7 Honest Ways to Help Your Kids Avoid Holiday Stress

What we sometimes forget is that kids feel it, too. They may not be worrying about credit card bills or cooking dinner for twelve, but they still pick up on the tension in the air. Their routines get messy, expectations run high, and everyone around them seems just a little more on edge.

If you want this holiday season to feel a little lighter for them and for you here are seven ways to keep the stress from taking over.
1. Take care of yourself first
Kids are emotional sponges. They absorb your stress, even when you think you’re hiding it. That’s why the best way to help them stay calm is to take care of your own peace first.

It’s like that airplane rule: put your oxygen mask on before helping someone else. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

So breathe. Step outside when you need a minute. Ask for help. Say no when you need to. Get some real sleep. And if you feel yourself slipping into that “holiday meltdown” mode, laugh about it. You’re human. They need to see that, too.

2. Keep routines steady or at least close

Holidays turn everything upside down: bedtimes, meals, even moods. But kids do best when life feels predictable. Try to keep their sleep and mealtime routines within an hour or so of normal.

Let the special nights be special but don’t let every night become one. Well-rested kids (and parents) handle excitement so much better than tired ones.

And when you can, eat together. No TV, no rushing, just the comfort of sitting down as a family. It’s one of the simplest ways to give kids a sense of normal in a season that’s anything but.

3. Lower the bar on expectations

Kids imagine holidays like something out of a movie: mountains of gifts, endless fun, perfect everything. And when real life doesn’t match the picture, they crash hard.

You can help by gently grounding those expectations before the disappointment hits.

Let them know what’s realistic: that gifts have limits, that plans might change, and that not every day will be magical.

You don’t have to kill the surprise, just make space for reality. Sometimes, the quiet, ordinary moments end up being the ones they love most.

4. Keep them moving

When schedules get busy, physical activity is the first thing to disappear  but it’s one of the best ways to keep moods steady.

Push them outside. Go for walks. Dance in the kitchen. Kick a ball around. Movement burns off the tension that builds up from sitting, scrolling, and waiting.

And when you join them, it’s not just exercise, it's connection.

5. Be together for real
Time together doesn’t have to mean big plans or expensive outings. Kids remember the little things like baking cookies, decorating the tree, and playing a silly board game.

It’s easy to mistake “being around” your kids for “being with” them. They can feel the difference.

Even fifteen minutes of full attention, no phone, no half-listening means more to a child than any gift ever could.

6. Create traditions that actually matter

Traditions don’t have to be grand. Sometimes they’re just small rituals that repeat every year watching the same old movie, making hot chocolate, driving around to see the lights.

The key is that they’re yours. They’re things you do because they make your family feel like home, not because anyone says you should.

If you don’t have any yet, start one. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it’s better if it isn’t.

7. Give together

When everything starts to feel too commercial or too frantic, the best antidote is generosity.

Find a way to help someone else, as a family. Pick out toys for a drive, bring warm clothes to a shelter, bake cookies for a neighbor. Let your kids see that giving isn’t about money, it's about kindness and community.

It reminds everyone what this season is really for not just receiving, but connecting.