kids. Get strategies to tackle restlessness, fidgeting, and overactivity.
Tips and strategies
- Quick tipTry a fidget.
Sometimes kids need a fidget in order to stop fidgeting. Items like squeeze balls, Silly Putty, rubber bands, and even gum, are tools that can provide the movement and sensation kids need without bothering other people.
- Quick tipTake a dance break.
For kids who need physical activity, taking a “dance break” is a fun way to refocus and refresh. Kids leave their seats to dance to a favorite song or two before getting back to work.
Podcast
Hyperactive girl, labeled a troublemaker (Olivia’s story)
Olivia’s hyperactivity often got her in trouble at school. She was called “disruptive” and a “troublemaker.” Hear from Olivia, who also has depression, in this episode.
Downloads
Sample parent-child behavior contract PDF
Fidget contractPDF
ADHD fact sheetPDF
Homework contract for grade-schoolersPDF
More resources
Watch
Listen
Read
All articles
- 5 reasons why kids with ADHD get bullied
- ADHD iceberg
- 5 smart chores for kids with extra energy
- Download: ADHD medication log
- ADHD medication rebound
- Classroom accommodations for ADHD
- When kids grab, push, and play too rough: What it can mean
- Child can’t wind down at night? Why some kids struggle to go to sleep
- Why do kids fidget?
- Understanding hyperactivity
- ADHD medication may not work. Then what?
- 9 indoor activities for hyperactive kids
- Video: Actress Wendy Davis on having ADHD and parenting a child with ADHD
- How doctors test for ADHD in adults
- The 3 types of ADHD
- What is ADHD?
- Understanding ADHD in your child
- Changing between stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medication: What you need to know
- ADHD medication misuse, sharing, and abuse: What you need to know
- 7 signs your child’s ADHD medication needs fine-tuning
- Is my preschooler overly distractible? How can I tell?
- ADHD: Ways to help your child at home
- How ADHD medication works
- Take your (hyperactive) child to work day
- ADHD symptoms at different ages
- Why some kids seem immature compared to other kids their age
- Why do some kids always interrupt people?
- TikTok creators show the “real” ADHD
- What to say when people judge how you parent your child with ADHD
- The 3 types of self-control
- When do kids start sitting still?
- Why my son with ADHD swims 4 miles a day
- ADHD, anxiety, and anger: How they’re linked
- The difference between ADD and ADHD
- Hyperactivity in teens with ADHD: What it can look like
- Online ADHD testing: 4 things to know
- What are ADHD rating scales?
- ADHD or immaturity? What the research really means for parents
- Video: How is ADHD diagnosed in kids?
- Teacher tip: My “go to” calming technique for overstimulated kids
- ADHD and eating disorders
- How ADHD is diagnosed in adults
- Is there an ADHD spectrum?
- ADHD stimulant medication side effects in kids
- ADHD explained: A 28-minute primer
- 8 vacation ideas when your child has ADHD
- Types of ADHD medications
- I think my child has ADHD. Now what?
- 6 steps to take if ADHD medication isn’t working for your child
- Stuck at home and restless? Try these 5 things
- Video: How the gift of dance transformed a 12-year-old boy with ADHD
- Video: Does ADHD ever just go away?