Planning the perfect holiday festivities for your family? Here are five helpful tips to accommodate your loved ones with sensory needs.
Dec 18, 2020
The holiday season is a time of celebration and spending quality time with your family. It is also one of the most exciting and busiest times of the year. The festivities can bring on challenges and stress, especially if you have loved ones who are dealing with sensory sensitivities. The glowing lights, lively music, and crowded places can overstimulate and overwhelm individuals with sensory processing differences.
We have put together five helpful tips to help you navigate the bustling holidays. These strategies will help you create an inclusive and sensory-friendly holiday experience with your family.
Maintain your loved one's daily routines as much as possible during the holiday season. The holidays can be busy and chaotic with all the events and activities happening throughout December and January.
Routine is not only important in the daily activities of those with sensory challenges, but it's also crucial when it comes to food preferences. Many people with sensory needs enjoy eating the same foods repeatedly. They can struggle with new foods that are not usually part of their regular diet, like many of the traditional foods we enjoy over the holidays. Making sure familiar foods are available for your family member with sensory challenges can help maintain a sense of routine and comfort. Embracing repetition can also make people with sensory challenges feel calmer and more comfortable in holiday environments.
Visual supports are great communication tools that can help your child understand their routines. These tools also help them prepare for any upcoming schedules and events planned for the holiday season. Using visual supports such as visual schedules, social stories, and picture cards can help provide structure and reassurance. This approach reduces anxiety for your loved ones with sensory processing needs.
Help them know what to expect over the holidays and when to expect activities. Use visual reminders for events like social gatherings in your home or planned outdoor activities like ice skating. Clear visual communication helps individuals with sensory sensitivities prepare mentally for upcoming changes.
Incorporating visual supports allows your child to anticipate what comes next in their holiday schedule. This offers reassurance in potentially overwhelming situations. This approach ensures a structured environment, enabling your loved ones to enjoy the festivities while staying engaged. Visual supports minimize stress and discomfort during holiday celebrations.
You can still plan fun and engaging holiday activities for your loved ones while recognizing and addressing their specific sensory needs. Consider activities that are calming and take place in a soothing, controlled environment.
By choosing suitable accommodations and planning sensory-friendly alternatives, families can make holidays more enjoyable and accessible for their loved ones with sensory processing needs.
Holiday festivities can create a stimulating and overwhelming environment full of loud noises, constant activity, bright lights, and vibrant colours. To help support your loved ones with sensory sensitivities, carve out dedicated time for them to rest in between their holiday activities. This prevents overstimulation and sensory overload.
Pay attention to their body language and mood changes throughout holiday events. Plan your schedule accordingly based on their sensory needs. Keep them hydrated and have familiar snacks available during outdoor activities. Additionally, pack comfort items, sensory toys, and any calming strategies in case they need them during celebrations.
If you are hosting a large gathering in your home, have a designated safe space available. Create a quiet room or sensory space where your family member with sensory challenges can go if they feel overstimulated or overwhelmed. This helps keep them comfortable during social events. Having a set of noise-cancelling headphones handy would be helpful as well. It's also important to communicate the need for these sensory breaks to your other family members. This helps manage expectations within your home during holiday celebrations.
We all want the perfect holiday celebration, but it's important to set realistic expectations and remain flexible when planning out the festivities for your family. Make sure that you consider your loved one's unique sensory needs and comfort levels when planning holiday activities. They may feel overwhelmed in large gatherings or places with bright lights and loud music. Instead, aim for a compromise by creating a more intimate setting that makes them feel relaxed and comfortable.
Recognize that the "picture perfect" holiday may not go as planned, and that's perfectly okay. A successful holiday doesn't have to mean extravagant plans or elaborate celebrations. Keep an optimistic view of the possibilities for special moments you want to share with your family. Holidays are all about cherishing moments, making meaningful memories, and spending quality time with your loved ones in ways that work for everyone.
