4 Playground Activities To Support Children with ADHD

There was a mischievous, ‘cheeky chappy’ type character in my German class. He was lively and disruptive, with the inability to park himself in a chair for longer than 5 minutes. He couldn’t follow instructions and often randomly shouted out “Mmm strawberry flavour” inappropriately, mid-class, much to the dismay of Frau Brunt.

A contradiction really: on paper a bright boy in the top set, but would often get thrown out of class for his comical and spontaneous comebacks.

He fast became known as the menace by teachers and a legend among students!

It was only several years later, in my career as a healthcare professional, where I was able to draw comparisons to similar behaviours in my paediatric patients. Perhaps he wasn’t a troublemaker after all.

His inattention in class, hyperactivity and impulsivity lead me to believe he had an undiagnosed case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Kids with ADHD often seem to be:

• Continuously moving, fidgeting and wriggling
• Inattentive
• Excessively talkative and will frequently interrupt others
• Easily distracted
• Unable to complete tasks

However when looking at literature, the focus is often on the negative symptoms of ADHD, yet these children also have many positive traits and many of these kids can be both creatively and intellectually talented.

Several studies have highlighted the benefits of outdoor play and the significant impact it has on reducing the symptoms of ADHD.

With ADHD assessments skyrocketing in recent years and a new pot of SEN funding being announced, we've created this blog aiming to give advice and ideas on how to support a child with ADHD in the classroom and the playground, and four activities to help children of all ages deal with ADHD and improve their focus and concentration skills.

Why Outdoor Play Helps Children with ADHD

Children with ADHD are often asked to do one of the hardest tasks for their brains: sit still, filter out all distractions and follow instructions for long stretches of time. Even for a child without ADHD, this can be a difficult task. However, playgrounds are one of a few spaces that remove all of these pressures at once, which is why a lot of research tends to showcase that play areas bring the best out in children with ADHD.

This mirrors a similar principle we cover in our guide to supporting children with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), where reducing demand rather than increasing it is often the more effective approach.

A study of over 400 children with ADHD found that those who regularly played in green settings (areas with grass and trees, rather than paved areas) consistently showed milder symptoms compared to children who mostly engaged with indoor activities or in built outdoor spaces.

More recent research backs this up, with a 2025 study finding children's physiological stress levels (measured through heart rate) was significantly lower when learning outdoors, compared to learning indoors. Other benefits that can be found in outdoor play include:

• Providing a safe outlet for excess energy, which can make it easier to settle afterwards and focus on school work and other tasks
• Creating a less overstimulating environment compared to indoor spaces, which might help with emotional regulation.
• A reduction in stress and anxiety levels, supporting better moods and self-control
• Encouraging social skills, creativity, problem-solving, and risk-aware confidence through activities like climbing, running and exploring.

Unstructured, movement-led play doesn't just burn off excess energy, but it gives children with ADHD a setting where their natural strengths (such as curiosity, spontaneity, creative problem-solving) can come through without constantly being read as disruptive.

4 Playground Activities for Kids with ADHD

Outdoor activities allow children with ADHD to move their bodies and express their liveliness in a more suitable setting. The gentle breeze of wind against the skin, the sound of trees swaying and leaves rustling can have a calming effect on them.

Kids with ADHD have many positive strengths. We have put together engaging outdoor play and adhd activities for kids, with an emphasis on ‘unstructured free play’, to capitalise on their great qualities.

Encouraging Imagination Through Outdoor Play

Children with ADHD can be wonderfully creative. The child who is engrossed in daydreams and has several thoughts at once, can also be an expert problem-solver, a spring of ideas, or an original artist.

Though children with ADHD can be easily side tracked, similarly, they can offer a fresh perspective and pick up on things that others have failed to notice.

Kids with ADHD love nature and studies have found that green settings improve the severity of their symptoms (Kuo and Taylor, 2004). As they are naturally inquisitive, children can grow their own plants and vegetables using the Playground Planters.

This can help them to establish a connection between the plants growing and how they are affected by the seasons.

Creating their own bug hotel in an allocated pod, for a variety of miniature beasts, can be a great way for children with ADHD to connect with wildlife and burn off some steam.

On their quest to find leaves, bark and insects to fill their pods up with, they are encouraged to use their bodies against resistance which has a soothing result - like calming activities occupational therapists use for children with ADHD.

To support the development of their inventive side, using the walk and talk seating circle, children can work collaboratively to produce something original such as a song, dance, poem or a story.

The grass-topped seats allow children with ADHD to relax, but they can also be arranged in a way that children can move freely too. They can then perform their masterpiece for friends on a Performance Stage.

Working on physical projects is also fantastic for the advancement of teamwork, social and language skills. These types of activities for children with ADHD tend to be a huge hit!

Flexible, Unstructured Play for Children with ADHD

Children with ADHD often consider many options at once and are therefore less rigid in their thinking and more open to try new things that other children might avoid.

A child who is struggling with their reading indoors might advance reading skills when practising outdoors in a playhouse for instance, where they can use their imagination to create it into anything they want, perhaps Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A reading area under Trim Trails and Climbing Frames offers a shelter above their heads with an open-space at the sides.  Equally, being outdoors can provide an unalike way to learn.

For children struggling to grasp measurement and volume in class, they can use the water play area to for example see how many cups of water fill a bucket.

When outside, children with ADHD can do as they please without having to conform to set rules and sit still. Being free can be liberating because when in the playground, the possibilities are endless.

They have the permission to be an explorer, a world-class sprinter, a playful pirate or the captain of the ‘Starship Enterprise’. These vents can help to ease hyperactivity and impulsivity too.

Eagerness and Spontaneity: Channelling Energy Positively

With lively and bouncy personalities, children with ADHD are full of energy and unpredictable - like a ‘glade plug-in’, they’re a breath of fresh air.

A Playground environment that makes use of art-based playground markings, such as the traditional game of hopscotch can support muscle development and improve coordination skills, which are often poor in children with ADHD.

At the same time, it provide an outlet for creativity too by asking them to sing-a-song to the beat of their hops.

,

Using the Daily Mile Track, made from natural-looking artificial grass, children with ADHD can indulge in a game of follow the leader, which can be beneficial in improving their social and communication skills, active listening and following instructions too.

With the leader at the front and the other children lined up behind, they can follow and copy actions and more importantly have fun.

A study conducted by Taylor and Kuo (2009) found that children with ADHD were more attentive in class after a walk for 20 minutes in a green setting.

Get-Up-and-Go, Determination and Sensory Regulation

When children with ADHD are interested in an object or topic, they are often self-motivated and keen.  They also have lower dopamine levels in the brain and would therefore benefit from exercise, which is known to increase feel-good neurotransmitters.

Team sports and group activities might be beneficial in helping children to relieve some tension and can be highly stimulating too. Studies have found that children with ADHD do better in open and green spaces.

Therefore an outdoor MUGA made from vibrant and plush artificial grass would be an ideal setting to channel pent up energy. Typically, a physical activity like football, netball, basketball or hockey can help these children to improve their communication and teamworking skills, at the same time as refining their hand-eye coordination too.  

Alongside high-energy activities, sensory-led play has a role too! Equipment that offers proprioceptive input ( such as swinging, climbing, or pushing against resistance) can help children with ADHD self-regulate rather than just burn off energy, giving them a way to reset before heading back indoors. Sensory play is (and will continue to be) important for children with ADHD and their playtime.

Equipment like Mud Kitchens can help younger children feel more in touch with their senses, and can help them direct their focus more on aspects like texture or sound, which children with ADHD benefit from as it allows them to work with their overactive thinking, rather than discouraging it. In addition, equipment like this provides a fantastic area for quiet time, allowing you to help your child relax and to keep your child calm during periods of overthinking.

For schools looking to build this into their wider SEN provision, this ties closely into a broader sensory experience and diet approach (see our guide on sensory diets for more on this).

For pupils where ADHD overlaps with anxiety or school avoidance, this kind of calm, self-directed regulation and sensory input can also support re-engagement; which is something we explore further in our EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance) guide.

Final Thoughts

Every child with ADHD is different, but the pattern in this guide holds true again and again: give them room to move, choose, and explore, and their most challenging traits in the classroom often become their greatest strengths outdoors. Imagination, flexibility, spontaneity and drive aren't things to manage out of a child with ADHD, but they're qualities worth designing a playground around.

None of this replaces the wider ADHD support these pupils need in the classroom too, but outdoor play remains one of the simplest, most accessible tools schools already have (often without realising just how much impact it's having!)

ADHD frequently overlaps with other needs, including PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) and EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance), so it's worth exploring our guides on both if any of this feels familiar for a pupil in your setting.

If you're looking for advice and ideas on how to create a playground that supports children with ADHD, our Playground Consultants will work with your school to design an environment which suits your children and school's needs. Contact us for free, expert advice, or have a look through our fantastic SEN play equipment range to discover new equipment designed to support and improve a child with SEN's day at school!