12 Fun Things to do on Christmas Day at Home as an Autism Family

Looking for fun things to do on Christmas Day at home with your child with autism? These are 12 my favorite things… You will find sensory fun, movie ideas, slime, sweet treats, our naughty little elf and more!

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1. Play with a sensory box (or two).

Sensory boxes are such a popular sensory learning tool for children with autism and one of my best ideas for things to do on Christmas Day at home. They help autistic individuals self-regulate and are a lot of fun. They come out pretty much every day at my learning center.

These are 25 of my best sensory box ideas!

2. Have a Christmas treasure hunt.

Prepare a little stash of fun surprises for your child and hide them around your home. Lead your little one on a Christmas treasure hunt. It will be fun for your child to search for the items and you’ll have so much fun playing with them once he or she finds them!

3. Play with your child’s favorite boardgames.

Whether you love classic boardgames or newer versions, you will have so much fun taking turns and playing with your child, making board games one of the best things to do on Christmas Day at home with your little one.

I love this one, this one and especially this one!

4. Watch a Christmas movie.

I love watching Christmas movies this time of year. Get all toasty in your favorite pjs, make a hot drink and watch some fabulous Christmas movies I bed, or in front of the fireplace, together.

Christmas movies are so much fun! I watch this one, this one and this one every year.

5. Play match the socks!

Grab some cute socks with different designs and have your child make pairs. This is such a simple game, so easy to set up and so much fun. It is one of the kids favorite games at my autism center. (This is a fun way to teach the functional skill of sorting laundry as well.)

6. Read the Elf on the Shelf and have fun coming up with silly elf activities with your kiddo.

I love bringing out our Elf on the Shelf at my autism center every holiday season. Bring this tradition into your home too with all of my Special Elf on the Shelf tips : how to use Elf on the Shelf with your child with autism.

7. Make slime and then play with it.

SLIME! It’s taking over the World. ALL the kids love it!

Learn to teach your child with autism using slime as the central tool (and discover 20+ awesome slime recipes).

8. Play with quiet books.

I come back to quiet books again and again as a wonderful learning tool. They provide hours of learning fun and can be so valuable for teaching a variety of skills.