The holiday season is packed with magic and excitement, which is what many of us look forward to. But when you throw flights, delays, and cancellations into the mix, things can deteriorate fast. The person sitting behind your 7-year-old on the plane may think “bad behavior,” but we know it’s overstimulation – their nervous system is saying, “Too much.” So to keep your winter break merry and bright, I’m sharing a few strategies that actually help: from finding routine in the unknown to using speech-therapy-informed hacks. All of them are rooted in understanding how kids truly learn, regulate, and return to calm.

1. REGULATION

Kids learn best when they’re regulated, because dysregulation feels like trying to learn with a saxophone blaring in your face. Here are a few simple tools:

• Touch / Movement
  Slow, steady back rubs can reset this system; studies show they reduce anxiety, cortisol, and norepinephrine in kids ages 7–18. Add quick physical regulation: slow back rubs, running, dancing, jumping, stretching, wiggle time. Movement calms the nervous system and boosts working memory and executive functioning. 
• Create a portable calm kit.
  Headphones, fidgets, snacks, crayons…whatever actually soothes your kid. For our learners, visuals are essential, so we include a tiny notepad for sketching, mind-map doodles, and a simple visual checklist they can follow without memory overload.
• Pack the comfort items.
  The blanket. The stuffy. The headphones. The one magical-reset toy. (For my son, it’s “Flat Cat”.)
• Assume they can’t, not won’t.
  Overwhelm makes skills slip – spelling, following directions, remembering steps. In therapy, auditory-only tasks are the hardest, so offer visual support whenever you can.
• Replace blame with curiosity.
  Try: “What part felt tricky?”
  It works for meltdowns and communication challenges like asking for help, clarifying directions, or sticking with a hard task.

2. PREDICTABILITY IS POWER

Sensory-sensitive brains don’t fear the holidays – they fear the unknown. Predictability supports working memory, task initiation, and planning, all major executive-function skills:

• Show them where you’re going.
  Maps, photos, videos – anything that offers a visual preview. This reduces working-memory load and boosts confidence before you even leave the house.
• Use a simple “first → then → next” schedule.
  It doubles as an executive-function scaffold. We bring a mini dry-erase card on travel days so our learner can check off each step as it’s completed.
• Prep relatives.
  A quick heads-up goes a long way: “They may need a moment. It’s okay!”
• Have an exit plan.
  Especially when well-meaning relatives redirect or overstep in ways that don’t land. A quiet space, a walk, or a reset spot can prevent overwhelm from spiraling.

3. ROUTINE ANCHORS 

Chaos doesn’t break kids – unanchored chaos does. A few predictable anchors give their nervous system something steady to hold onto:

• A predictable breakfast.
  We pack oatmeal, cereal, and dried fruit, and buy fresh fruit wherever we land. Starting the day with something familiar steadies energy and expectations.
• Movement every two hours.
  Even “airport yoga” counts. Short, consistent movement breaks regulate the nervous system and keep everyone more flexible (emotionally and physically).
• A bedtime ritual.
  Same order, same rhythm – even if the room is different. Dinner → bath/wash-up → stories → bed. This simple consistency supports working memory, listening skills, and independence, even when everything else around them is new.

4. TRAVEL-FRIENDLY SPEECH–LANGUAGE STRATEGIES

• “Repeat it back.”
  After giving directions, ask: “What are we going to do first?”
  This strengthens listening skills and working memory.
• Use visuals for everything.
  Lists, maps, checkboxes, diagrams, mind maps – visuals reduce cognitive load and make multi-step tasks easier to follow.
• Start a tiny “job jar” or “travel jar.”
  Our learners practiced planning steps for tasks, so now we give tiny, travel-friendly jobs like:
  – “Pack your carry-on: 3 items”
  – “Airport checklist: snack → stuffy → notebook”
  – “Set a 5-minute timer and tidy your seat space”
• End of day self-reflection.
  “What helped you focus?” “What was tricky?” “What could we try next time?”
  A child who can reflect can self-regulate and self-advocate. 

Winter travel can be unpredictable, but your support system doesn’t have to be. When you focus on regulation first, sprinkle in predictable rhythms, and weave learning into everyday adventures, the whole house starts to sparkle a little brighter and breathe a bit lighter. So this season, embrace the mess, celebrate the small wins, and savor the quiet moments between the twinkling lights.