What’s better than a week or two off from school in the middle of the winter?!

Nothing! If you’re a kid. Maybe oral surgery if you’re a parent.

Because as excited as your child is to have time away from school, the magic of structure disappears. After a few days without it, any kid starts to get fidgety and bored, but for children with sensory and learning issues, the stakes are higher. Behavioral problems, anxiety, inattentiveness, and frustration can resurface and/or intensify. Suddenly, what’s meant to be a relaxing time away from the routine becomes a lot of long and difficult days.

You want your child to have fun. You want a stress-free, memorable holiday vacation. So, how do you make sure your winter break doesn’t bring everyone to the breaking point?

The best way to deal with your child’s loss of structure during time off is to create a new one. Proactively plan the rhythms and routines that help support their needs. Lise Faulise, OT extraordinaire and Director of Research and Clinical Programs at The Wolf School, has the following tips:

• Create some simple activities and structure your day with them. Keep daily routines as close to your child’s regular schedule as possible. Let your child know when activities will happen and for how long.
• Include about an hour of time daily for activities that are interactive, not just passive. Watching a movie is passive. Doing puzzles, playing with modeling clay, role-playing, finding objects in hidden picture books, are all interactive. This supports cognitive endurance. It doesn’t need to be school work, but it should require some kind of brain work to keep your child thinking and/or problem-solving.
• Create a safe play space for indoor active play that can meet sensory needs like jumping or climbing. Structure this into the day when your child needs to reenergize and focus.
• Include time to wind down or put a pause on the day. Yoga, breathing exercises, mindful minutes, are all good options. Look for apps and YouTube videos for help.
• Get outside! Nature is one of the best ways children (and adults!) can recharge and improve emotional and physical health. Even if your child resists, you can create a successful experience by dressing warmly, making the outing short and incorporating something motivating (seeing a cool bird or going with a friend).
• Space out more social/stimulating activities such as family gathering, parties or playdates, across the week with home time for recharging in-between. Recognize the signs of overload and adjust the schedule accordingly!

Want to get notified when there’s a new World of Complex Learners blog post? Subscribe to our blog!

Anna Johnson, Head of School at The Wolf School, is a devoted, passionate educator with more than 17 years of classroom and leadership experience. She holds a BA and MAT from Brown University and speaks locally and nationally on topics related to Complex Learners.