Hyperactivity: Move to Think

You’ve got to watch this; it’s adorable! (If you don’t see a screen, refresh. I’ve been having trouble with it.)

When my son Andy was in middle school, I discovered something about him and also about me. We think better when we move.

When he had to do a written report, he would walk around and dictate and I would type whatever he said. Then we would go over it together and edit it. (This is what it means to be the parent of a child with ADHD).

It wasn’t long afterwards that I discovered that method worked better for me, too.

If you have ADHD, you are either a visual learner, a kinesthetic learner, or a combination of both.

Visual learners learn best by seeing graphs and pictures. Kinesthetic learners learn through movement and hands on experiences.

When I worked at Schoolcraft College in the Learning Assistance Center, I was responsible for all of the Fire Academy students who were having trouble with their grades.

One of the things that they had to do was run laps every day. If the weather was bad, they ran the halls.

So I would take each week’s key points from the lessons and make them into signs that I posted throughout the school. That way, as they were running, they were also getting a little reminder about what they learned that week.

It worked really well. One of my “failing” students scored the highest score ever in his state exams. His mom couldn’t have been any prouder.

So I want you to think about this idea for yourself.

You may be out of school, but there are always things we need to remember. Even if it’s something as simple as next week’s agenda, it’s worth a try.

You are doing the Sunday night plan, right? Of course you are.

I know that when we think of things that we have to remember, a lot of times we think in terms of studying, but it doesn’t have to be anything that complicated.

We have lots of stuff to remember, like our to do list. Now I still want you to write it down, but maybe walk around as you review it. If you can read it out loud while you do, that would be even better.

Just give it a try and see what you think.