The holiday season can present challenges for many children and families. While this is, for many, a magical time of year, for some it can be overwhelming and challenging.
Whether it’s sitting on Santa’s knee, meeting lots of relatives, late nights, bright lights or lots of extra sugar, the holidays can get quickly overwhelming for some children.
If a child experiences sensory overload, or simply finds such a busy time a bit much, here are some tips to help…
Give them choices - if they don’t want to sit on Santa’s knee or kiss an unknown (or known!) relative, take the pressure off everyone and respect their right to make that choice.
Don’t be tempted to think you need lots of presents to make Christmas magical. Sometimes the sheer volume is overwhelming for children. Consider asking family members to choose just one gift, or asking them to contribute to tickets for a day out, or to a class you want to take your child to instead.
Keep your routine in place as much as possible so they feel safe and reassured.
Plan a safe space with your child if they need some quiet time. Consider identifying a place they can go to where they can get away from people, noise and lights. You could have a basket of books and toys there so they know they can go any time they need to.
Let your child know what things will be like in advance so they have time to plan and work out how they feel about it. If something will be particularly tricky, work out some coping strategies with them.
Validate how they feel, and let them know it’s always okay to feel what they feel.
Avoid using Santa as a threat - if children feel their presents are at risk their behaviour is likely to become more heightened, not less.
Add quiet times into the day so they have time to rest and recharge.
Provide extra hugs and reassurance that you understand things are a bit different and might feel a bit strange.
Let the people you will be spending the holidays with, know how you plan to approach things so they can support you rather than questioning your choices.
Most of all, remember the holidays are not about creating the perfect family moment. There is no such thing! Try to focus on what is really important to your family, not the social media version.