Supporting Neurodivergent Children During the Holidays: Practical Tips for Parents
A parent’s guide to navigating the holidays with Neurodiverse children
The holiday season is a special time, but it can also feel tricky for families with neurodivergent children. Busy schedules, sensory overload, and changes in routine can leave both kids and parents feeling stretched. In this blog, we share practical, gentle tips to help you support your child and enjoy a holiday season that feels calm, connected, and meaningful for your family.
Our Speech Pathologist and Physiotherapist, Lorraine Makumbe, is a dedicated mother to a wonderful son on the autism spectrum. Her journey, marked by learning, advocacy, and celebrating her son’s uniqueness, has profoundly shaped how we support families. She believes that every child’s strengths should be affirmed, and that parents deserve practical tools that genuinely make home life easier and more joyful.
She shares openly that the holidays used to feel overwhelming, but over the years, she has discovered simple, child-led strategies that make this season more peaceful and joyful for her son. One of the guiding principles she lives by is:
“As a mom to a neurodiverse child, I’ve learned that the holidays don’t need to be busy or perfect; they just need to be predictable, gentle, and filled with moments of connection. Our kids thrive when we follow their rhythm, not the world’s timeline.”
At Healthy Kids At Play, we know how important it is for families to feel supported during this time. That’s why we’ve put together a simple guide filled with therapist-backed tips to help your child feel calm, confident, and connected throughout the holiday break.
1. Keep a Predictable Yet Flexible Routine
Children, especially those with autism, ADHD, and other developmental differences, often feel safest when they know what to expect. While holidays naturally bring more unstructured time, maintaining a gentle routine can make the days feel more manageable.
2. Create a Sensory-Friendly Home Space
With family gatherings, outings, and loud holiday activities, your child may become overstimulated more easily. Creating a “calm corner” or quiet space at home gives them a safe place to reset.
3. Prepare for Outings & Transitions Ahead of Time
Whether it’s shopping, visiting family, or attending events, holiday outings can bring uncertainty. Preparing your child before transitions can make a world of difference.
4. Make Communication Playful & Connection-Based
The holidays offer more time together, a perfect opportunity to bond through play. Play is not only fun, but it also supports communication, motor skills, emotional regulation, and confidence.
5. Support Emotional Regulation Through Simple Tools
Support your child’s emotional regulation with simple strategies like deep breathing, movement breaks, sensory tools (such as a fidget toy or a stress ball), calm corners, emotion charts, and predictable routines.
To help make the holiday season calmer and more joyful, we’ve designed a range of Holiday Packs created by our therapists. Each pack targets a different area of development and includes fun, hands-on activities that keep children engaged, learning, and entertained while building valuable skills.
Parents can order their Holiday Pack by scanning the QR code:
