Posted: March 17, 2016
Believe it or not, spring holidays are already right around the corner. In the season of fake grass, high-sugar treats and bunny rabbits, it’s natural to want to help your child however you can get into the holiday spirit! With dietary limitations and certain activities perhaps being too difficult or challenging due to symptoms related to your child’s CP, it may feel impossible to actively participate in some of the more time-honored traditions like decorating eggs or hunting for treats. We have some ideas, though, to help you bridge the gap between your child’s special needs and getting into the holiday spirit.
Sponge paints are a craft that fit perfectly with Easter and can allow children of all abilities to participate! Whether you use construction paper to cut out eggs for painting or use the sponge to decorate hard-boiled eggs, using bright colors with the unique texture of a sponge allows for children with a wide range of abilities to decorate in their own way. Adding in stickers or cutting your own patterns out of sponges to create characters, there’s a wide range of options to take your sponge creations to the next level!
Most people associate leaving treats for a late-night holiday visitor with Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also leave something out for the Easter Bunny! Dive into cooking a unique, healthy meal for the Easter Bunny by having your child imagine a menu, help with preparation and make a Thank You card for your evening guest. The layers of such an activity allow for a fun experience for the whole family to participate in. The ability to make your child, at any ability level, in charge of putting together the planning for the Easter Bunny’s visit provides a strong feeling of accomplishment and duty that everyone will enjoy.
Our third tip involves making a custom Easter egg hunt for your child. While typical hunts involve children running everywhere, this may not lead to great opportunity for your child if he or she has special needs that limit the ability to get around. The alternative is to build an egg hunt within your own home. Hiding stickers or notes in books, on the ceiling, in the bookshelf, etc., are ways to adapt the hunt to your child’s needs. What’s more, you can write the prize name on paper and put it in the egg to advance the hunt beyond the size of items you may have for your child. In this way, your child won’t face the disappointment of missing out while at the same time having the ability to customize the event in a way that’s special for your family.
These are just three suggestions - the Internet and other families have a wide number of other options to consider. We simply provide these ideas the same we provide our resources: free help to hopefully make an impact in the lives of children living with Cerebral Palsy. For information on additional resources we have to offer, please call us at (800) 692-4453 or fill out our online form to find out about all of the free assistance we have to offer!
