Best School Supplies for ADHD Kids & Unique Learners
Do you have a wiggly kid that has a hard time sitting still?
Or maybe you have a kiddo who thinks every task will be too hard, so he doesn’t even start?
Or perhaps your daughter’s books and notebooks look like they’ve gone through a battle zone by the seventh week of the school year?
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I have six kids (from ages 6 to 26) who all have special learning needs of one sort or another. And they have all used these strategies to help them get along in a world that often doesn’t celebrate the uniqueness of ADHD and differently-wired brains.
And I really wish there had been someone back when my oldest was in kindergarten to take me aside and tell me what supplies and strategies my daughter could have used to help her to be successful academically. It would have made a world of difference both in her academic life and in our relationship if we hadn’t had to struggle along while figuring out what worked best.
Jenn Carson
So I’ve learned through 20+ years of trial and error and I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you. I created this list of the best school supplies for ADHD and other unique learners based on what I’ve learned, just for you and your kids!
You’ll find the “MUST HAVE” best school supplies for ADHD to create your best homeschool year ever with choices for preschool; early elementary, upper elementary, and middle & high school kids as well as items to help you as a homeschool mom get and stay organized!
PLUS: Learn about the strategies you can use to organize your homeschool here and keep reading this post to see the best school supplies for ADHD (and other unique learning needs).
Best School Supplies for ADHD: All Ages
Inflatable Wiggle Wobble cushion When you have ants in your pants like kids often do (my boys especially did) sometimes it is hard to stay in your chair without falling out of it a couple of times a day. Sitting on one of these really, really helps! And it comes in 12 different colors!
Dry Erase Board These portable 9 x12 inch sized ones are perfect for working through math problems with mom or practicing spelling words. You can often find similar ones at the dollar store, just keep in mind that your kids will each go through 2 or 3 of those each year. I just tossed the one my oldest daughter used in kindergarten (21 years ago!!) that was from a teacher’s store because it had gotten a few chips around the edges.
Fidget Toys These aren’t just for kids, either! When it’s our turn to host our Sunday evening potluck group, I set a bucket of fidget toys out on the table after dinner for everyone to “fidget” with while we talk and everyone loves them. Even more options: Fidget balls Calming Sand Picture
Visual Schedule and Task Cards Keep your kids on track all day long with this simple visual schedule. Get our FREE Sampler of the Printable VISUAL SCHEDULE with Academic and Activity Task Cards (or get the full set) to help your kids learn independence as they go through their day of school work, activities, free times, and chores. This free download has over fifty academic and daily life activity cards. Appropriate for all ages.
Pencil grips Sometimes our kids just don’t have strong enough fine motor skills to comfortably hold a pencil or pen. Try out a multi-pack to see which one works best for your child.
Using this daily homeschool visual schedule has helped my kids more than any other single strategy that I’ve tried in 20 years of homeschooling.
Best School Supplies for ADHD: Preschool
Ticonderoga My First Tri-Write Pencils Triangle shapes are much easier to hold than round shapes
Jumbo Triangular Crayons by Melissa & Doug More triangles, this time in crayons. I prefer this brand over Crayola, but if your child doesn’t push hard enough, then the Crayola triangle crayons would be better as they are made of a softer wax.
If your kiddo is struggling with grasping the triangular crayons, try these palm-shaped crayons and colored chalk, or peanut shape crayons. , You can probably find the egg-shaped colored chalk at a dollar store in the spring around Easter. Use them on dark construction paper on those days you can’t go outside.
Washable Tripod Markers Here’s another triangle-shaped writing choice for your preschoolers
Preschool Fiskars Spring Action Scissors for kids with smaller hands. These scissors “spring” back open after each cut, making one less step for kiddos to coordinate as they are cutting.
Chewable Jewelry My kiddos will chew anything and everything. This helps them to transition to a more appropriate item (and saves my silicone kitchen spatulas–which are one of my kids’ favorites). Note: the chewiness of these varies greatly. If you have a heavy chewer, look for ones that say “tough” or “extra tough” as they are going to withstand a lot harder chewing.
Best School Supplies for ADHD: Early Elementary
Ticonderoga® Beginners’ Elementary Pencils Fat pencils for little fingers have been around for decades, for a good reason. They are easier for younger hands to learn a proper pencil grasp.
Loop Scissors and Training Scissors: Kids that struggle to get their fingers into the correct placement of the scissor holes will love these loop scissors. Kids that know proper finger placement, but still need a little bit of a boost while cutting will benefit from the training scissors.
Wobble Chair or Balance Stool for kiddos who are everywhere except their chair 🙂 I’m not saying that a chair is necessary for learning, just that sometimes a chair is needed.
Dry Erase Pocket Page Protectors My kids become very discouraged if their paper is filled with smudgy erased mistakes (I think maybe it is part of the perfectionist side of ADHD). If they use one of these slipcovers over the worksheet or workbook page, mistakes are easily and completely erased. Plus, you can save the workbook for the next kid. We also use these for daily worksheets (like the number of the day/calendar/weather) to save on paper.
Geoboards are great for working on fine motor skills and visual-perceptual skills. Two areas with ADHD kids that often need a boost.
Best School Supplies for ADHD: Elementary
Ticonderoga Pencils Any #2 pencil is just as good as the next one, right? I’m afraid not.
First of all, the Ticonderogas really do last a LOT longer.
Second, if your kid likes to pick at things and has ever had a pencil with a seasonal or inspirational theme, then you know how quickly they will peel that cute outer wrapper off of the pencil. And then it’s just plain anyway. Save yourself the exasperation (and the. constant. sharpening. of the cheap ones) and just get the Ticonderogas 😉 Yeah, I know. They cost more. I’m usually cheap but this is the place to splurge; they are the only ones I’ll buy.
Another Wobble Seat Cushion, same as the one above, just another brand with different color options and a slightly different bumpy pattern on top.
A visual timer helps your student to see how much time has passed and how much time is left. Excellent for kiddos that struggle with the abstract concept of time passing. We mainly use ours to see if they can “beat the timer” If they do, they earn a reward.
Oftentimes, kids with ADHD feel that a task will take an impossibly loooong time, so they avoid starting on it. Usually, it doesn’t take nearly as long as they’ve told themselves that it will take.
Chewable Pencil Toppers for kids who eat their pencils & erasers. My kids’ pencils look like they stuck the eraser metal end into the pencil sharpener LOL
Best School Supplies for ADHD: Middle & High School
A timer, either a digital or a regular dial timer. Students can set the timer for 15 or 20 minutes, then take a 1-minute brain or body break before another set of 15 or 20 minutes. Do 3 times each hour, then the remaining 12 minutes of the hour can be a break. Using the timer on their phone will lead to unintentional distractions 😉
Chewable Pencil Topper: this one is less conspicuous (and less toy-looking) than the pencil toppers above.
Voice to Text App: If writing or typing by hand is a major struggle for your student, just bypass the hard part and let tech be your friend.
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey My oldest three were able to develop some good habits after we studied this book together.
Best School Supplies for ADHD: Moms
Ticonderogas Black Noir Holographic pencils I find it is easier to keep track of my pencils when they look different from the kids’ pencils. Plus these are just cool! I’ve even had teens tell me that, so it must be true! LOL
Frixion Erasable Pens and Markers Because plans change!
Laminator: I’ve had my Scotch brand laminator for 15 years and it still works as well as it did on day 1. Being able to laminate papers is so amazing that you will wonder why you waited so long to get one.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues by Lindsey Biel
Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him by Sally Clarkson and Nathan Clarkson
The Out-of-Sync Child, Third Edition: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences by Carol Kranowitz
More Back-to-School Resources for Your Homeschool
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