Whether celebrating Easter is of part of your family tradition or not, we have four days in a row without school approaching! Here are some ideas of how to make the most of the Easter holiday.
NATURE IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDER UTILISED TREASURES IN LIFE. IT HAS THE POWER TO UNBURDEN HEARTS AND RECONNECT TO THAT INNER PLACE OF PEACE.
Janice Anderson
Make the most of the down time
There is a real requirement for recharge down time for kids with autism. After 9 weeks of school this year, they are getting tired and need time to build their social energy stores.
I think of our kids as having social batteries. When they need to be social, pay attention, follow rules, fit in or mask, this depletes their battery (hello school!). Some activities drain the battery faster – big noisy unstructured parties for example. Other activities might just be a slow steady drain, like school.
Down time activities are recharging times. Down time might include quiet time in the family home (a familiar and controlled environment), screen time, reading, craft and drawing, or listening to music. If the social battery is completely drained, it can take more own down time to recover. The Easter break is the perfect time to make the most of the down time and recharge those social batteries ready for the last couple of weeks of school.
Schedule for clear expectations
No school for 4 days over an Easter holiday might sound amazing, but the instant lack of structure and routine can cause issues. Be prepared to wake up Friday morning to a chorus of “I’m bored”, or sibling fights because the expectation and routine wasn’t clear. So, build in your own structure and routine through scheduling the holiday break.
Scheduling allows you to practice making a group plan, set regular meal times, enact routine, and set clear expectations for long days without school.
Do something fun
Without school as a battery drain, you have the opportunity to try something a little more energy intensive. Normally these activities couldn’t be scheduled after a long day at school. But with spare big rocks of social energy in the jar, you could try something fun and different.
From our list of 100 free and unique things to do with family, to our Easter Bingo Card (below), take the time to explore a little more adventurous activity this break.
Exploring nature, traveling without the car, being around water, going on outings. Or maybe it’s having fun in the kitchen or doing silly things together as a family – the possibilities are endless (your kids are probably not)!
If you are traveling or going on holidays, check out our guide to car travel with autistic kids. From what to pack, to 12 car games to beat boredom, the guide will keep you sane while traveling.
Embrace family traditions and conversation together
You may celebrate Easter or just use it as a time to bring family together. Either way, embrace new and old traditions of connection. Make a new tradition of deep conversation together as a family.
Life is often trickier to understand and fit in when you have autism. Talking about the day and problem solving social situations is helpful to appreciate why you feel different. Autism can also mean it’s tricky to understand other’s emotions and have emotional regulation. Talking about feelings is an important part of knowing what the feelings are, and how to regulate. Conversation is also inherently screen-free – if you’re struggling with screen-addiction, it’s a technology-free activity. When you’re stuck in the car driving, conversation is a nice way to engage and get to know each other. Conversation is also a way to practice social skills for autistic kids. Many of the social thinking concepts can be practiced through conversation, such as whole body listening, taking turns, thinking thoughts and feelings and sharing an imagination.
Print out some Chatty Capybara Conversation Cards and engage in conversation this break!
Grab our free Easter Holiday Bingo card
Feeling more adventurous and energetic? 25 activities are on our Easter Holiday Bingo card. Or you can download a template to make your own.
Download a copy of the Easter Holiday Bingo.
Conclusion: Autism Friendly things to do this Easter Holiday break
From down-time to big travel, conversation to fun outings. Whatever you do this Easter holiday, stay safe and enjoy special family time together.