Navigating Christmas & the Summer Holidays: A Gentle, Neuroaffirming Guide for Families
- Carol Hegan
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
The Christmas and summer holiday period can be a time of togetherness and joy — but also unpredictability, dysregulation, sensory overload, and shifting routines.
For many neurodivergent children and their families, this season brings mixed feelings. Alongside excitement often sits exhaustion, pressure, and the invisible work families do in planning, anticipating needs, and supporting their child’s emotional world.
At Grow Therapy Services, we want to hold space for what this time of year truly looks and feels like for our community. This guide has been written with care, compassion, and lived experience.
Our message is simple:
✨ Your pace is valid.
✨ Your child’s needs are valid.
✨ Going slow is not only okay — it’s necessary.
✨ There is no “right way” to do holidays.
✨ Your version of Christmas is enough.
Below are expanded tips and practical supports to help your family navigate the season with more ease, more regulation, and more self-compassion.
Understanding the Holiday Experience Through a Neurodivergent Lens
1. Predictability disappears — which can feel unsafe
The sudden transition from structured school days to unstructured holidays can create uncertainty for neurodivergent children. Even when the activities are fun, the change itself can be dysregulating.
2. End-of-year fatigue is real
For many children, Term 4 is the highest load of the year — sensory, social, emotional, and academic. By December, many children are living on depleted energy and borrowed resilience.
3. “Melting down” after school finishes is not misbehaviour
This is the nervous system saying:
“I can finally rest. I don’t need to hold it together anymore.”
This decompression is healthy, even if it looks messy.
4. Holidays can bring extra sensory load
Crowded shops, flashing lights, family gatherings, heat, smells, noise, travel…These can overwhelm even the most regulated nervous system.
This is why softer, slower days are not indulgent — they are protective.
Practical & Proactive Strategies
1. Keep routines flexible, not rigid
Children thrive on predictability, but not at the expense of autonomy.
Try creating daily sequences instead of schedules:
Movement
Snack
Play
Rest
Outside or connection time
Dinner
Wind down
This gives structure without pressure — ideal for PDA profiles, autistic children, ADHDers, and anxious kids.
2. Co-design the day together
A short morning planning conversation can make an enormous difference.
Examples:
“Would you like a quiet morning or a busy one today?”
“We can go to the park or stay home — what’s your idea?”
“Would you prefer to choose now or after breakfast?”
Collaboration reduces resistance, supports regulation, and fosters independence.
3. Use visual cues or simple prompts
Visual supports help when language processing or executive functioning is harder due to fatigue.
Try:
A “Today’s Plan” board
A “Choose 1–2 activities” visual
A “What I Need” menu (space, movement, help, quiet, comfort, plan change)
4. Pre-teach transitions
Give gentle, non-demanding cues like:
“Soon we’ll be moving to the car.”
“We’re nearly finished with this activity.”
“When you’re ready in the next little while, we’ll start getting shoes on.”
This reduces pressure and helps pace the transition.
It’s More Than Okay to Go Slow — It’s Essential
Many children spend the school term masking, camouflaging, and meeting demands that stretch their emotional bandwidth. Holidays give their nervous system the chance to:
Recover
Reset
Process
Integrate what they’ve learned
Rebuild energy
Reconnect with their safe people
Slowness is not avoidance.
Slowness is healing.
Children grow most when they feel safe and unhurried.
Supporting Children Who “Don’t Know What to Do”
A common holiday challenge is children feeling “bored” or lost when routine disappears.
This is often executive functioning fatigue, not a lack of imagination.
Here are compassionate strategies that help:
1. Create Invitation-to-Play Stations
Simple baskets or trays with:
Art supplies
Lego or blocks
Water play
Nature items
Stickers + drawing
Sensory tubs
Playdough setups
Let them browse at their own pace.
2. Use “Start Together” prompts
For children who struggle to begin tasks:
“I’ll do the first step with you.”
“Let’s build the first part together.”
“Watch me start, and you can join when you’re ready.”
This lowers initiation demands.
3. Build in “pressure-free” time daily
This means:
No questions
No demands
No expectations
No social pressure
Just rest, comfort, and autonomy.
Navigating Christmas Gatherings When Family Members Don’t Always Understand
Holiday gatherings can be emotionally complex. You may need to protect your child’s needs while managing extended family expectations.
Here are gentle scripts:
“We’re keeping today low demand so they feel safe.”
“Screens help them regulate — it’s part of their support plan.”
“Please don’t force hugs; they’ll connect in their own way.”
“Big days are hard for them — we may leave when they’ve had enough.”
“This behaviour isn’t rude; it’s overwhelm.”
You are allowed to protect your child’s wellbeing.You are allowed to set boundaries.You are allowed to leave early.
You know your child best.
Travel Tips for Neurodivergent Families
Travel can be exciting and incredibly demanding. Here’s how to make it easier:
1. Use Perth Airport social stories
Perth Airport provides:
Visual guides
Step-by-step processes
Security walkthroughs
Sensory room information
Maps
Accessibility supports
We can also adapt these into a personalised story for your child.
2. Use the Sensory Rooms
Located within Perth Airport Terminal 1 International, past the security checkpoint, the Sensory Room is exclusively available to departing passengers and offers:
Reduced noise levels and soft lighting for a calming atmosphere.
Seating nooks for small travelling groups.
Two private areas for those who require additional space.
Sensory-seeking accessories to support regulation and comfort.
Device charging stations for convenience.
Small cubby spaces to retreat and unwind.
Soft furnishings and colour treatments to create a soothing environment.
Flight information display screen to stay updated without disruption.
The Sensory Room can provide neurodivergent children and families:
A break from crowds
Reduced sensory input
Time to move or decompress
A safe space before boarding
These can make the difference between a regulated and dysregulated flight.
3. Request early boarding
Most airlines will allow disability-related early boarding when requested.
This avoids:
Queueing
Crowds
Rushed transitions
Overwhelming sensory overload
You may also like to consider accessing a Sunflower Lanyard. The Sunflower Lanyard signals to Airport staff that you may a hidden disability and require additional assistance. Learn more about the sunflower lanyard and order your own
4. Pack a personalised Sensory & Regulation Kit
Include:
Noise-cancelling headphones
Sunglasses
Chewable jewellery
Fidget toys
Small weighted item
Preferred snacks
Comfort item
Tablet with downloaded shows
Weighted hoodie or scarf
Gum or chewy snacks for take-off
5. Build movement into the process
Before boarding, encourage:
Running
Jumping
Climbing
Pushing/pulling heavy bags
Stretching
Movement regulates the body before long periods of sitting.
6. Break down the day into steps
Children cope better when they know what to expect.
Try phrases such as:
“First security, then waiting, then boarding.”
“When the seatbelt sign turns off, you can use your iPad.”
“When we land, we’ll get our bags and then go to the car.”
A Message Just for Caregivers: Your Wellbeing Matters Too
Supporting neurodivergent children through the holidays can be emotionally and physically demanding.
Your nervous system deserves care — not as an afterthought, but as a priority.
Here are practical, realistic ways to support yourself:
1. Build “micro-rest” into your day
You don’t need long breaks for rest to be meaningful.
Try:
Five minutes of deep breathing
Sitting in silence while your child watches TV
A cup of tea outside
One song you love in your headphones
A short stretch
Micro-rest counts.
2. Reduce non-essential expectations
You don’t have to:
Host
Bake
Attend every event
Keep a perfect house
Create a “magical Christmas”
Simplify wherever possible.
3. Ask for help — even in small ways
Support could look like:
Someone watching the kids for 20 minutes
A neighbour picking up milk
Saying yes to offers of help
Letting someone else cook or clean
You are not meant to carry everything alone.
4. Prioritise your sensory needs too
If noise, chaos, lights, or crowds overwhelm you — adjust the environment for your own wellbeing.
Your regulation supports your child’s regulation.
5. Celebrate “good enough” parenting
Connection is more important than activities.
Presence is more important than perfection. Regulated adults create regulated children.
You are doing an incredible job.
A Final Gentle Reminder
Your child does not need a picture-perfect holiday.
They need:
Safety
Co-regulation
Predictability
Autonomy
Time to rest
A pace that honours their nervous system
And you deserve a holiday season that supports your wellbeing too.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
There is only what works for your family — and that is more than enough.
If you’d like personalised strategies, low-demand activity plans, or tailored support for your child’s holiday needs, our team is here to help.
Warmly,
The Grow Therapy Services Team
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