Hyperactivity
Find out more about the causes of hyperactivity and tips to manage hyperactive kids. Get strategies to tackle restlessness, fidgeting, and overactivity.
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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 icebergPDF
Holiday behavior worksheetPDF
More resources
All articles
- 6 steps to take if ADHD medication isn’t working for your child
- I think my child has ADHD. Now what?
- Types of ADHD medications
- 8 vacation ideas when your child has ADHD
- What is ADHD?
- ADHD explained: A 28-minute primer
- Download: ADHD iceberg infographic
- Download: ADHD medication log
- A day in the life of a child with ADHD
- ADHD stimulant medication side effects in kids
- How ADHD medication works
- A day in the life of an employee with ADHD
- Is there an ADHD spectrum?
- The 3 types of ADHD
- Classroom accommodations for ADHD
- ADHD: Ways to help your child at home
- How ADHD is diagnosed in adults
- ADHD and eating disorders
- ADHD symptoms at different ages
- Teacher tip: My “go to” calming technique for overstimulated kids
- Video: How is ADHD diagnosed in kids?
- ADHD or immaturity? What the research really means for parents
- Why do some kids always interrupt people?
- ADHD medication misuse, sharing, and abuse: What you need to know
- ADHD medication rebound
- How doctors test for ADHD in adults
- What are ADHD rating scales?
- Online ADHD testing: 4 things to know
- Understanding ADHD in your child
- Video: How the gift of dance transformed a 12-year-old boy with ADHD
- Hyperactivity in teens with ADHD: What it can look like
- The difference between ADD and ADHD
- Take your (hyperactive) child to work day
- Why some kids seem immature compared to other kids their age
- 5 reasons why kids with ADHD get bullied
- ADHD, anxiety, and anger: How they’re linked
- Should my child take an ADHD drug holiday?
- 5 smart chores for kids with extra energy
- Why my son with ADHD swims 4 miles a day
- When do kids start sitting still?
- Is my preschooler overly distractible? How can I tell?
- 7 signs your child’s ADHD medication needs fine-tuning
- The 3 types of self-control
- Changing between stimulant and non-stimulant ADHD medication: What you need to know
- What to say when people judge how you parent your child with ADHD
- Video: Does ADHD ever just go away?
- Understanding hyperactivity
- When kids grab, push, and play too rough: What it can mean
- Video: Actress Wendy Davis on having ADHD and parenting a child with ADHD
- Child can’t wind down at night? Why some kids struggle to go to sleep
- TikTok creators show the “real” ADHD
- Why do kids fidget?