Sensory solutions for the holidays!
Using calming and organizing input to calm and organize the nervous system. Sensory bottles are a great way to be in the present moment and focus on relaxing visual input. Shaking the bottle also provides proprioceptive input to the arms and hands!
Did you know that excitement around the holidays can cause dysregulation? The holidays are SO exciting, with time spent with family, eating different foods, giving and getting gifts, seeing lights and shows, going on trips, etc. However, these exciting things can create a lot of novelty, unexpected routines, more than typical transitions, and lots of new sensations experienced both within and outside of the body. This is where proactive regulation can help!
To help your child manage their emotional and body regulation this holiday season, consider these 3 things:
Building sensory regulation activities into your holiday routines easily keeps the nervous system regulated and feeling safe. See below for specific sensory strategies and tools.
Normalizing breaks when you or your child are overwhelmed by designating a spot to eliminate overwhelming sensory information and welcome calming and organizing sensory information. Teach your child to advocate for themselves when they are dysregulated. You can assist them by having them tune into their body. You could say something like, "Your body is telling me you are overwhelmed, and you might need a break. Should we make a blanket tent and play with your fidgets or do some tablet time?". Yes, you can use tablets as a regulation tool when needed.
Adjust your expectations as a parent to prepare yourself to be flexible as a caregiver/parent. This will help with co-regulation.
Here are some sensory strategies to help with the above considerations:
*Build playful breathwork into your daily routine. When you breathe in and exhale during breathwork, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers heart rate and breathing rate and relaxes your body to combat the fight or flight system (sympathetic nervous system) that causes us to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and can trigger big emotions. Here are some playful breathwork ideas:
Bubble blowing- Fubbles are a great bubble tool that is easy on the go and doesn't spill! Click here to view!
Feather-blowing- Have a feather-blowing game to see who can keep their feather up in the air the longer! You can also play feather pass and blow a feather back and forth with your child like "catch," but with a feather.
Pom pom blowing- Have a pom-pom race across the table or floor to see who can get their pom pom furthest. You can also do this with tissue paper from presents.
*Build oral heavy work into your daily routine. This will provide calming and organizing proprioceptive input in your child's mouth, calming their nervous system.
Have your child drink a smoothie, yogurt, or applesauce through a straw
Offer chewy snacks- fruit leather, fruit snacks, bagels, and raisins (yes, snacks are regulation tools!)
Offer crunchy snacks-granola, raw veggies, granola, apple
Use a camelback straw cup (click here to see)
*Offer structured movement opportunities.
Have your kids help you complete tasks during the holidays. Transferring, carrying, pushing, and pulling boxes, bags, etc., can offer them heavy work and movement to help them regulate their bodies.
Make clean-up fun with wrapping paper. Crumple wrapping paper and shoot it into baskets or trash to offer your child organizing visual and proprioceptive input.
Make obstacle courses out of pillows, blankets, etc. Give your child a goal to reach when completing the obstacle course, such as rescuing the stuffed animals and bringing them through the obstacle course.
I made a list of sensory solution tools for the holidays! These items help offer calming visual input, organizing and regulating proprioceptive input, decrease overwhelming sensory input such as sound and vision, offer breathwork on the go, and more. Click here to view them all.
I also wanted to remind you of my Black Friday Bundle Sale! Click here to get access to my nervous system regulation guide, bedtime guide, and emotional regulation webinar! This is my biggest sale- over 50% off all 3 resources!
Blog written by Courtney English OT, MOT OTR/L
