Struggling to pick a gift for a partner, friend, family member, co-worker, or loved one that has ADHD? Or not struggling but want to up level your game? As someone with ADHD and a primary love language of gift (for giving), I’ve personally chosen 20 great items from little to more effort you can pick from. Remember, gifting isn’t about spending money—it’s about showing them you care for them. The more thought, the better. Read to the end where the good stuff is!
Here are some principles before we jump into the gift recommendations:
- Many people with ADHD have way too much clutter in their life. Try not to add things that will clutter their space & are not useful. Quality matters more than quantity!
- There is a fine line between buying something that is “ha-ha” for ADHD and criticizing for ADHD. Many people with ADHD are quite sensitive (it’s a beautiful thing!) and struggle with Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, so make sure the gift you’re giving them is not belittling them or putting too much of their identity on ADHD.
- Which brings me to my next point, they are more than their ADHD. ADHD isn’t everything they are so make sure what you’re getting them honors them and your relationship with them—you’ll know best here!
Below, I’ll outline 20 gifts I think are awesome for people with ADHD. First, I’ll start with 9 that are more explicitly ADHD-related, and then I’ll finish with 11 that are more thought-provoking that will tickle the heartstrings of those with and without ADHD alike.
Level 1 Gifts — for the ADHD-focused gifter
- Tile or Airtag: This is OG. I have a Tile or an Airtag on every small item and I still lose it. Personally, I like Tile a lot better (it’s cheaper and isn’t as annoying, the Airtag sometimes beeps randomly, but that may be my user error)
- Fidget toy: By far the fan favorite, if they don’t have one already, try the ONO roller. It’s quality stuff. I haven’t tried it personally yet (but will soon), but Kody’s (ADHD content creator) Stimagz is on the top of my Holiday list.
- Weighted blanket: These are great for helping people with ADHD sleep—it has a calming, protective effect on the central nervous system (Read more here). Check out some recommended weighted blankets here.
- Coffee mug warmer: Save your loved one the annoying effort of running back and forth between their desk and the microwave and subpar cold coffee. Check out Men’s Health’s top 8 coffee mug warmers here.
- Amazon Alexa: Or any smart speaker will work (Google Home, etc.). There’s tons of cool functionality like having Alexa remind them of things or set alarms that will save them a bunch of effort. Check them out here.
- Noise cancelling headphones: Triggering hyperfocus mode can come in many different forms, but for me, it starts with blocking out distractions. The Bose Noise Cancelling ones are the gold standard but there are many more affordable options by Tech Radar here.
- Sippy cup water bottle: Many people with ADHD don’t remember to drink enough water. Because, well… it’s a lot of effort? Make it easier for your loved one by getting them a big ol’ sippy cup. My favorite (that I have 2 on my table at all time…) is the Hydroflask with Straw lid.
- ADHD Books: Highly dependent on where they are on their journey, your relationship with them, and what sort of genres they like, you can consider getting them a book that’ll deepen their relationship with their ADHD. My recent favorite is Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg (great for all neurodivergent women), but there are also great roundups from Healthline and ADDitude.
- ADHD Journals: Similar to ADHD books, use your judgement on if your loved one would appreciate getting this from you. The Bullet Journal is a fan favorite right now, designed for rapid logging, that has an app companion too. If you’re feeling more adventurous, the Hero’s Journal is great for gamer-like folks or just if they like adventure.
Level 2 Gifts — for the advanced gifter
Remember that just because someone has ADHD, doesn’t mean they are defined by their ADHD. Here are some extra-special bonus ways you can show your loved one how much they mean to you, without putting ADHD at the forefront. These gifts are great for those without ADHD as well! They key to the ones below are to personalize them based on what you know about them—what I’ve put down are just to spur your creativity!
💸 = costs money
🆓 = free
Show them you support them by getting them something that supports their personal strengths; some demonstrative examples, but get creative!
- 💸 If they are creative and love to draw, snoop in their toolkit a bit or ask them some questions to figure out what they’re missing, or what their “next buy” may be. An easy way I like to do this is to say: “I’m having a work secret santa and a co-worker I don’t know very well loves to draw. What do you think I should get her?”
- 💸🆓 If they are starting to create content (e.g. Tiktok) but are tentative, shy, or unsure, but you KNOW they have the talent, get them a duo-gift of something real (e.g. a ring light) paired with a compiled video of 10 of their friends telling them how awesome they are and how they’ll rock it
Keep them accountable to a hobby or goal they’ve said they wanted to do. Try not to put too much pressure on them though, the best bet is something with a longer expiry date. Some ideas:
- 💸 For working out: A Class Pass membership (great for choice, they get to try out new things!) or Barry’s membership (great for group accountability). Bonus points, get one too and do it with them!
- 💸 For reading or learning: Audible credits for audiobooks
- 🆓 Spend time researching about a topic you know they’ve been meaning to get into. Talk to people in the space (e.g. reddit) and find the top 10 insights or top 10 recommended books and package it nicely to present to them.
Put together something sentimental to show what they mean to you. Oftentimes we get too caught up in needing to “buy” things, maybe they prefer a memento. I especially love those that remind me of memories I can’t easily pull up myself. Some ideas:
- 💸 Print an photo-book of your favorite memories in the last year (or 5, 10 years). Personalize it further by scribbling cute notes or doodles on the pages. I use snapfish.com (the 8x11 photo book is always on sale!)
- 🆓 Create an online photo-book on Canva. The nice thing about an online one, is you can add to it going forward. Maybe even create a shared link so you can both add to it in the future!
- 🆓 Create a video compilation of their friends / family / loved ones answering a few questions about them. For example: “what is your favorite thing about X?”, “what is your favorite memory about X?” and stitch them all together. Guaranteed tears!
If you know they like spontaneity, plan something you know they’ll enjoy. Take care of absolutely everything and tell them they don’t need to worry about the details. Just show up. Some examples:
- 🆓 Create a walking (or driving) tour of the favorite places you’ve been together. Create a small menu beforehand with your favorite memories or quotes from those places and drip feed the cards to them as you arrive at each place. Bonus points to make it a game by making them guess where you’re going next, or what the memory is on each card.
- 💸 Create an eating tour of your favorite desserts (or wine, beer, whatever you like) in the city and have a different friend / family member meet you at each one. This will remind your loved one that they are loved, and keep the element of surprise! Maybe keep the last one just you two, or sprinkle some alone time in between so they’re not overwhelmed.
- 💸 Depending on how spontaneous they are, go to skyscanner.com and look for cheapest flight to “Anywhere”. Pick up and go for the weekend! Tell them it’s a weekend without plans, maybe even flip a coin before deciding every next step.
I love gifts and am always looking for inspiration and ideas. Email me at chris@shimmer.care if you’d like to share what you ended up going with! Happy gifting.
