Disabilties and Holiday Routines
Storytime, Bedtime, and Other Important Things to Keep
Everything gets crazy at the holidays. Daily routines often get pushed aside. Why are keeping routines important to the child with a disbility?
- Familiarity This is just like the concept of coming home after a vacation. It was fun, but it is sure good to get back home. Children feel like this every time there is a change in schedule or routine. Outings and visitors can be fun, but it is always good to get things back to normal. Do you have an everyday schedule with your special needs child? Schedules that Work is our most read article on this topic.
- Predictability Communication is hard with many special needs kids. They do not understand everything that is communicated about changes in plans. They often have difficulty communicating about their feelings of being tired, overwhelmed, wanting to know when it is time to go home from the mall, etc. A routine keeps everyone from getting exhausted and frazzled.
- Day-to-day Needs Certain things must get done in the course of a day, a week, or a month. Everyone needs to eat. Baths and showers are a must. We all need our sleep. The same is true for household chores. Keeping as much of the daily routine as possible prevents other things from piling up - - - like laundry and picking up the kids' rooms. When things are "on track" everyone is in a better frame of mind to celebrate.
- Time Concepts Some children (especially those with ADD or ADHD) tend to loose track of time. Routines are important for them to keep focused on the needs of the day. Of course, there are times when things are not the norm. Check out for more ideas on this topic.
Are you looking for some non-stressful ways to relax with your kids this holiday season? Consider quality family time instead of quantity of packages under the tree or number of programs attended. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Special Places, Special Needs
- TV for Down Syndrome Tweens
- Puzzles and the Mentally Retarded
- Playdough for Special Needs Kids
The copyright of the article Disabilties and Holiday Routines in Special Needs Parenting is owned by Lynn Moore. Permission to republish Disabilties and Holiday Routines must be granted by the author in writing.
