Proven Strategies To Help Your Child Wait For Christmas
Does your child need strategies to get them through Christmas? We are going to discuss proven strategies to help your child wait for Christmas! Christmas can be hard for any child to wait for. The anticipation of the big day filled with presents and special memories can be very exciting, but it can also be hard to wait for.
As a mother of a son on the Autism Spectrum, I witness firsthand how hard waiting for Christmas can be and that it is a real struggle for many kids. Seeing the anticipation growing and growing in your child can be hard to watch. You may even contemplate giving them presents early (no judgement we did this one year). I hear you and feel you but let’s first start with some strategies to help your child with waiting for Christmas.
What is Rock Braining?
I bet you are wondering what is going on. What is your child going through? It is called rock braining. Rock Braining is when your child obsesses about something or an event. They continuously think about it and talk about it. They just cannot stop thinking about Christmas. What to do?
There are many strategies to help your child. First, I recommend getting a calendar. Writing down important events leading up to Christmas is extremely helpful for your child. Let them in on the schedule. The structure of knowing what is happening and when can ease some stress.
Second, make a list of different activities your child can do during the day when they feel the rock braining happening. I recommend writing 15-20 activities down on small pieces of paper. Fold them up and put them in a jar. When your child is bored or rock braining have they pick a piece of paper out of the jar and complete that activity. Here is a list of activities we do:
- Scooter
- Read For 30 Minutes
- Play A Board Game
- Ride Your Bike
- Have A Nerf War
- Do A Craft
- Make A Recipe Book With 5 New Recipes
- Draw A Picture
- Write A Short Story
- Watch A Documentary
- Call A Friend
- Write A Letter To Someone
- Play Minecraft Or Other Game
- Take The Dog For A Walk/Play With Him
- Do A Mini Workout Or Stretch
Finally, talk to a parent or friend. Sometimes just having that extra support and talking to someone helps a lot. If communicating is hard, they can write a letter talking about their emotions and how they are feeling. Journaling may be a good option. Getting these emotions out constructively is key. Sometimes kids just need to know someone else cares. Give them hugs or snuggles. Love on them.
Finding The Right Strategy
Finding the right strategy for your child make take some work. Your child will see you care and will respond positively. Any help you can provide to your child will help them with self-regulation. The best thing about strategies is if one does not work, move on to another until you find one that works. I know it can be hard. I know it can be frustrating when your child is telling every excuse why they cannot complete one of these strategies. There may be a time when you need to help them break down that wall (spiral of doom) and lead them in one of the activities. If your child drew a paper that says to write a story, maybe give them some topics (try to pick their favorites). Help them see this can be fun and exciting. They may just need a little nudge.
Helping your child self-regulate will help them in the long run. It may allow them to stop Rock Braining and work through Christmas. We want our kids to be successful in their life, but we need to give them the tools (strategies) to help them.
I would love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment with other strategies that can help. I would love to hear your story and the tools you have used. We can all learn from each other!
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Hi my name is Laurie. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian homeschooling mom of 3, caregiver to my Veteran husband, mom to a son with Autism, community volunteer, travel loving, and blogger. As you might notice, I do not live the “expected life”. Come join my family and other families as we experience Living The Unexpected Life.
