November Health & Wellbeing Focus - Calm Christmas for Anxious Children
- Keep it low key – you don’t need to do a big Christmas and have the whole family round.
- Don’t go over the top with presents; children want your presence, not lots of presents.
- Some children prefer that their presents are left unwrapped as this helps to reduce anxiety.
- Sometimes it helps to spread out the presents. One idea is to give your child one small present for a few days leading up to Christmas.
- If your child struggles with surprises, tell them what their main present is, or what some of the smaller presents are. This significantly reduces anxiety and makes it easier on the day.
- How will your child feel about Santa? A strange person coming into the house in the night? This can be a scary thought, so you may need to think about how to approach it.
- Have a plan for Christmas day so your child knows what is happening and when. It doesn’t need to be minute by minute, but it’s reassuring to know what’s happening.
- Have sensory breaks throughout the day so that your child can release any built up energy. Perhaps go for a walk on Christmas day, it is a great way to burn off energy and the excess food!
- Prepare your child if they are planning on attending a Christmas Party or indeed a visit to see Santa Claus. Share previous experiences and talk things through.
- Happy ‘Calm’ Christmas everyone🎄
Seven techniques for helping kids keep calm
