Does School Make Kids Hyperactive?

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Let’s talk about School & Hyperactivity

Both of my children were in daycare from 9months old. We never considered homeschooling until Covid shut the schools. Then something magical happened. All the emotional issues that had plagued my oldest evaporated. Now, my homeschooled kids are calm and peaceful in a way that starkly contrasts their years in school.

I was left wondering, was it always just school?

I conducted a Twitter poll and asked homeschool parents whose kids had previously been in school if their children were more calm, less calm, or no different. The overwhelming majority, 75%, of the 79 voters said more calm. This isn’t a scientific poll but it fits my observations over the past 3 years of schooled and homeschooled kids.

I searched the literature for studies on emotional regulation of homeschooled children but came up empty. But, I found something entirely different when I looked at hyperactivity.

5 Reasons School might make Kids more Hyperactive

1. Poor Sleep

Sleep is as foundational as food and water - though it’s rarely treated that way. My kids get 1-1.5 hours more sleep a night than they did when they were in school. Indeed, I often watch the school bus drive by while they are still in bed. Everyone who’s had a tired toddler knows that lack of sleep affects emotional regulation (the ability to calm down). Studies show poor sleep also decreases the amount of joy a child experiences when successfully completing a project. Decreased joyful expression has significant ramifications for not just emotional control but also academics and bonding with peers and family. For more on how sleep affects joy, check out my post on the topic.

Poor sleep is also linked with hyperactivity. Children with ADHD and ADD are more likely to have poor or interrupted sleep. Indeed, interventions that address sleep issues significantly cut down on symptoms of hyperactivity and in some cases eliminate the need for medication. You might have personally experienced tired children running around frantically when they are most tired - we used to call this the “zoomies” in my house. We don’t see it much anymore.

2. Poor attachment & brain synchrony

Attachment is the bond that a child has with their caregiver. Strong attachment is associated with increased emotional regulation. Mothers & their children experience something called "brain synchrony" where their behaviors & emotions become linked (amazing, right?). This synchrony allows the mother to calm her child through emotional co-regulation. Brain synchrony and attachment is disrupted by stress in the mother, cell phone usage (distracting the mother), and of course mother absence like that which occurs during daycare or school.

Attachment changes the body at a cellular level by altering DNA expression through something called epigenetics. Poor attachment is associated with a whole host of disorders in adulthood including increased risk of heart attacks, cancer, mental health disorders (depression and pathological anxiety), and most relevant here, ADHD and hyperactivity.

It is possible to have strong attachment with your schooled children but it requires concentrated and purposeful effort. Many schooled kids have insecure attachment with parents. My kids had insecure attachment and it is something we continue to work through today - 3 years into homeschooling.

3. High Control Environment

Studies show that children who have high control and low warmth parents are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and hyperactivity. In a previous post, we discussed how children of low control and high warmth parents, live longer. However, a long life isn’t the only thing parenting affects. Children with high control parents also more likely to suffer from depression, pathological anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and - you guessed it - hyperactivity and ADHD.

All of these studies looked at parenting but schooled kids are arguably at school more than with their parents (if you exclude sleep). What is the influence of a high control school environment on kid’s hyperactivity? We know that when schooled environments are mid-control, children’s behavior is significantly more calm. For example, in traditional Montessori school (mid-control), you’ll find calm children, peacefully working on individual projects. Seriously, consider going to observe such a school, it’ll change your mind about what a school can look like (make sure it’s a certified Montessori school - ideally International certification). What is the psychological impact of high controlled environments 40 hrs/week for 13-14 years? My guess it leads to much the same concerns as high control parents - mental health disorders and hyperactivity.

4. School lunch

Much has been said about the sad affair of school lunch. I’ll be brief. School lunches are poor nutritionally but the most significant issue is the use of processed and high sugar (or sugar substitutes) food. Sugar increases hyperactivity and decreases emotional regulation.

5. Lack of Recess

The benefits of exercise can’t be overstated. Exercise enhances all measures of physiological and cognitive health. In particular, exercise helps prepare the brain for learning and helps solidify learning into long-term memory. Exercise quite literally causes the growth of new brain cells (neurons).

Despite these well documented benefits, the average amount of recess given to children has decreased by 60 mins in the past 20 years. Let me say that again. Kids 20 years ago were getting AN HOUR more time at recess than today’s kids! Many legislatures are starting to recognize this and recess is mandated by law in 9 States.

Children with hyperactivity/ADHD benefit the most from additional recess time. Numerous interventional studies show that increased recess enhances focus, emotional control, and cognition. In short, without movement, kids are more prone to hyperactivity.

Conclusions & how to put this into action

So, does school cause hyperactivity? You may have noticed that there isn’t a single study that evaluates this question. You may also have noticed that most of the items on my list are not exclusively in the school’s control. YOU have influence over your child’s sleep, attachment, food, and exercise. My hypothesis is that the environmental conditions surrounding school leads to excessive energy in children and that as parents there is much we can do to combat these adverse situations.

My children were never diagnosed with ADHD but the did have excessive energy that made our home life incredibly taxing. It felt as if my kids had to make the most of the play time they had before it was gone. I often felt like we just survived the weekends with them trying to keep them busy. My homeschooled children are calm and peaceful. As I write this, my 8 and 6yos are currently reading books and have being doing so for nearly an hour.

If your kid is struggling with hyperactivity OR if you are struggling with the excessive energy of your child at home, I’ve put together some tips that might help.

TIPS to help your excessively active child

1. Ensure your kids get quality and quantity sleep (see my post for tips)

2. Learn about attachment exercises. Even just 5 minutes a day of concentrated one-on-one, child-led time with your child can make a huge difference.

3. When choosing a school environment (if it’s a choice for you), ask questions about how they manage students. Are child-directed activities present? Are children allowed to use the restroom, get a class of water by themselves? As mentioned above classic Montessori schools can also make a good choice and many public schools have that as an option.

4. Can you send your child lunch?

5. If your kid’s school has minimal recess, ensure they are getting lots of quality activity time. Ideally free play time too - not just sports which are high control environments.

I wish you & your kids Peace & Harmony

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