A Peaceful Holiday Season With ADHD Kids
ADHD kids in particular can struggle with the lack of structure and changes in routine. So when the holidays roll around and there are different events and family visits how do you handle it? You prepare! Here are a few tips:
Provide Structure for ADHD Kids
While school breaks provide fun and connections, many ADHD kids can spiral during this time, experiencing more meltdowns, tantrums, low motivation, and other concerns. That’s because the ADHD brain attempts to make order from chaos and the different activities might be too much for them.
If you provide structure through the holidays – things will go smoother.
Simple things to consider are:
- Waking up and going to bed at regular times
- Routine reading, quiet play, rest, or other mindful activities throughout the day.
- Building in planned physical activity to get them moving and enhance brain function.
Build in Predictability
ADHD kids need to know what’s coming. Because of the way ADHD brains work, knowing the plan, being able to visualize what’s going to happen when, and having the opportunity to prepare are critical. You can help your kids in this area by:
- Posting a visual schedule or calendar so they can see what activity happens when.
- Breaking down large tasks or events into smaller items (i.e., instead of “dinner at grandma’s house,” be specific: outside play, family photos, sitting down at the table, and a movie later)
- Be specific in your expectations about how transitions happen. The ADHD brain often struggles to pivot when it needs to, so give plenty of warning and help your child understand what’s coming.
Prepare ADHD Kids
Just like you set them up for success for a school day, put that same consideration into what they need in order to be successful at each holiday outing or event your family is going to participate in. Consider: what do they need in order to be successful at the Christmas tree farm, or at grandpa’s house, etc.?
This can look like:
- Building in time for rest so they don’t get overstimulated.
- Making sure there’s plenty of time for movement and physical activity.
- Packing healthy snacks to balance out the sugar and other inflammatory foods they’re sure to eat.
- Prioritizing sleep so they can fully reset before the next adventure.
The holidays are a fantastic time to connect as a family and enjoy the events. With the right preparation and awareness, you can help your family not just survive the holiday season with ADHD kids, but thrive!
Happy Holidays from LearningRx!
[Tree Photo by Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash]
