From an adult perspective, the holidays are fun but busy.

From a child’s nervous system perspective, they can be loud, unpredictable, and overwhelming.

Below is exactly why this season makes regulation harder and what you can do to support your child through December.

1. More Unexpected Changes

Holiday schedules are full of surprises:

• Different bedtimes
• Travel days
• Visitors coming in and out
• Last-minute plans
• School concerts, parties, church services
• “Special” events that break the routine

What feels exciting to adults often feels unpredictable to children and unpredictability adds stress to their sensory system.

2. More Demands + Expectations

December asks more of children than almost any other month:

• “Say hi to Grandma. who they may see once a year.
• “Sit still during dinner.” longer dinner times as they is more family than typical
• “Wear this outfit.” itchier, tighter, not what they prefer
• “Be quiet, it’s a special event.” 
• “Be flexible, plans changed.” 

These requests require social energy, emotional control, and sensory tolerance all skills that are much harder when their routine is already disrupted.

3. More Sensory Load

The holidays bring a flood of sensory input:

• Extra light
• Louder sounds
• New smells
• Crowds
• Busy stores and gatherings
• New places and unexpected activities
• New foods and textures

This doesn’t just change their day.
It changes how their nervous system is being asked to process, filter, and stay regulated.

4. Less Predictable Rhythm

The very routines that help kids feel grounded school days, consistent schedules, familiar teachers, after-school play are suddenly replaced with:

• Days off
• Early dismissals
• Holiday events
• Travel
• Visitors
• Late nights

This takes away the steady anchor their nervous system depends on.

Colder Weather = Fewer Natural Movement Opportunities

On top of holiday chaos, winter introduces another challenge: less opportunity for movement.

Kids naturally regulate through movement, and when it’s cold outside, that shrinks:

• Less outdoor play
• Less running, climbing, swinging, biking, exploring
• More time inside cars, stores, relatives’ houses
• More sitting in church, assemblies, concerts, meals, and long events

Movement, deep pressure, and climbing aren’t “extras.”

They’re input the way their body:

• Processes the day
• Organizes sensory information
• Calms the fight-or-flight system
• Feels grounded in space
• Reaches that “ahh, just right” feeling

When natural movement decreases, their body doesn’t magically need less input.
It simply becomes deficit-driven.

A Nervous System That’s Not Getting Enough Input… Craves More

Every child has a movement + pressure “threshold” the level of input their body needs to stay organized.

During December:

• Demand increases (more sensory load, more social expectations, more changes)
• Supply decreases (less movement, less outdoor play, fewer calm predictable days)

So their nervous system does what all nervous systems do when under-supported:

It seeks more.

This can look like:

Pressure Seeking

• Squeezing under blankets
• Leaning against you
• Lying under pillows
• Asking for tight hugs
• Crashing into the couch

Movement Seeking

• Running loops around the house
• Jumping off furniture
• Spinning
• Flipping upside down

Oral Seeking

• Chewing on clothing, fingers, toys, ice, pens

Contact Seeking

• Climbing on you
• Pressing into pets
• On top of siblings
• Constantly touching things

To adults, this can look like “too much.”

To the child’s nervous system, it’s still not enough.

What It Looks Like on the Outside: Inattentive, Impulsive, or “Not Listening”

When kids aren’t getting the input they need, it shows up in behavior long before anyone recognizes the sensory root.

Common signs:

Inattentive

They drift off, can’t hold instructions, seem “somewhere else.”
Their brain is trying to manage overwhelm.

Impulsive

Touching everything. Climbing. Darting off.
They’re seeking quick hits of regulation.

Not Listening

You repeat yourself, and nothing sticks.
It’s not defiance, it’s overload.

Extra Silly or “Hyper”

Everything becomes big, loud, or chaotic.
Their body is searching for input.

More Meltdowns, Fewer Reserves

Small things feel huge. Their capacity is already stretched thin.

This isn’t disrespect.
It’s dysregulation.

Their brain and body are working overtime to meet a need that used to be met more naturally through movement, play, and predictable structure.

Why December Creates a “Stacking” Effect

The holidays don’t bring one challenge.
They stack many:

• More sensory input (noise, lights, crowds)
• More social expectations (photos, greetings, long meals)
• Less movement (cold weather, more sitting)
• Less predictable routine (travel, visitors, irregular schedules)
• More sugar and processed foods (parties, treats, desserts)

Each one is manageable on its own.
Together, they overwhelm a child’s capacity to self-regulate.

So their system creates its own plan:

Seek more. Crash more. Climb more. Press more. Move more.

Not because they’re misbehaving.
Because their body is problem-solving.

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How to Support a System That “Needs More to Regulate” Right Now

You can’t remove the holiday chaos — but you can add back what their body is missing.

Here are practical ways to help:

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1. Create Predictable Pockets of Movement

Short, structured bursts make a huge difference:

• 5–10 minutes of jumping, animal walks, or obstacle courses before leaving the house

• Movement breaks between events

• Racing to the mailbox

• Stomping like dinosaurs

• Daily “wiggle time” at the same time each afternoon

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2. Add Deep Pressure on Purpose

Offer pressure before behaviors escalate:

• Firm squeezes to shoulders, arms, and legs
  
• “Burrito” blanket roll-ups
• Pushing against a wall or a weighted pillow
• Lying under a weighted pillow during quiet time
• Slow, steady bear hugs (if welcome)

3. Build In Anchors of Predictability

Even on unusual days, protect 1–2 routines:

• A predictable bedtime rhythm
• A favorite calming song or story
• The same sequence: bath → PJs → deep pressure → story → lights down
• Simple visual schedules (“First party, then quiet time, then movie.”)

4. Watch Their Body, Not Just Their Behavior

Try shifting the question from:

“Why are they acting like this?”
to
“What is their body asking for right now?”

• More movement?
• More pressure?
• More quiet?
• Less sensory input?

This small shift creates a calmer, more problem-solving response.

When We Meet Their Needs, Behavior Makes More Sense

When kids don’t get the input their bodies rely on, their system turns up the volume:

• Bigger movements
• Louder voices
• Stronger reactions
• Higher seeking behaviors

It’s not a character flaw.
It’s communication.

The holidays don’t break regulation skills they stretch them.

By:

• Making room for extra movement
• Offering deep pressure proactively
• Protecting a few predictable routines
• Seeing seeking behaviors as communication

…we help kids survive December, not suffer through it.

And we teach them something meaningful:

Your body is allowed to need more.
Your needs are real.
And we can help you feel “just right” again.