Surviving the Holidays: Making the holidays fun festive for your child with spd

1. Surviving the Holidays: Making the holidays fun & festive for your child with spd Pediatric Therapy Center 932-2782 www.ptcne.org

2. General Strategies for Enjoying the Holiday Season -Try to maintain a typical daily routine as much as possible -Provide a lot of preparation for changes to routines and schedules -Consider in advance the sensory-based challenges your child will face and be prepared -Provide sensory preparatory activities before multisensory activities - Create Social Stories to introduce and prepare for new activities and experiences

3. Holiday Party Happiness -Provide lots of preparation about going to the party, when, who will be there, what you will do, etc. -Provide sensory preparation activities before the party for calming and organizing the sensory system -Don’t force participation in any activity -Find a place to take a break if necessary and bring helpful calming items from home

4. Mall Madness -Provide lots of preparation – talk about what will happen there -Sensory prep activities before leaving home -Try to have a plan – what stores you will visit, how long you will be there, when you will take a break, etc. Keep kids involved in the plan and talk about changes -Go prepared – take calming items from home, earplugs may be helpful or a fidget toy to carry -Get kids involved – let them pick out toys for siblings or other family members -Make clear expectations -Write down/review a plan or use a picture schedule - Use a first/then chart

5. Sitting With Santa -Lots of preparation and sensory prep activities -Have a practice run through at home -Try to go when lines will be shorter and take fidgets, books, or games to play with while in line -Don’t force your child to participate -Be creative – sit in front of Santa, stand next to him, high five, etc. -Let them watch other kids and choose what they want to do - Social stories

6. Christmas Break -Try to maintain a daily schedule with frequent prep for any changes -Use the time off to add in more sensory-based activities into the day -Let your child take sensory breaks as necessary -Get your child involved in holiday activities (wrapping gifts, making cookies, decorating, etc.)

7. Holiday Visitors -Prepare for the visit and maintain sensory-based calming activities during the day -Make sure your child has a place to take a break when they are overwhelmed -Maintain your child’s schedule as much as possible -Involve your guests in sensory activities with your child

8. Christmas Eve -Try to maintain a normal bedtime routine -Talk about the Christmas morning activities -Take breaks during the festivities for calming/sensory-based activities -Work together to make a “schedule” for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day events - Use first/then chart

9. Christmas Day -Plan for kids to be overwhelmed and excited, and plan for some breaks to calm down during activities -Schedule in some quiet time and/or sensory breaks during the day -Follow a schedule as much as possible and talk about any changes before they happen -Try to maintain typical mealtimes, naptimes, sensory breaks, etc.

10. Fun Holiday Activities Make sensory activities out of holiday fun Wrapping gifts – make this into tactile sensory fun. Feel the different paper textures, ribbon, etc. Making cookies or other holiday treats – roll out the dough, decorate with sprinkles, etc. Decorating the house – pushing, pulling, and carrying boxes, decorating the Christmas tree, etc. Take a walk or drive to look at Christmas lights Make a holiday obstacle course around the house Bundle up and play outside in the snow, make a snowman, snowangels, etc