09/23/2024
Let’s look at how this psychological concept (“the IKEA Effect) may be an important learning concept for your ADHD child/student (or for us ADHD adults as well!)
An amazing visual post by
Caption by
The IKEA Effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes the “increased value people place on objects they have partially created themselves” where “effort and personal investment enhance the perceived value and attachment to an item” (Cognition, January 2018)
We probably all have strong memories of learning something because it was paired with creating something, especially if the “creating it part” was something we enjoyed doing.
A personal example:
When I was 11 years old, my father wanted me to learn how to play chess. I was somewhat interested in the game because I loved the competitiveness of it, but it was also a lot to learn in terms of what each chess piece did, and how to move each piece, and how to take out your competitors pieces etc….
if my dad had attempted to teach me how to play chess simply by verbalizing all of this information while playing the game, I most likely would have lost interest quickly.
But my dad, knowing fairly well how my ADHD brain worked, decided to use my creative interest in pottery and clay to engage me in MAKING our own chess board. We decided to make a chessboard and chess pieces that would represent the Vikings against the British, so he was also able to make chess a bit more related to another interest of mine, which was history.✨
Needless to say, this was a learning experience that stuck with me…. And in teaching, the whole point is to find ways to make the learning “stick with the kids”…
Hands-on learning, project-based learning, group interactive projects where something tangible is created can have a HUGE impact on overall student engagement/learning and is particularly helpful for ADHD students. So keep the “IKEA Effect” in mind for your ADHD children & students✨✨✨
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More to come on my “chess” experience AND it’s relationship to powerful ADHD strength-based learning strategies in upcoming post!
Have a great day everyone!✨✨✨
