Do
Split tasks in 5-10 min chunks. Or even less. When attention spans are short, it is best to meet the child where he/she is. Take the task and hand and divide it into small pieces. Briefly recognize that a task is completed and you can move to what is next. ADHD minds tend to thrive in variety, having multiple 5-10 minute tasks to complete is much better than a couple of 30 min activities.
Tell them in advance what is about to happen. This gives the child a sense of what is expected, helps them feel empowered and less anxious, and gives you a tool to redirect their attention if needed. For example: ‘today, we are learning fractions, let’s do these 10 exercises’. During the session, you can say: ‘Let’s continue learning fractions’, ‘7 down, 3 to go!.
Mention their names. When the mind wanders you need a gentle and easy way to bring them back to the present, gently calling out their names as you say the next sentence might just do the trick. “Michael, what is the next step?”
Don’ts
Remind then to “Pay attention” ‘focus” “stop wandering”. To the child, they are paying attention and focusing… on 1000 different things at the same time! The mission is to help them chose what to pay attention to for the next 5-10 min.
Ask them to stop moving or fidgeting. Unless the kid is leaving the seat or is disrupting the space, the movement will help them focus, relieves anxiety and it does not interfere with learning.
…for children with attention disorders, hyperactive movements meant better performance on a task that requires concentration.
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/40561/let-kids-fidget-in-class-why-it-can-be-good-for-those-with-adhd
…movement and particularly jumping help them connect with their bodies and therefore pay attention
http://thelearningfox.com/2016/11/14/attention-deficit-and-autism/
Do all the talking. Keeping focus is a full-body task. Giving the child several opportunities to talk will improve engagement. This is not only about them answering subject questions. Open questions like “What do you think of this?” or “How did you figure that one out?” will help them stay on task and become aware of their own progress.
Pro-tip: Make it about what they like. All children, but especially those with ADHD will do much better when instruction is around their interests. You can do this with any subject. I tutor math, is the child into sports? music? art? there is a math for that 🙂