As the Christmas season approaches, you may notice a shift in your child’s behaviour. Obviously, your child is excited, but this exciting can also be mixed with anxiety and overwhelm during the Christmas season. When your child is excited, anxious or overwhelmed, their behaviour changes.
Here is most likely what is adding to that change:
1. Routines Become Less Predictable
Children thrive on structure. Everyday routines—school schedules, mealtimes, bedtime rituals—provide a sense of safety and predictability. In the weeks before Christmas, these routines often shift. School events, concerts, visits from relatives, shopping trips, and late nights can make the world feel less stable. For some children, especially those who rely heavily on routine, this unpredictability may lead to irritability, clinginess, or emotional outbursts.
2. The Sensory World Gets Louder and Brighter
Christmas brings with it whole range of sensory experiences. Lights twinkle, music plays everywhere, classrooms and shops become busier, and new smells and textures fill the environment. Even a home environment changes when the Christmas decorations go up. While this can be exciting, it can also be overwhelming. Children who experience sensory sensitivities may feel overloaded by the noise, crowds, visual stimulation, and even the feeling of unfamiliar clothing or decorations. This sensory overload can show up as restlessness, avoidance, meltdowns, or fatigue.
3. Emotional Anticipation Builds
The excitement of Christmas can be a lot for young minds to manage. Anticipation, uncertainty, and big emotions around gifts, social events, or changes in routine can raise stress levels. Not to mention, everyone keeps talking about a man coming into the house on Christmas Eve when everyone is asleep! Even though they are told this is a good thing, some children can be left feeling really unsure about this.
When emotions run high, behaviour often follows.
How can I support my child and help keep things calm?
* Keep as many familiar routines in place as possible, thereby offering some stability amongst the excitement and chaos.
* Prepare your child for any upcoming changes so that are given some sense of control amongst the chaos - a visual timetable or routine chart is a great way of showing this.
* Offer quiet breaks from sensory-rich environments.
* Offer an alternative way for your child to communicate their wants and needs if they are not able to use words, such as with our Feelings Keyring.
Putting these few simple things in place can be an absolute game changer when it comes to reducing your child's anxiety. While I can't promise your child will be completely calm amongst the chaos of Christmas, hopefully there will be less stress for the whole family.
Wishing you and your family a very happy Christmas season,
Gina