GIVE THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON – IDEAS AND TIPS

Learn how to give the gift of understanding today!

This podcast is all about celebrating diverstiy this holiday season, as well as providing heaps of tips for end of year activities (including concerts, big gatherings, etc.). Click here to jump straight to the holiday sale!

Let’s celebrate ALL our differences and Give the gift of understanding this Holidays!

It’s ok to be different – WE ALL ARE

Why the Holidays are a Great Time to Discuss Difference

Holidays Season is a great time to talk about differences. There are so many different celebrations, traditions, religions, languages, countries, cultures & more. We should always be celebrating difference and this is a great time to be talking about it. Click here to jump straight to ideas for activity!

It’s a great time to start conversions about differences.

End of Year Celebrations can be stressful for Neurodiverse Children. This can be due to Sensory, Change in Routines, large gatherings, Concerts etc. I have a new Holiday Newsletter full of Tips & Strategies to support students with Neurodiversity in the Holiday Season. Use this newsletter to give the gift of understanding today!

What this Newsletter Contains

✅ 14 tips for Christmas / Holiday Season
✅ Promoting Understanding
✅ Using Picture Books to Educate the Whole Family
Sharing Diagnosis – Why, When and How to tell my Child
✅ Holiday Reading
✅ Using Cooking to Teach – Teaching Diversity through Food
✅ 6 Key Strategies for Creating a Calming Area at School and Home
✅ 12 Essential Tips for Concerts and End of Year Celebrations
Stocking Filler Ideas
✅ Give the Gift of Visual Time – Using Timers to Minimise Stress

Give the gift of understanding today!

 

What can we Celebrate?

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Activities to Build Acceptance and Understanding

We can build acceptance by doing activities that explicitly encourage students to understand individuality. 

My Favourite is: “We may all be different fish but in this school we swim together”

Make a display where each child contributes a fish that reflects their individuality. 

In younger children they may just decorate a pre-cut out fish, whereas older children could write descriptive words about themselves on the fish in different coloured pens. 

Have a Discussion

about how successful we can be if we all work together. A great way to do this is watch the snippet of the movie Finding Nemo where the fish are all caught in the net!

Copy the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUTt0LMhyas

A strong classroom community allows for individual differences and celebrates what makes each child unique.

Cooking

Another great activity to celebrate diversity is cooking, or even just talking about food preferences.  On page 13 & 14 of the NEW Holiday Newsletter I have 10 Ways to Use Cooking to Teach Everything PLUS how you can use cooking to support and develop communication skills.

Or check out my blog and podcast on cooking here:
Episode 123: Make Learning FUN – Using Cooking to Teach at School and Home

Cooking is a great way to celebrate different cultures and preferences. It’s a fabulous end of year activity – why not have a class party where everyone brings a family favourite celebration dish! Or even just brining in recipes from their families – be CREATIVE within your school’s restrictions!

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by Kathy Hoopmann | Through engaging text and full-colour photographs, this book shows neurotypicals how Aspies see and experience the world. Each page brings to light traits that many Aspies have in common, from sensitive hearing and an aversion to bright lights and strong smells, to literal thinking and difficulty understanding social rules and reading body language and facial expressions. At the same time, the book highlights and celebrates the unique characteristics that make those with AspergerÕs Syndrome special.

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|  by Kaylene Hobson and Ann-Marie Finn - Meet Gus! Gus might be the only asparagus in his family, but he is happy. However, when he goes to school he starts to realise that he doesn’t always ‘fit in’. Gus is here to help kids understand that it’s okay to be different. He will soon become a favourite with anyone who has ever felt a little bit out of place, kids and adults alike.

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I am an Aspie Girl

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| by Michael Barton | An autism spectrum guide to the confusing world of idioms, metaphors and everyday expressions. This book illustrates why people on the autism spectrum have difficulty making sense of common phrases and idioms that others accept unquestioningly as part of everyday language. The quirky drawings will entertain and inspire those on the spectrum, providing memorable reference points for figures of speech, and will help their friends, families, teachers and colleagues to better understand the ASD way of thinking.

All Dogs Have ADHD UPDATED and REVISED

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This book reflects the difficulties and joys of raising a child with ADHD with humour and understanding, celebrating what it means to be considered “different.”

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The Panicosaurus

| by K.I. Al-Ghani | This fun, easy-to-read and fully illustrated storybook will inspire children who experience anxiety, and encourage them to banish their own Panicosauruses with help from MabelÕs strategies. Parents and carers will like the helpful introduction, explaining anxiety in children, and the list of techniques for lessening anxiety at the end of the book.

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| by K.I. Al-Ghani | The Disappointment Dragon sometimes comes to see us all and, if we let him, he can make us feel sad or angry. The fun characters in this charming, fully illustrated storybook will help children to cope with, and discuss openly, their feelings of disappointment. There are many creative suggestions on how to banish the Disappointment Dragon and an introduction for adults explaining disappointment in children and how they can help.

The Green-Eyed Goblin

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Super Shamlal - Living and Learning with Pathological Demand Avoidance 

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Are You Feeling Cold, Yuki?

A fun and enlightening book to explain interoception to children. Often such a misunderstood fundamental cause of many 'out of sorts' behaviours. Beautifully explained and Illustrated book to help everyone understand this vital concept. - Sue Larkey

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