Christmas can be a time of excitement and fun for the whole family – especially children!
But for some children it can be stressful and triggering which can spill over into exhaustion and show in children’s behaviour.
Here are a few tips and thoughts that may help you and your children navigate Christmas and other big occasions throughout the year.
Plan your events as a family
1. Be Prepared
Many parents may already have lists for children’s gifts and parties booked in their diaries which can really help to manage your stress levels during a busy period.
This can help support a feeling of calm within the family unit during busy times.
A great idea for anxious children could be to share any plans, dates and events for the family, using a family calendar.
This could be something you could put together with your child ready for Christmas, and could be a great way to spend some crafting time together!
Having a visual plan to follow can help children understand whats coming up, regulate stress levels and communicate with you how they are feeling about any upcoming events. this can offer the opportunity to speak with them about their feelings and give reassurances.
Tip! Think about what your children would prefer – everything perfect with a stressed-out parent or a calm, relaxing time with friends and family and a few things forgotten.
Christmas comes once a year and you can only do your best and should you forget something, there is always next year!
schedule in some ‘Me Time’
2. Stick to Routines!
We know children thrive on their routines. Structure is very important for them.
However, this can sometimes go awry when preparing for a big event like Christmas.
Try your best to stick to day-to-day routines, such as bedtimes and family mealtimes.
Maybe try to get outside for some fresh air everyday too!
During the run up to Christmas, sweet treats can become part of the build up to the big day!
An increased intake of sugar for children, can have an impact on their behaviour, so try to be mindful of how many sweet treats they are having.
Tip! An important thing which can be generally overlooked during a busy period is scheduling in time for your own self-care, including enough sleep!
We can all manage the daily grind a little easier if we are taking care of ourselves, so adding some ‘Me time’ to the calendar is a must!
Your support network are there for you
3. Ask Others for Help
Your support network is still out there! Whether you are having a small family Christmas this year or a larger one, do ask for help if you think you will need it.
After following Step 1: Be Prepared, you may already know how someone could help you out for the main event and you can ask them with plenty of notice. Christmas is a time for giving and there are always people happy to help.
shaking the bottle can spill it everywhere
4. Manage their Excitement
Children can struggle to manage their feelings when they are overwhelmed with one feeling, such as excitement.
Christmas can be a very exciting time for everyone, especially if it is your first one as a family.
Whilst its lovely to see children look forward to a big event, there are times when it gets too much and they can struggle to manage their feelings, expressing certain behaviours which influences their routine, making parenting a little more challenging.
Planning in regular ‘calm time’ throughout the busy period or staggering the activities planned can help with this. Such as settling down for a story, watching a festive film (see link at the bottom for some ideas), or making a warm drink and talking about their day.
Tip! Try to explain the excitement feelings to your child.
You could use an analogy like this one – Taking a bottle of cola/fizzy drink – if you shake the bottle it will fizz up and spill everywhere, it is more enjoyable to let it rest and have a glass every now and then, instead of an explosion all at once.
List what you want out of Christmas
5. Manage your own Expectations (and Stress!)
Some parents thrive on Christmas and others manage the best they can.
Big events like Christmas can also be triggering for adults depending on their own experiences.
Children can pick up on these feelings of stress and negativity which can lead to additional stresses for you as a parent.
Reach out to your support network to talk about how you are feeling.
Sharing your thoughts can help you feel better about upcoming plans and how to manage your feelings around them and your family.
Taking time for self-care and getting enough sleep can help you regulate your emotions and stress levels, helping you to parent with a clearer mind.
Scheduling some time off work during this period could be helpful to complete tasks and help you feel more in control of the upcoming event.
Try to think about what would you like the main event to look like?
What do you think your family will want out of the day/event?
What kind of Christmas would your child enjoy?
Spending time together is often much more important that big expensive gifts.
Thinking about the plan for the day and what you want for everyone, including yourself, can help you to realistically manage your to do list.
Planning tasks and asking for help if needed will support keeping your stress levels low and expectations managed.
We hope these tips give you some ideas on how to manage Christmas but remember everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for you!
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
From all the team at YAA X
PS
Netflix – 17 Best Family and Kids Christmas Movies and Shows