Music for Motivation: Morning Success for Your ADHD Tween

Do you lot have a child in your family for whom time is an irrelevant construct? One who, subsequently being told to "hurry," is found eating a cookie on the backyard swing admiring a butterfly? Ane who exits the house every morn without socks, brushed teeth, completed schoolwork, and/or his haversack? Ane whose hair is typically on end and who is completely unfazed past the honks emanating from your already-running van?

I exercise. I call him Pokey-McPokester.

I've tried — really,actually tried — to follow all the expert recommendations. I ain a book chosenSmart but Scattered (#CommissionsEarned). I've attended local CHADD meetings where experts rattle off their tried-and-true tips for ADHD and students with poor organizational and planning skills.

I've brainstormed with child psychologists. I've tried an old-school alert clock — i that wakes you up with a really annoying sound — every bit well equally an iPhone warning, an Echo Dot alarm, a fourth dimension-tracking device, and combinations of all four.

And — if you come to my house — you'll discover charts on every wall: morning checklists that spell out what to do and reward systems that rail the number of consecutive days on which the checklists accept been completed. I've tried stickers, stars, check marks… trinket rewards, candy rewards and cold, hard cash, likewise. I've given every form of positive reinforcement (read: bribery) a fair milk shake.

Only Pokey McPokester only cannot manage a good for you relationship — any relationship at all — with time.

It's not that he is defiant or argumentative; hewants to do better. It's simply that he doesn't know how to. When all systems and strategies eventually lost their novelty and left Pokey feeling defeated, and I got tired of constantly pestering him, I tried something dissimilar.

I let time go.

And replaced it with music.

[Get This Download: Your Free Guide to Music for Healthy ADHD Brains]

How to Use Music for Motivation in the Morning

Step 1: Deliver the Music Sales Pitch

Pick a time when your kid is not engaged in any critical tasks (while she's video-gaming, eating an after-school snack, or swinging on the hammock — make certain they are relaxed) and approach them enthusiastically almost your new programme.

This is how I put it to my Pokey:

"I accept a great thought that I think will brand yous feel successful and I'm excited to share it with yous! You know how in the morning I'm ever rushing you and you're sick of hearing me nag? What would you say to using something totally fun and happy to help united states!? What if together we create a morning "soundtrack" timed to the tasks you lot need to complete before schoolhouse? Each vocal can let you know what y'all need to exist doing so you never need to worry almost time; y'all merely get to follow the music and permit it lead you!"

(In the first, there'south no denying this is a sales pitch — detect all the assertion points? — and there may be some reluctance. If you get good reception, carry on to Step 2, below. If you don't, you lot might need to sweeten the deal with a trivial more dear —insert reward system ideas here.)

Pace 2: Starting time Minor with Motivating Music

With your child, tackle the following three tasks.

1. Select the daily tasks and the order that makes the most sense. Our forenoon routine contains 10 tasks (yours might take fewer): out of bed, shower, dress, swallow breakfast, castor teeth, load haversack, put on socks, put on shoes, slip on outerwear, and get into van.
2. Figure out how many minutes y'all have to work with. My Pokey wakes at 7:00 and our departure time is 7:35 am. That gives u.s.a. 35 minutes.
3. Make up one's mind the playlist. This is the fun part! Don't worry too much about getting the outset playlist right (it'll get edited, believe me!). Just have fun with it and allow your kid to decide which songs he or she wants to match with each task. Does he want to leave of bed to a loud peppy beat or a soothing, calm ballad? Does hearing a cheesy song about "apparel" prompt her to go dressed speedily or does she adopt to sing along while she pulls on her leggings? If you need longer than one song length to complete a job, consider repeating the same song. It's also fine to accomplish two or three tasks during one song!

[Read This: The 8 Best Songs for Growing ADHD Brains]

Roll with your kid'due south ideas without stifling them. In my experience, a new family system is more likely to succeed when your child takes some ownership. The more than they contribute to the arrangement, the more they'll want to see it piece of work.

The just real requirements are that the length of the playlist equals the corporeality of morning time time you take to work with and that the tasks friction match upward somewhat sensibly to the songs.

Every bit for the format, our family'southward platform for listening to music is Spotify. We use the playlist feature, simply obviously a CD tin work just as well.

Step iii: Put the Music System on Paper

In one column, list the vocal titles. In the second column, list the chore(s) matched with each song.

If there is a transition between rooms or floors, write that down, too. For case, at first my Pokey needed to know he should be walking downstairs betwixt "The Greatest Show" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Post the musically inspired schedule to your kid's bedchamber door. I can assure you that your kid won't reference this much after the first few days. It's basically just there to help your child — and you — get the initial hang of information technology.

Stride 4: Prepare to Launch the Motivational Songs

Make up one's mind how to launch the playlist each day. We have an Echo Dot in our son's room with a reminder gear up at seven am. It chants repeatedly, "Wake up, pal. Time to starting time your 'Morning Playlist.'" That'southward Pokey'due south cue to vox activate (from the condolement of his bed) his Spotify playlist and voila, the fun and motivational songs begin.

Trouble Shooting Tips

Be aware of movement from one floor to another during the morning routine, equally you may need to change the speaker source of the playlist. In our case, when Pokey comes downstairs, I simply change the source from his Echo Dot to my phone — it's an easy fix.

Over again, become artistic with it all. If an iPod plugged into a speaker in the center of the house is what works, roll with that. You may fifty-fifty think of something that works better for your family and its technological tools.

Footstep 5: Give Motivational Music a Go

The first morning time, wait some portion of your plan to bomb. "Seriously, iv minutes to put on socks and only 30 seconds to swallow breakfast???" Unscheduled (or anticipated) time sucks — like going to the bathroom — can also interfere with the plan.

Talk near how the plan flopped and encourage your child to share ideas to improve it. Fifty-fifty better than that: Encourage your child — if he'south developmentally capable and/or technologically savvy enough — to fix the hiccup on his or her own.

Your child might not resolve their morning struggle, but what a boost of confidence to fix their music playlist and, by proxy, their issues with time. Go on tweaking until itmore often than not works.

Step 6: Switch Up the Music Periodically

Finally, keep in mind that if your child is a novelty-junkie like my Pokey, schedule a new list in a few weeks to continue it fresh. Chances are, playlist re-cosmos won't be painful for y'all or your child like all other time-management family systems.

Instead, it'll be fun.

[Read This Side by side: "Mozart Helped Me Focus My ADHD Brain."]

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