Using an advent calendar

Advent calendars are a much bigger phenomenon than they used to be. They can be a fantastic tool to help your child count down to Christmas - it is probably one of the only occasions when parents of autistic children can purchase a standard product as a visual cue! That said, they can still be a trigger for overwhelm. At 19, my son still gets as excited by the prospect of an advent calendar as he does by a Christmas present.

Whilst it can be tempting to get an exciting advent calendar with a surprise each day, sometimes it can be easier to have a simpler one so that the advent calendar is there as a tool to count down the days until Christmas.

Explaining what the advent calendar is and does is also a good idea. Your child may remember, but when you are young, a year is a long time, so reminding them that each little door is opened every day until Christmas can help them feel confident with what it is. If necessary, explain that only one door is opened each day. "We only open one door each day. Today we are opening this door and tomorrow we will open the next door."

If your child struggles with the one-per-day concept, adapt it to their needs. For example, use a weekly Advent calendar instead of a daily one or open two doors a day for the twelve days before Christmas.

If your child responds well to the concept of an advent calendar, use it to support them throughout the year. Over the years, I have made countdown charts on the same principle as an advent calendar, using relevant pictures to count down to an event.

If you think a calendar would help, check out our Autability calendar on sale for Black Friday until Sunday 1st Dec 2024!