Wow-worthy gifts for adults with ADHD (2024)

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 gifting/giving, I’d say I’m pretty good at picking out wow-worthy gifts. In this post, I’ve personally chosen some great gift ideas to spark your imagination. Remember, gifting isn’t about spending money—it’s about showing them you care for them. The more thought, the better!

Before we jump into the gift recommendations, though, some important reminders:

• 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 (RSD), 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!

Thoughtful gifting guide for adults with ADHD

Remember—just because someone has ADHD, doesn’t mean they are defined by their ADHD. With that in mind, here are some 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! The key is to personalize these based on what you know about your loved one—these ideas are just a starting point to spur your creativity!

💸 = costs money

🆓 = free

Show them you support them by getting them something that supports their personal strengths. These are some demonstrative examples, but get creative! For example:

1. 💸 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?”
2. 💸🆓 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:

1. 💸 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!
2. 💸 For reading or learning: Audible credits for audiobooks
3. 🆓 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:

1. 💸 Print a 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!)
2. 🆓 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!
3. 🆓 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?” or, “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:

1. 🆓 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: turn it into a game by making them guess where you’re going next, or what the memory is on each card.
2. 💸 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.
3. 💸 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.

Support their wellbeing with professional services that can make a meaningful difference in their life. Remember to be sensitive in how you present these - frame them as ways to help them thrive rather than "fixing" anything:

1. 💸 An ADHD coaching package. Coaching can help develop personalized strategies for organization, time management, and goal achievement. This could be especially meaningful if they've mentioned wanting to work with an ADHD coach but haven't taken the step yet.
2. 💸 A cleaning service subscription or gift certificate. This isn't about their ability to clean - it's about giving them more time for what matters most to them. Consider a monthly or bi-weekly service, or even a one-time deep clean to start fresh. And of course, be sure to consider whether your loved one will feel relieved by such a gift; if cleaning has been a struggle for some time, they may feel too self-conscious to appreciate it, or may even be offended.
3. 💸 A session with a professional organizer who can help create sustainable systems that work with their natural tendencies rather than against them. Many organizers offer virtual sessions too! The key is finding someone who has experience working with neurodivergent clients. The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) are professional organizations you can use to help find the right organizer for your loved one (or yourself!).
4. 💸 A meal kit delivery service subscription can reduce decision fatigue around meal planning. Some of them have meals that you still cook yourself (often with super simple recipes), while others have fully-prepped meals you can just pop in the oven for a quick and simple chef-cooked dinner. Look for services that offer flexibility in delivery frequency and easy scheduling changes. Bonus: if they enjoy cooking, this can be a fun way to explore new recipes without the overhead of planning and shopping!

Ultimate ADHD gift list

Don’t have the time for one of the above ideas? Just not seeing anything that sparks the “aha! That’s the PERFECT gift idea” feeling? We’ve got your back. In the next few sections, you’ll find collections of specific products recommended by Shimmer coaches, clients, and myself that are great for people with ADHD.

Best ADHD books

These books are all must-haves for anyone with ADHD—and they’d make a great addition to your bookshelf, too. After all, one of the best ways to show someone with ADHD that you really care is to learn about it!

• Thriving with Adult ADHD: Skills to Strengthen Executive Functioning, by Phil Boissiere, MFT
• Order from Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD, by Jaclyn Paul
• What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew, by Dr. Sharon Saline
• The ADHD Effect on Marriage, by Melissa Orlov
• ADHD 2.0, by Edward M. Hallowell M.D. (Author), John J. Ratey M.D.
• Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You, by Jenara Nerenberg
• How to keep house while drowning, by KC Davis, LPC
• Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD, by Jesse J Anderson
• Your Brain’s Not Broken, by Tamara Rosier, PhD
• How to ADHD: An Insider’s Guide to Working with Your Brain, by Jessica McCabe
• Self-Care for People with ADHD, by Sasha Hamdani, MD

Best journals & planners for adults with ADHD

1. I love the Hero’s Journal, which turns your journaling practice into a narrative, gamified journey. The pages aren’t dated, so there’s no shame or perfectionism hurdles to jump if you miss a day. The pages are full of fun, colorable art too, for some added fun and relaxation.
2. The Planner Pad organizer uses a 3-tier design to help guide you through categorizing, prioritizing, and scheduling tasks—perfect for ADHD brains, which often need more structure. As a bonus, it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, which you don’t usually see with planners!
3. The Seeing My Time planner system is built for teaching the executive skills of time management, planning, and organization—things that most people are never actually taught how to do, and don’t come naturally to ADHD brains. The planner can be purchased along with a learning course, or by itself.
4. For those who need a little help with routines and habits, the Brain Shift Journal is a 13-week guided journal designed with behavioral science with guided check-ins, reflections, and insights to help understand the science behind habits.
5. The Happy Planner is a great option for those who like something customizable. There are a ton of different page layouts, sizes, and other options to choose from. You can even replace or re-arrange pages without needing to tear them out.
6. Another reusable planner option is the Rocketbook. The reusable paper is a nice eco-friendly option - just upload anything you want to save with a QR code on the page, then wipe clean with water. There are also seven different page templates, making the Rocketbook pretty versatile.
7. The Emergent Task Planner is another option for those who like added structure and instruction. Planner pages are available to download for free to try it out before purchasing. I really like that this one helps you track the time you spend on tasks, which can be crucial for people with ADHD.

Helpful gifts for ADHD management

1. 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)
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Water-proof notepad: Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like ADHDers are more prone to shower lightbulb moments. Help your neurospicy loved ones remember those great ideas with a waterproof notepad!
5. Visual timers or Pomodoro timers: Because ADHD often comes with time blindness (difficulty perceiving and estimating time), we really benefit from tools that help make the passage of time more visible.
6. Reusable Peel and Stick Pill Trackers: For those of us with ADHD, small, routine actions don’t always “stick” in our memory. Our working memory (think internal “workspace” for short-term processing) is full of information others tune out, leaving us less space to keep track of things we need to recall. Simple, easy-to-access med trackers let us outsource that bit of memory to make space for other things. This peel and stick option is great because it makes tracking part of the process of taking our meds.
7. If your loved one is a parent, they might enjoy a gift for the whole family. The SERVD Chore Chart and the Skylight Calendar are just a couple examples of products that make managing a household - whether that’s chores or hectic schedules - a bit easier.

Best ADHD self-care gifts

1. 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.
2. Fidget toy: By far the fan favorite, if they don’t have one already, try the ONO roller. It’s quality stuff. Stimagz and Speks are also great options. For something a little more subtle, there are also all kinds of fidget jewelry options for all ages.
3. 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.
4. Noise cancelling ear plugs: Loop ear plugs are the crème de la crème of noise reducers. Rather than blocking out sound entirely, they come in a range of options for selectively quieting the things you don’t want to hear. Some models are able to switch between modes, “Engage” for talking, “Experience” for enjoying live events like concerts, and “Quiet,” which blocks out most noises.
5. 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 (I have 2 on my table at all times) is the Hydroflask with Straw lid.
6. A smart water bottle: When hyperfocus kicks in, it’s easy for us to forget some of the most mundane-but-crucial habits, like stopping for 5 seconds to drink water. “Did I drink water today?” Who can say? The Hidrate Spark PRO, that’s who. It syncs with your devices and tracks every sip you take from it throughout the day. You can set a hydration goal, and the app will calculate when you need to drink more water to meet it. Don’t worry about missing the memo. The bottom of the bottle lights up like a tiny dance party when it’s time for another sip.

🎁 That’s a wrap

Remember, the best gift you can give someone with ADHD isn't necessarily about managing their ADHD—it's about showing them you understand, accept, and celebrate who they are. Use this guide as a starting point, but trust your knowledge of your loved one to guide your final choice. Sometimes the most meaningful gifts aren't things at all—they're experiences, memories, or simply showing that you've taken the time to understand and support them in their journey.

And hey, if you're reading this because you have ADHD yourself—feel free to share this guide with your loved ones! Sometimes the best gift we can give others is helping them understand how to support us better.

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