We are having problems with our 9 year old son....

[Mermaid02]

... he is a smart kid, and always into things. Couple that with ADHD, a Mood Disorder and OCD (possible diagnosis) and you have a lot of conflict. We are trying to do more things with him.... you know, keep him busy and supervised. Yesterday he helped me make Le Cellier's Cheddar Cheese Soup and some molasses cookies when I got home from work. It did keep him occupied. Can you think of any other things that don't cost much, but he would find fun and interesting? My husband can do "sporty" things with him when weather permits, but I need a new hip and bike riding etc is out for me.

Thanks for any suggestions- we are really trying to make the mood of our house a lot more calm for EVERYONE.

 

[aprilgail2]

Cant he ride his bike without you? I sit on the front lawn and watch my daughter ride up and down the block on her bike....

 

[daisyduck123]

I don't have any ideas to share at the moment but I wanted to let you know that I feel for you. I have a student in my class who was diagnosed with the same 3 problems. I have this student 6.5 hours a day. I don't know how the parents deal with it full-time.

 

[Mermaid02]

Cant he ride his bike without you? I sit on the front lawn and watch my daughter ride up and down the block on her bike....

He does ride without me.... all over the neighborhood. We are trying to engage him in "together" activities as much as possible. Maybe this spring my husband can till up a little piece of backyard and they can have a few vegetables... he likes to garden with his Grandfather.

 

[powellrj]

I know people usually think of scrapbooking for girls, but my DM does it with all the grandkids and my DS has a blast. Get out old pictures and it really starts conversations and is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Goodwill, DS is in drama and needs costumes so we started goodwill shopping when he needed something for a play. Its another great way to spend an afternoon that doesn't cost a lot and the kids have a wonderful time going through the racks of books, clothes (loves concert tees) and CDs.

We can't have pets other than small things like hampsters and fish because of allergies, so my kids love to spend an afternoon at petsmart watching the cats and dogs.

Good luck!

 

[Scutapipig]

I often snuggle in with my 10 year old and I will read to him. When he starts to get a bit spunky, we grab the book and I'll read him a chapter which gives us some time to settle down a bit and redirect the "spunk".

A board game works well for us, or a leisurely walk around the neighborhood playing I-Spy, which usually leads to exploring the bugs crawling around the ground.

My favorite one? A vacuum and a dustrag! My kids LOVE this! (And of course, I'm not going to complain one bit! LOL)

 

[clarabelle]

We love books on tape! They help in the car especially -but we also listen to them while cleaning etc...
You can get them from some libraries. And buy them from amazon

dover publications -www.doverpublications.com has loads of activity books on all kinds of subjects. Cars, dinos, civil war, fashion. dogs -you name it.
Go to the website and do a search on a topic he may be interested in. Most books are under 5 bucks

Melt and pour soap goes over well at our house -easy and you can get the supplies at michaels.

Sometimes I buy the cheapest shaving cream (89 cents) and let them take it into the shower and decorate!

 

[Martha7]

I agree that craft projects are always good! Maybe something inexpensive, like stringing beads to make bracelets or necklaces, or decoupage, etc. My DS was also diagnosed with ADHD, etc., and it does get easier when they get older. We always spent lots of time getting his homework finished, and read a lot together. Both of my Ds's love drawing, so we always had plenty of art supplies and drawing pads in the house. Are there other kids around for him to get together with? I seem to remember that once the homework was done, my DS's always had friends at the door, or else they went over to their friends' houses, until we made them come home for dinner. My DS got interested in videogames at an early age, so there was never a problem with entertaining him, but I know many parents are concerned about letting them spend time on the games. It sounds like you are a wonderful and concerned parent!

 

[Mermaid02]

He has a hard time with other kids. He is generally trying to make whatever activity they are doing faster, longer, better and not concentrating on playing and other kids find that annoying. His therapist thinks he's going to be an engineer someday!

 

[janet715]

How about putting together a model? My DS8 loves the lego star wars models and will spend HOURS putting them together. Plus I feel needed b/c he always asks me to help him sort out the pieces into a multi-sectional craft organizer so they are easier to find.