Christmas is an exciting time of year and we want all our young people to have the best time. Unfortunately, all the things that bring the fun – the lights, the music, the parties and special events – are also the things which can cause over-excitement, anxiety and unsettled behaviour. However, there are a few simple things we can do in educational settings and day services to support our young people through this exciting but unpredictable period and help them to have a happy time.
Maintain structure and routines
I teach a group of students with learning disabilities in a college. Every morning and afternoon session begins with me calling the register. It probably sounds quite old-fashioned, but I find it a very useful tool for structuring the day. The register signals that free time is over and work is about to begin; it removes distractions as tables are generally cleared of whatever early morning or lunchtime activity has been out; it helps everyone to be calm as we sit quietly for register with no-one talking except me and the respondent; and it establishes the expectation of a period of listening – ready for a lesson. I will keep doing the register right up to the Christmas break – even on the day we are having our party. As much as most of the students enjoy special events they also like the security of a well-known routine. Maintaining this structure helps them to understand their day and to feel less anxious about where they are in it when other things they are used to (such as regular lessons) are not happening.
Timetables, schedules and visual reminders
My class have an A3 symbolised weekly timetable on a noticeboard as well as A4 copies in their contact books that they can refer to either at home or at college. One of my students also has a now/next board on her timetable as she benefits from the information about the day being broken down into smaller chunks. As a class we discuss the timetable for the day after the morning register. At this point – in a slot called ‘special messages’ – I tell the students about any changes to the day e.g. absent teachers and who will cover them, remind students who have physio sessions, or talk about special events planned for the day. I also write significant information on the board, for example ‘football 1:30’ perhaps with a suitable, simple line drawing to help students to remember and process changes. Appropriate symbols are placed on the now/next board for the individual student who uses this.
The last week of term we will be off timetable for a couple of days and there are special events taking place across the week. I will produce a symbolised timetable especially for that week and introduce it to the students on Monday – working through it with them and answering questions as we go along. It will then be displayed on the noticeboard for anyone to read as and when they want to. Each day in ‘special messages’ we will go over the events for the day so that students are prepared for any different things that the day will bring.
Plan things together so the young people know what to expect
A lot of anxiety arises from not knowing what is happening or what to expect from an event. I like to plan special events with my students for 2 reasons: one is so that I know I am preparing something they will enjoy, the other is so that the students know what to expect and don’t worry about what might happen, who might appear, when it might finish etc.
We are having a class party next week with a buffet lunch then going to see a play put on by another group in the afternoon. The students have planned the food and we have discussed room layout. They would like to have a disco in the morning in the classroom but not everyone wants to dance so we’ll set up a quiet table where people can colour and draw if they are not keen to bust moves 😊. The students will be involved in preparing the food, rearranging the room, choosing the music etc – and as staff we can be vigilant and make changes to support students who are finding any aspects uncomfortable. I have always found its better to involve students in setting up a room for a special event rather then them walking into a space that looks very different from what they were expecting. Not everyone finds surprises difficult – but there are many young people who do.
Offer choices and quiet alternatives
Not everyone loves pantos, discos, Christmas quizzes and carol singing. And, even if they do, they might find the area where the event is being held difficult to go in to; too busy, too noisy or too echo-y for example. Some days it might just be too much. Have an alternative available so that if one or two people don’t want to attend the planned activity they can access something different, or if a young person goes to an activity then finds it overwhelming there is a calm space or activity ready for them to go to. If they are leaving a place or activity anxious or upset you don’t want to be hunting around looking for a place for them to be – you want to be able to reassure them and immediately settle them somewhere they will feel comfortable. For big events, like a Christmas panto, we tend to have a classroom set up as a quiet room with mindfulness activities and chill out space and with staff representatives from a couple of class groups manning it for students who don’t want to attend the big event.
‘Structured fun’
I have pinched this phrase, ‘structured fun’, from one of my LSAs. She used it today when I was describing what we would be doing for the last couple of days of term when we are ‘off timetable’. As the name suggests, ‘off timetable’ means that we are not delivering the regularly timetabled lessons, and it means that teachers stay with their tutor groups all day rather than moving around delivering lessons to different groups. We have these days so that students can attend special events of their choice without missing lessons, and we want them to be fun for the students. However, we still need to provide structured activities throughout this time as many students find it difficult to make choices about what they would like to do and to engage themselves independently in activities. I will plan a number of fun Christmas activities that the students can do in the last couple of days of term that I’m sure they will enjoy. There’ll be a quiz (probably from YouTube), some craft activities, maybe some cooking etc. But I will deliver the activities like a lesson with the same sort of introduction, support, and expectations around tidying up etc afterwards. I’m sure the students will enjoy the activities and make some nice things to take home, but the structure will also mean that we are helping them to manage their levels of excitement and anxiety through activities which could, potentially, be overstimulating.
Helping the students to manage their own excitement and anxiety by maintaining some structure and routine benefits everyone – the students themselves have a good time, and the atmosphere in the group is calmer which is better for staff too 😊.
If you’re looking for some ideas for craft projects or Christmas cards in the run up to Christmas why not check out our craft pages.
