Montessori Childrens House
of the west coast

Children and the Holidays

Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008

Excitement is running high here at MCH as the holidays are approaching.  Teachers become acutely aware of the approaching holidays because they see not so subtle changes in the children’s normal behaviors.  Children begin to have difficulty focusing and concentrating on their work, conflicts between children escalate, there are more emotional melt downs and the energy of the children begins to flag or becomes more erratic.  To keep the holidays a positive experience for all and to counteract the effects of this excitement, we keep our daily routines as consistent as possible with little variation, and we try to keep the infusion of holiday activities simple and not too disruptive to the routine of their day.  The key is to celebrate the holidays without overtaxing the children. 

Here are a few simple suggestions for parents to help reduce the stress and create a joyful holiday experience for your child and your family:

• Keep your children’s routines and schedules as consistent as possible during the holidays.  This includes when they get up, when they go to bed and when they eat their meals.

• Make sure your children get plenty of rest.  Naps or rest times should not be missed and hours of sleep need to be as usual if not longer.

• Eat plenty of nutritious, long lasting energy producing food.  This will counteract the excess of sweets that are inevitable over the holidays.  Research has shown that it isn’t the ingestion of sugar that causes hyperactivity, but the replacement of sugar for more nutritious foods that causes the hyperactivity.  Sugar is digested for quick energy; more complex foods provide long lasting energy.  Children crash when they don’t have an energy reserve to fuel them.  This in turn fuels hyper-active behavior.

• Take the time to explain a change of routine before it happens.  “Tonight we are going to grandma and grandpa’s house for a party and you will be seeing your cousins. We will be having dinner and opening presents.  It will be fun to see your cousins again but remember the rules of playing inside…….”

• Alert them to holiday activities one day at a time.  Reviewing the entire holiday schedule with children is counter productive.

• If your children are with you for a party try not to overstay their ability to cope with the event.  If this will be a long event, mostly for adults, maybe it’s best to get a baby sitter.

• Adults are often over stressed from the holiday and patience runs thin.  Try to keep your stress out of your child’s life. 

Enjoy your holidays!!!