Michelle from The Autism Helper offers five strategies for managing the holiday season in self-contained autism classrooms. Keep routines consistent with holiday activities, use visual countdowns like starfall.com calendars to reduce anxiety, have sensory tools readily available, stick to simple independent activities, and prioritize your own breaks and breathing to stay positive.
If you're a teacher in a self-contained classroom like me, you know that the holidays can bring extra energy, schedule changes, and let's be honest, some stress. I'm Michelle with The Autism Helper, and today I'm here with some tips to help us survive and even thrive during that exciting but challenging stretch leading up to Christmas break. So let's talk strategies to make this time of year manageable and meaningful for you and your students. My first tip is to stick to your routines as much as possible. Consistency is key for our students, especially during this season of unpredictability. So if you're introducing something new like a holiday craft or even a holiday party, try to build it into your established schedule. For example, instead of free choice, you might swap in a holiday structured theme center or craft activity. And this helps students feel safe and know what to expect. I love the Autism Helpers Christmas Party Setup Kit because it gives me all of these different types of activities, and it also gives me student schedules so that students know exactly what to expect. When doing centers, it's easy for me to incorporate holiday-themed crafts or holiday-themed worksheets into what students are already learning. This is one of my favorite creator packs that I use at my center during the holidays. This is keeping my kinders busy. And then over here, this is a freebie on Teachers Pay Teachers from Victoria Salette. It's just a Christmas a Christmas tree name craft and a Christmas tree math craft. This one is from Stephanie Stewart. My students are familiar with these crafts. We're keeping the consistency in the routine in the classroom, but still having holiday fun. Tip number 2 is to anticipate sensory overload with your students. The sights, the sounds, the smells of the holidays can be overwhelming for some of our students. So, make sure your sensory tools are accessible and offer breaks when needed. For example, if your class is going to a holiday assembly, consider using headphones or creating a visual schedule so they know exactly what's coming next. Now this is my calming corner in my classroom. As you can see, I have some sensory pillows, some squishies, I have a pair of noise-canceling headphones in there, and a sensory brush for students. Next up, use visuals to build excitement in a manageable way, especially if you have changes in your schedule. But also, a holiday countdown can be a fun tool to help students understand how many days are left until Christmas break. This can also reduce anxiety about the unknown and give them something to look forward to. In my classroom, I love using the starfall.com calendar. We go through this every single day, and this really helps students get excited about what's coming up for the month of December. And we go over how many days left we have until Christmas. We count every single day in my classroom, and students look forward to this every day. Okay, tip number 4 is keep activities simple and meaningful. Holiday crafts and sensory bins or even baking activities can be great ways to celebrate, but they don't need to be over the top. Stick to activities that your students can do independently or with minimal support. For example, we have the Autism Helper Winter Easy Matching Weekly Workbooks. Students are very successful with these activities independently. I also have my students doing the Christmas Boom Cards. That's an independent activity. Students can also decorate gingerbread houses. Even just with my winter-themed sensory bins that students have fun with. These are always a hit in my classroom. Finally, my favorite tip: Take care of you! The holiday season can be stressful for teachers too, so don't forget to carve out moments of self-care. Whether it's bringing your favorite coffee to school, delegating tasks to your team, or just taking a moment to breathe. Remember that your energy sets the tone for your classroom. Remember, the goal is to keep things as predictable, simple, and joyful as possible. I'd love to hear your ideas. What strategies work for you during this time of year? Drop them in the comments below, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and check out more resources at theautismhelper.com. Thanks for watching, and happy holidays!
