Holidays are many and occur frequently throughout the year. As I write this, we are in the midst of the longest holiday season – the one lasting from Christmas through New Year’s Day.[1] It’s a time of fun activities, schedule changes and, yes, sugar highs. What’s a parent to do? I know my grandsons, if left to their own devices, would rather be playing video games, listening to music or watching movies.

In brief, what you need to do is emphasize scheduling tasks; allow for breaks; capture and redirect some of the holiday exuberance; set up a dedicated and quiet working environment; and maintain a positive and helpful attitude.

How to Get Through the Season at Home

Scheduling Tips

• Work out a weekly schedule. A calendar is essential. Jot down all the assignments, due dates and tests. Schedule the fun activities, also, like the parties, dances, programs and plays. Having these underscores and visually represents that there is a light at the end of the tunnel of work. Thus, they provide motivation for accomplishing the work.
• Work out a daily schedule. Look at the calendar and plan what need to be done every day to get finished. Break the tasks into manageable “chunks.” My son uses a white board to write what needs to be accomplished by my grandson. He is specific on this schedule, and puts the time, page number, book title or worksheet for each entry. Putting the beginning/ending time is important as you stress getting as much finished during that time period as they can.
• Have a scheduled time to work every day. It’s important, for consistency’s sake, to do something useful and engaging daily.[2]
• Stick to your schedules! This tip really has two separate but related senses. Firstly, you want to try to keep as close to your regular (i.e., non-holiday) schedule as possible. This is because continuity is important. Secondly, once you have set up your daily and weekly schedules, you need to try to adhere to them. It’s easy to fall into lazy habits over the holidays. These habits can be especially detrimental to an ADHD sufferer.
• Make time for breaks. Tap into the spirit of excitement that goes along with many holidays. Intersperse work with a little fun. There is too much energy to ignore at these special times. We need to harness it. The key is to do so constructively. So, channel enthusiasm into cleaning, decorating, making cards or just having a hot-cocoa break. Don’t neglect “service time” activities. Include things like baking cookies for neighbors or volunteering at a food pantry. This helps develop empathy. This is an important and useful mindset for anyone, but also one that ADHD-afflicted children and teens often lack, because they can’t always appreciate (or even see) other people’s points of view.

Psychological Tips

• Reflect on the past semester. Remind them of the things that they been doing well, like writing in their planners or bringing home the books that they need. But also remind them that they need to continue “running the race,” because (at the halfway, holiday point) there is still another semester left in the school year. They certainly don’t want to regress after working so hard. During the second semester there may also be college, extracurricular, or work-study applications due. Decisions may need to be made for summer learning activities or jobs. Hopefully, there’ll be a few books to read. And at some point, they’ll want to consider what subjects to take the next school year.
• Stay relaxed. Have a calm attitude when dealing with your child/teen. Remain in control of your emotions when you talk with them about the importance of doing their assignments. Don’t panic or hassle them, especially during an activity that they enjoy. This will only make them dig in and refuse to do it.[3]
• Have a supportive attitude. Be there to help. Listen to them talking about their problems. Remember: attack the problem, not the person. Help them to plan a way to work through the road blocks. Ultimately, they need to internalize the help that their given, so that they can keep themselves in check later in life.[4]

Logistical Tips

• Establish a quiet place. Have a designated place to work that is away from over-stimulating decorations and noises. Ensure that there are no electronic or video distractions. And instruct other people to respect the area and steer clear with your youngster is working.
• Have an active way to study. Don’t just make them sit. Have them walk around while stating facts or answering questions. (It can’t be for nothing that the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) was known – in part – for having conducted classes at a “Peripatetic School of Philosophy.” Peripatetic literally means “to walk around.”) Other ideas? Create graphic organizers, diagrams or mind maps. Write questions on index cards and let children shuffle them and choose ones to flip and answer. Make a game out of it and see if they can try to get three right in a row.

How to Cope With Holiday Interruptions in the Classroom

Teachers can also help alleviate some of the stress that students (and parents will feel) as well as to use some of their kids’ excess energy. By harnessing some of it in the classroom, and channeling it into constructive outlets, it can hopefully decrease wild behavior at school. In turn, this can certainly increase attentiveness (and retention) during class. As a bonus, it can get children into good habits for when they’re spending most of their days at home.

• Try something different. Around the holidays, mix things up a bit. Here are some ideas, culled from my experience. When I had Kindergarten, in December we would stage a simple version of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.[5] I also used folktales like The Gingerbread Boy and The Elves and the Shoemaker[6] to generate engagement in sensory projects as well as empathy towards, and understanding of, acts of kindness. Now that I teach middle school, I create a “holiday village” with my World Geography classes. Students choose a country. Then they conduct research and draw or otherwise make artistic presentations that reflect the holiday traditions of that particular culture. They put these on shelves like little dioramas in (what I call) a “winter market.” Similarly, Ancient History classes pick civilizations, research holiday-related socio-religious customs associated with the relevant countries, and approximate or represent them on the perimeter of a drawn circle. In the center, they draw a scene for their ornament.
• Plan for more active things to do. Instead of reading sections in a book, duplicate the pages to hang around the room. Students can then be allowed to walk around, read, and take a few notes. Peripatetic, remember? Or, do a “graffiti board.” This basically consists of papers hanging around the classroom with different questions on them. Students read the questions and write their answers or read the answers and add on to them.
• Schedule motor breaks. Put on some music and move. Do simple exercises or stretches – or just walk around the room three times.
• Utilize multimedia. Use video clips about your topic. Afterward, start a “sharing” session with something students found interesting or important. Toss a ball to someone to put them on the spot for adding additional details or different facts. Then have the student toss the ball to someone else. After several shares, pose a question for them to discuss with each other in small groups. (See below.)
• Use music. It can lift a mood, or calm one down. Classical is a good type to start with.
• Have students work in groups. Put students in pairs or groups to discuss, or work on, projects. Learning how to discuss and listen to others is a much-needed skill – especially in today’s multicultural world. Students need to talk, because – as it’s sometimes colorfully put – talking is learning. It also has the bonus of making lessons more engaging. One idea: Have students create a graphic organizer.
• Have the students act out what they know. Vocabulary words in science and social studies often lend themselves to drama. Students will be more engaged if you can activate the “left” and “right” hemispheres of the brains at the same time.
• Give some choice in what they need to do. Let them choose the words they use for their concept maps. Give them the freedom to select their own countries for their reports. Having a choice gives them more of an investment in the lesson, thus increasing attention. Plus, it can give the ADHD sufferer a sense of control, which is a another positive.

 

Summary Statement

Holidays are great, but they can become occasions for all kids to lose focus and interest in school. But this can be an even greater problem for children and teens with ADHD. So, our kids definitely need help and safeguards to assist them through the days of magic and frivolity. Hopefully, something that I have written will spark your imagination and help you to help the kids under your care.

Happy holidays!

Notes:

[1] In fact, a lot of teachers would say that the “holiday season” starts around Halloween and goes right on through Thanksgiving.

[2] Experts usually suggest giving a half-hour break right after school before staring homework. Similar reasoning might apply to especially taxing holiday activities – like photo sessions or religious services – as well. It’s not a knock against such activities to recognize that an ADHD-affected child or teenager might find such things to be tedious.

[3] Confession time! I know this from experience – particularly, mistakes that I have made. I myself sometimes go right into panic mode when my grandson gets behind in his work. I find it difficult to practice what I preach when dealing with him. But, we have to try to maintain our composure – for our kids’ sakes.

[4] The following adage comes to mind. “Give a person a fish, and they’ll eat for a day. Teach them to fish, and they’ll eat for a lifetime.”

[5] Adapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Nussknacker und Mausekönig (“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” 1816).

[6] See, e.g., collections of Grimms’ Fairy Tales.