• Role-playing with a doll is a good game for young children with ADD or ADHD.i love my doll. image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
  
  When playing games with kids who have attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is important not to overwhelm them from the get-go. Children with ADD or ADHD have a limited attention span, are easily distracted and may have a high activity level. Because of this, it is best to choose a game that has smaller goals so that the child will not feel like the task is too monumental to overcome.
  
  

Imaginative Games

• Imaginative play helps kindergarten-age children with ADD or ADHD rehearse social skills. Because of reduced attention span, children with this disorder may not be able to see a situation through to its completion and often act on impulse without evaluating the consequences. While other children may be able to engage in imaginative games easily, this may not come so easily to a child with ADD. Help children rehearse life skill situations by coming up with scenarios with you or a doll. For example, you can rehearse what might happen when he talks in class or when a child on the playground gets hurt.
  
  

Clue

• Dr. Carol Brady, a Houston-area child psychiatrist, recommends the game Clue for older children, preteens and teens with ADD or ADHD. The game Clue, available at most game stores or toy stores, requires each team member to organize himself in order to solve a mystery given to him at the beginning of the game. Since the game works by elimination, Dr. Brady says that this game helps children deduce information, organize and prioritize to get to the end result.
  
  

Memory

• The game Memory is a fairly simple one and can be played with children through elementary school. Several cards are laid face down on the floor and it is up to the child to find matches. Each time a player finds a match, she "wins" the match, and the player with the most matches when there are no cards left is the winner. Memory helps improve a child's attention span and her focus, although Dr. Carol Brady, a Houston area child psychiatrist, warns that children can get frustrated with the task. To minimize frustration, play in short intervals, or place the matches closer together.
  
  

Chutes and Ladders

• Chutes and Ladders is recommended for children with ADD because it helps children deal with successes and failures, which may be a problem for these children. Within the game, players must make their way to the finish. If a player encounters a "ladder" she elevates quickly to the top. A "chute" will quickly take a player back to the bottom. This game helps children cope with small successes and failures and keep them in perspective.