Art, ADHD, and Organization

Let’s talk about art and ADHD for a minute! The creative process is very stimulating to the brain and we know the ADHD loves anything stimulating!  This means when being creative a boost of dopamine is being provided to the brain. What this means for us is that your child or teen can learn real strategies through a creative, hands on approach. This is why we created this week’s blog.  We are going to show you how you can help your child learn about organization through art.  

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that you don’t need to be a professional artist to enjoy creating! Tracey can barely draw a stick figure but has used art activities to help hundreds of children and teens get organized.

Clay Pots

Objective: Create containers for important items that tend to get lost or buried in clutter. 

Executive Function: Impulse Control, Planning and Prioritizing, Organization, Self-Monitoring 

Materials: Crayola Air Dry Clay *, Paint and Paintbrushes 

Process 

1. Decide what the purpose of the container will be so that size can be determined. The child should determine whether it makes more sense to have one container for all related items, or one item in each container. 

2. Get started creating! Air Dry Clay is very easy to work with and the possibilities are endless. The child can simply make the shape of a container, or roll out thin coils and make a coil pot. The child can also decide whether or not to create a top for the container. He or she may prefer to leave the container open so it is possible to “see” what is inside. 

3. After the clay fully dries, 72 hours, the container can be painted. He or she will most likely want to paint it right away so remember to mention it needs to dry for a few days! 

4. Discuss with the child where to keep his or her container. Again, help the child consider the placement so that it is in an area where it will be used. For example, a container for a phone charger should not be far away from the outlet. 

Providing a “home” for materials gives the brain a place to put materials and important items.

Let us know what you create!

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