Mobile and web-based games can serve as great tools for developing focus and attention skills in children affected by ADHD. Certain games can help inhibit some of the negative behaviors common in kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD, and, by nature, games are appealing and engaging, helping easily distracted children “zero in” on the task at hand. When properly administered into a child’s “Play Diet,”games can become a healthy, happy part of digital play. Our top 5 free games for kids with ADHD can help children practice important skills like focus and planning, helping develop positive problem-solving skills in kids who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Our Top 5 Free Games for Kids with ADHD:

Bad Piggies:

From the same developers that brought Angry Birds to mobile gaming prominence, Rovio Mobile Ltd. chose to continue the physics-driven puzzle theme with a spin-off called Bad Piggies. Kids are prompted to create vehicles and contraptions to transport the pigs out of various material, with the base goals being to reach the end of the stage and collect three stars. Children can tweak their designs and retry levels as many times as they like, refining their approach until they are able to create a vehicle design that allows them to gather all three stars in the level.

 

Amazing Alex:

Another game that incorporates principles of physics into gameplay, Amazing Alex prompts kids to use objects they would likely find in their rooms (balls, pencils, bookshelves, etc.) to create a chain reaction that achieves a desired end goal. Kids must think critically to ensure they create a type of domino effect. But in order to do so they must demonstrate strong special awareness, organizational, and planning skills – skills sets that are often a struggle for kids with ADHD.

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Gardens of Time:

Gardens of Time is an adventure/puzzle Facebook game where kids must travel through time to restore order to the present time. They must locate objects hidden throughout the maps, navigating through various worlds, while still focusing their attention at finding one item at a time. Often kids must revisit specific locations, which they ideally will have committed to memory. It takes intense focus to beat Gardens of Time — a focus that is often difficult for those who have been diagnosed with ADHD to harness. The game forces kids to demonstrate strong flexibility skills, too, as they are constantly presented with game goals and new puzzles to solve.

 

Tap Tap Revenge Tour:

Developing Working Memory skills can greatly benefit children dealing with the challenges of ADHD. Because kids with ADHD sometimes respond too readily to outside stimuli, committing material to memory can be difficult. Tap Tap Revenge Tour is a great way for kids to put these skills to work, as they will be required to follow visual cues as they tap the screens of their digital devices along to the beat of popular songs. There are tapping patterns that kids with have to internalize for each part of the spong, which makes this game particularly good for enhancing the strength of the working memory skills and developing their ability to concentrate on a singular task.

Gamestar Mechanic:

Gamestar Mechanic is an excellent game for kids to practice goal-directed persistence and planning, as they learn to make their very own games. The game features an immersive learning environment in which kids learn the rules of game design by actually playing through the lessons. Lessons take the form of “quests,” which are specifically designed to make sure children demonstrate what they have learned through gameplay. All quests must be completed within strict time limits, forcing kids to sustain their focus until they complete the mission.