Free printable · 5 pages · ages 3–8
The Holiday Meltdown Plan
Big gatherings, small people, one plan. For the dinner, the presents and the long day at someone else's house.
- ✓ The five steps for a meltdown away from home
- ✓ The 3-minute prep to do in the car, and what to pack
- ✓ Six “say this instead” swaps for the family table
- ✓ Four reset cards for a coat pocket. US Letter PDF, free to share.
The everyday version is the free 5-Minute Meltdown Plan. We email it to you, so check you type your address right.
What's in the five pages
Page 2
The plan, holiday edition
Find a quiet spot, say what you see, give the feeling a job, wait, go back together. One page to read in the hallway.
Page 3
Before we go: the 3-minute prep
What to tell them in the car (who, how long, where the quiet spot is, the secret sign) and four things to pack.
Page 4
Say this instead: holiday edition
Six swaps for the family table: “Give Grandma a hug” → “Hug, high five or wave?”
Page 5
Holiday reset cards
Four cut-outs for a coat pocket: find a quiet spot, blow out the candles, squeeze your sleeves, count the lights.
Pass it on to whoever is hosting. The pack is free for everyone. For the rest of the year, The Calm-Down Kit is the whole calm-down corner: 24 cards, four breathing exercises, feeling posters and the words to say in the moment.