Autism Family Life Archives

How to Help Your Autistic Child with the Thanksgiving Holiday

Thanksgiving is a time for good food, spending time with loved ones, and for giving thanks. But how do you explain this to your autistic child? Check out my tips for how to help your autistic child with Thanksgiving. And grab a free printable Thanksgiving social story. How to Help Your Autistic Child with Thanksgiving Our kids on the spectrum thrive with routine and structure. But Thanksgiving, and many major holidays, have a tendency to throw all of that out. We, as parents, can do our part with helping them prepare for the upcoming holiday. For starters, let’s take a look at this from our perspective. We may think nothing of making plans to go to a relative’s house, to spend our day cooking, and…

Kids Activities and Crafts

How to Use a Jesse Tree During Advent and Christmas

ByKori

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One of the new traditions that we’re introducing this year is a Jesse Tree for Advent. And we will be making our own Jesse Tree using a printable set that I made. The Jesse Tree is symbolic of Jesus’ family tree: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. – Isaiah 11:1 A Jesse Tree can be used alongside an advent calendar or in place of an advent calendar. They are very similar in terms of how to use them during the season of Advent. But why honor Advent in the first place? How to Use an Advent Calendar During the weeks leading up to Christmas many families celebrate the anticipation of the holiday with…

Parenting an Autistic Child

Things That You Shouldn’t Buy for Autistic Children or Why I Stopped Buying Gifts for My Autistic Daughter

ByKori

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I stopped buying gifts for my autistic daughter when she was 10. And I have requested, with family members and well-meaning friends, that they kindly do the same. Had I thought about it sooner, maybe I would have stopped buying gifts sooner. Not just for Christmas. But for her birthday. Or for Easter. Anytime of the year. Just please, don’t do it. I know that the intent is good, but it’s really not necessary. Did I really stop buying gifts for my autistic daughter? But why, you may ask? Why would I deprive my daughter the simple joys of getting a gift? Partially because, for several years, she just didn’t get it. She didn’t understand why (on this particular day), she was receiving a gift….

Mom Life

How to Deal with Mom Stress: Quick Tips and Techniques

ByKori

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Are you stressed out as a mom? This is common and something that we all deal with. Here’s how to deal with mom stress with these quick tips and techniques. Introduction As moms, we take on a lot and we wear a lot of hats. Because of this, we take on a lot of stress. How do we deal with that? How do we, as moms, find the time for rest and relaxation? It’s an important topic and something I’ve given a lot of thought lately. We live in such a busy world where we’re always reachable, constantly bombarded with news updates, email alerts, and of course advertisements. Social media puts us under a lot of pressure to document the perfect life, and in between…

Kids Activities and Crafts

Handprint Toilet Paper Roll Turkey Craft for Kids

ByKori

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We absolutely love easy crafts! And this handprint toilet paper roll turkey fits the bill. It’s so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner! A part of me is focused on Christmas and planning for 2017. I know, I know.. it’s only the middle of November. But it’s also just a month and a half away from the end of the year. But that won’t stop me from sharing one more easy craft idea for your toddler or preschooler. And this one focuses on incorporating handprint art (a favorite of mine) with reusing a toilet paper roll. I’m on a bit of a toilet paper roll craft kick because I find them so easy to do. It’s also one of those craft supplies that…

Kids Activities and Crafts

Great Ideas for Making Christmas Crafts Easy

ByKori

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You should know by now, that I’m not the craftiest of moms when it comes to kids crafts. However, my daughter loves them. So we do what we can. I think even I can handle some of these great ideas for making Christmas crafts easy. 10 Easy Christmas Craft Ideas for Kids Probably the best part of Christmas crafting with kids is creating memories as we spend time together around holidays, laughing and making different items together. We also love easy paper Christmas crafts because they don’t take long to complete and they look wonderful when finished and used to decorate our home in festive colors. Paper crafts are amazing. So versatile and fun. If you’re wrapping up Christmas books under the tree, make several of these…