School breaks bring fun, family time, and a major change in routine, but for many children with autism, ADHD, or other behavioral challenges, that change can feel overwhelming. Predictability is comforting. Structure helps them regulate. Routines make the world feel safe.

But holidays bring late bedtimes, new environments, visitors, travel, loud noises, shared spaces, and schedules that shift by the minute. One of the most common concerns we hear from parents at The Behavior Place is that their child becomes dysregulated during holiday breaks, especially when routines suddenly disappear.

With a little planning and a few simple strategies, you can protect predictability during the holiday season, while still enjoying the flexibility and fun your family deserves.

This guide will walk you through the steps needed to support emotional regulation, reduce meltdowns, and lower stress for your whole family.

Why Holiday Breaks Are Hard for Kids With Autism & ADHD

Children with autism often rely on structure, consistency, and predictability to feel secure. Kids with ADHD thrive when expectations are clear, transitions are supported, and movement is built into the day.

During holiday breaks, however:

• Routines change suddenly
  
• Sleep schedules shift
  
• There’s more stimulation and noise
  
• Expectations become unpredictable
  
• Demands fluctuate
  
• Transitions increase
  
• Social interactions multiply
  
• There may be less downtime or more waiting
  

For many children, this creates a perfect storm of sensory overload, uncertainty, and dysregulation.

Understanding why these moments are hard makes it easier to build a plan that supports your child instead of pushing them through the chaos.

7 Strategies to Keep Predictability During Holiday Breaks

1. Create a Simple Daily Holiday Schedule

Your break schedule doesn’t need to look like school, it just needs to be predictable.

Try creating a visual holiday schedule with:

• Wake-up time
  
• Meals
  
• Playtime
  
• Quiet time
  
• Outings
  
• Family activities
  
• Bedtime
  

Use icons or pictures, even if your child can read. The goal is to give them a sense of what’s coming next.

Tip: Even if the schedule changes day-to-day, posting it each morning reduces anxiety and improves cooperation.

2. Keep Bedtime & Wake-Up Routines as Consistent as Possible

Sleep impacts everything. Behavior, attention, emotion regulation, and flexibility.

During breaks, try to maintain:

• Same bedtime routine
  
• Consistent sleep/wake windows
  
• Predictable nighttime cues (bath, pajamas, low lights, same order)
  

A 15–30 minute shift is usually okay, but big changes can lead to big behaviors.

3. Build Movement Into the Day

Kids with ADHD especially need movement to regulate. So do many autistic children who seek sensory input.

During the holiday break, plan for:

• Outdoor play
  
• Movement breaks
  
• Heavy work (pushing, pulling, carrying, climbing)
  
• Indoor gross motor play
  
• Short sensory breaks
  

These moments prevent restlessness from turning into oppositional behavior, impulsivity, or emotional outbursts.

4. Prepare Your Child for Schedule Changes Using Visuals

Unexpected transitions are one of the biggest triggers during holiday breaks.

Before any change, help your child prepare with:

• First/Then boards
  
• Countdown timers
  
• Visual social stories
  
• Simple preview statements (“First we finish breakfast, then Grandma’s house.”)
  

Predictability can reduce stress, even if the day is full of new experiences.

5. Maintain a Daily Anchor Routine

Anchor routines are activities that happen at the same time every day, regardless of the holiday schedule.

Examples:

• Morning routine
  
• Snack time
  
• Reading time
  
• Quiet time
  
• Bedtime routine
  

Anchor routines act like “reset points” that can help your child regulate during long, unpredictable days.

6. Limit Overstimulation When You Can

Holiday environments often mean bright lights, loud noises, lots of people, and new foods.

Support your child by offering:

• Noise-cancelling headphones
  
• Sunglasses or hats
  
• A quiet break spot
  
• A familiar toy or fidget
  
• Previews of loud events (e.g., Santa, singing, fireworks)
  

Downtime is not optional, it’s essential.

7. Practice Skills Before the Holiday Break Starts

Most families wait until their child is overwhelmed before trying new strategies.

Instead, practice early:

• Following visual schedules
  
• Using First/Then prompts
  
• Transitioning with timers
  
• Asking for breaks
  
• Using coping tools
  
• Practicing “waiting” in short increments
  

A few minutes of practice now can save hours of meltdowns later.

How to Help Your Child Return to School After the Holidays

The return to routine can be just as challenging as the break itself. A few days before school starts:

• Shift bedtime/wake-up toward the school schedule
  
• Reintroduce morning routines
  
• Practice school-day visuals
  
• Talk about what will happen at school (teachers, friends, routine)
  
• Start lowering screen time if it increased during break
  

This transition support prevents the “post-holiday crash” many families dread.

If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed, We’re Here

Holiday breaks can feel exhausting for parents, especially if you’re managing behaviors, meltdowns, sleep struggles, or constant challenges with flexibility or transitions.

At The Behavior Place, we support parents year-round with tools that reduce daily stress and help children build communication, flexibility, and coping skills. Families come to us when they want to:

• Reduce tantrums and meltdowns
  
• Improve transitions and routines
  
• Teach communication skills
  
• Support ADHD-level attention and regulation
  
• Help their child follow directions without power struggles
  
• Build flexible play and behavior at home
  

Our Parent Coaching Program and Online ABA Courses are designed for real families with real challenges, giving you tools that you can use the very same day.

You won’t find complicated strategies here. Everything we teach is evidence-based, simple, and designed specifically for toddlers and preschoolers with autism, ADHD, or behavioral concerns.

If holiday routines feel overwhelming, these supports can make daily life calmer and more predictable for everyone.

Holiday breaks don’t have to be chaotic. With a few simple routines and predictable structures, you can help your child feel safe, regulated, and successful, while still enjoying the magic of the season.

And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone.

If you’d like help creating routines, reducing meltdowns, or supporting your child’s behavior through holiday transitions, we’re here for you every step of the way.