What Are The Best Toys For Kids With ADHD? Suggestions Your Child Will Love

When you shop for any child, you want to make sure that the products you pick out are ones that they will enjoy and use. Children with ADHD often have high energy or tend toward toys and games with certain features. So, what are the best toys for a child with ADHD? Let’s go over some of our top picks. We have included toys for a range of different age groups, as well as toys in various price ranges. Even better, many of these have research-backed benefits. 

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The Best Toys For Kids With ADHD

Many parents who want to find the best toys for kids with ADHD are looking for ones that support their child's development and well-being. For example, you might want to find toys for kids with ADHD that help them relieve nervous energy or reduce anxiety, improve hand-eye coordination and motor skills, keep their hands busy, support social skills, or something else. You may be surprised to find just how many are on the market.

But, the toys you pick must be ones that your child will want to play with. Well, here’s a list of the best toys for kids with ADHD. 

1. Joon
2. Drawing/painting
3. Architecture/legos
4. Putty toy
5. Sports toys
6. Educational toys
7. Sensory toys
8. Fidget toys
9. Puzzles

We’ll start with the one we know best–our own.

Joon (Rated #1)

Kids love video games. However, not all video games are created equally. Nowadays, there are actually games designed and used to help kids with ADHD succeed in daily life. One example of this is the Joon app, created exclusively for children with ADHD.

How Does Joon Work?

Joon is a fun way for kids with ADHD to build a routine, stay motivated and complete daily tasks. To use Joon, parents add a child's routine and any one-off tasks they might want to include. Then, a child completes their routine tasks in order to unlock rewards that will help them care for a virtual pet, called a Doter, of their choice. Parents must approve each task for their child to receive the reward. You can edit, delete, or re-arrange tasks at any time.

Game Features

Joon is for kids aged six to twelve who live with ADHD and their parents. Here are some of the standout features you'll notice when you use the Joon app:

• Parents can customize tasks for their children or select existing tasks to add to their routine in the game.
• Parents can use the app to monitor their child's progress and activity.
• Joon is safe to use and does not collect any personal data from your child. 

The best part of Joon is that it motivates kids through a language they understand; games. 

Benefits Of Using Joon

On top of helping kids complete daily tasks and routines, there’s a range of benefits that come with the Joon app. Here are some benefits of using Joon that you might notice with your own child:

• An increase in independence and executive function.
• A boost in self-esteem and confidence.
• Better problem-solving skills.
• Improved well-being as a result of positive routines.

Task initiation and follow-through are often tough with ADHD, and we are here to help. Kids enjoy feeding, washing, and caring for the virtual pet in the game, and parents are helped by knowing that their child is completing tasks because of it.

Joon Reviews

Currently, there are over 3.5k ratings for Joon. The overall rating for the Joon app is 4.7 out of 5 stars. Parents remark that Joon is a safe and affordable app that helps kids do chores. Even children who previously refused to do chores get them done. Many parents even say that using Joon has improved their parent-child relationship, especially with reduced pushback from kids who otherwise have trouble with tasks and routines. That's why Joon is at the top of the list of applications for ADHD children.

Try Joon Today

Joon offers a free trial period. After the free trial period is over, Joon offers both monthly and yearly plans to make the game an affordable option for parents of ADHD kids.

Parents must have an iPhone to sign up for Joon, but kids can connect from an android, apple, or Amazon device. Download the app and sign up for a 7-day free trial to try Joon. Click here to get started.‍

Drawing/Painting

Creative hobbies are engaging, aid stress relief, and are fun for the majority of kids. Drawing and painting are inexpensive ways to promote creativity and help kids have a good time. You can even find the tools you need at the dollar store. Even better, art projects can support fine motor skills. Grab some bright colors of paint, crayons, pens, or pencils, and let them get started. A dry-erase board is another great alternative.

Your child might even ask you to join in!

For younger children especially, pay special attention to make sure that the art supplies you buy are non-toxic. 

To avoid a mess, you might try a magic sketch board or a similar toy. These allow kids to draw with a stylus, meaning that they can’t take pens or paint to the wall. 

Architecture/ Legos

There are a ton of lego sets out there, and they range in cost extensively. Legos are fantastic for creativity and focus. Adults can play alongside their children. Or, if your child is old enough, they can play either independently or with other children. Similar toys, like Lincoln logs, are a possible alternative.

Putty Toy

Putty toys are inexpensive, and most kids enjoy them. Typically, putty toys include small toys such as playdough, putty foam, and slime. Toys like play dough, kinetic sand, and slime have a squishy texture and fun colors, making them great sensory toys. Better yet, these toys are generally under $10.

You might purchase a kinetic sandbox set if you want to find a similar toy that'll keep your child's interest for a little bit longer. You can find a kinetic sandbox set for around $20.

Sports Toys

Sports toys are an excellent way for a high-energy ADHD child to release excess energy, stay active, reduce stress, and more. Of course, bikes, scooters, and skateboards are all options for active hobbies, but here are some other options to try:

• Indoor or outdoor basketball hoops. If it's a detached hoop, the cost will probably be around $10-20. For full sets with a basketball stand, you might be looking at anywhere from around $35-120+.
• Dartboards. You can find a dartboard for anywhere from $20-$150+.
• Scooter boards. A scooter board will typically cost around $20.
• Hula hoops. Hula hoops help with coordination and can be found for under $5. 
• Jump ropes. Similar to hula hoops, jump ropes can support coordination. Adult jump ropes might be more expensive, but for kids, you can usually find them for under $20. 

Note that, if you pick an indoor version of these toys, they may require a certain amount of space in your home. If you want to help your child build social skills, sports toys that require a child to play with others may be ideal. For example, playing basketball with another child might aid communication skills and help a child socialize with others. There are active video games, too, which may work for some children. 

Educational toys

Parents often find that educational toys are beneficial for their child with ADHD. It'd be tough to find a child who doesn't like to play, but for many children, learning doesn't always come easy - this can be particularly true for kids with ADHD. Many kids with ADHD have a hard time paying attention in class, sitting still for long periods of time, and so on. Educational toys and games keep kids engaged and help them learn. These can include toys for young kids that help them learn letters, numbers, colors, and shapes, or that promote fine motor skills. For older kids, educational toys might include educational games and trivia or writing games, like card games. If there's a particular area that your child faces challenges in, like math, you might even look for a toy or game that focuses on that subject. You might even ask teachers for an idea.

The most suitable educational toys will vary based on age group. Typically, the age group or range that a toy is intended for will be listed on the package.

Sensory Toys

Some putty toys and fidget toys, like kinetic sand and fidget spinners or pop-it toys, double as sensory toys, but there are other options, too. There are toys intended specifically for sensory purposes, but some common children's toys will have either the same or a similar effect, even if unintentionally. Light-up toys, for example, make great sensory toys for younger kids. For very young kids, crinkle toys are another example. 

Online, you will be able to find other toys, like fidget tubes, water beads, and chew necklaces, marketed specifically for sensory stimulation and stress relief. These are sometimes geared specifically toward children with conditions like ADHD and ASD.

Fidget toy

Research suggests that fidget toys may help a child focus if they have ADHD, whereas the opposite is true for children without ADHD. Fidget spinners are one of the most common fidget toys to hear about, but there are other options, too. Other fidget toy options for an ADHD child include stress balls, pop-it toys (which come in a range of different shapes and sides), and sensory toys, such as those that light up. The sensory input is beneficial for ADHD kids, and these toys are usually $10-20 or less. 

These are great toys for road trips and waiting rooms because you can take them anywhere. In addition to their potential to aid focus, fidget toys are an option for relieving stress and anxiety. 

If your child wants to take their fidget toy to class, check with their school first to make sure that fidget toys are allowed. Sometimes, the allowance of objects like fidget toys may be written into a 504 plan. If fidget toys help prevent behavior disturbance, promote focus, or are otherwise of value for your child, consider bringing it up when you discuss the features of their 504 plan if applicable. 

Arcade games

Like sports games, some of these require extra space when assembled and ready to play. However, there are at-home versions of arcade games like Skee-Ball, pinball, foosball, and arcade basketball that cost under $30. Some err on the pricier side, but you can find them for a reasonable cost most of the time. Dance dance revolution is another idea that doubles as an active game. Better yet, it is also surprisingly inexpensive at around $25. 

Pocket-play games are reasonably priced, too, with a similar appeal to larger arcade games.

Puzzles

Puzzles are fun for people of all ages, and they are another example of a toy that can promote fine motor skills as well as concentration. For younger kids, or for kids who currently struggle with fine motor skills, try to look for puzzles with larger pieces. It may be best to start with attention-grabbing and quick-to-complete puzzles, too. Bonus points if you can find puzzles with a photo of a character your child enjoys or a similar interest. Puzzles are quite low-priced at around $12-20. 

Final Thoughts

No two children are exactly alike, and factors like age certainly make a difference when it comes to the toys you purchase for your child. However, you should see a range of helpful options in this list. Try the Joon app today, or read our other blog posts to learn more about caring for kids with ADHD.