This Christmas, Sky Kids has partnered with award-winning singer-songwriter Paloma Faith and the Sky Kids Choir to release ‘Silent Night, Gentle Light’: a reimagination of the beloved Christmas carol which offers a new perspective on the sensory challenges faced by neurodiverse children at this time of year.
The heartfelt song highlights the experiences many children can find overwhelming during the festive season. From wearing itchy jumpers and navigating busy crowds, to bright decorations and noisy shops, the lyrics focus on how to reduce sensory overload, whilst embracing joy and familiarity to make Christmas as inclusive as possible.
The single coincides with the launch of the Christmas TV Special of Ready Eddie Go!, now available on Sky Kids, which captures the world of Eddie, a six-year-old autistic boy navigating everyday experiences for the first time. The show’s creator, Nikki Saunders, and lead writer Joseph Morpurgo co-wrote the lyrics.
Lucy Murphy, Director of Kids Content at Sky, said “Ready Eddie Go! is a really special show for us at Sky Kids. The series helps support neurodiverse children and their families and friends as they navigate the world. We know that Christmas can be particularly tricky for some children, so we’re delighted to have enlisted the iconic Paloma Faith and our Sky Kids choir to reimagine one of our favourite carols and help everyone enjoy the holidays in the ways that work for them.”
Recognising that one in seven people across the UK are neurodiverse, Nikki Saunders has also teamed up with the Caudwell Children’s Charity to share some tips for parents and guardians to make Christmas less overwhelming and more magical for all children.
Five top tips for helping neurodiverse children navigate the festive period
1. Allow yourself and your family to do Christmas your way! There are many ways in which you can make Christmas happy and joyful for neurodivergent children – you don’t have to follow the same traditions as others or feel as though you should live up to certain expectations.
2. Try to maintain your child’s familiar routines where possible to help them feel safe and secure. For example, if they have a favourite game they like to play in the morning, a certain walk they like to go on, or a favourite programme they like to watch at a certain time of day, continue doing those things as usual.
3. The Christmas season brings many new aspects – food, lights, textures, loud music and different sounds and tastes. It’s helpful to try and reduce the impact of these, where possible. For example, decorate the house with your child over a couple of days and gauge when you think it’s enough for them visually.
4. Early preparation using visuals can help support children with knowing what to expect in the Christmas season. Visuals helps to reduce uncertainty and anxieties, enabling children to feel more safe and secure as soon as the changes begin.
5. You might want to come together to watch something that helps relax and settle the mind. Sky Kids recommends shows like BooSnoo! and Ready Eddie Go! You can also tune in to My Friend Misty, which helps children navigate everyday situations by teaching them brilliant tips to stay calm, or Look See Wow! which is made using ASMR to promote feelings of relaxation, calm and wellbeing.
Nikki Saunders, Creator of Ready Eddie Go!, said: “Thank you to everyone involved in this beautiful campaign, helping so many children feel supported. I created Eddie, a beautiful autistic character for my son to relate to, sharing his same experiences. The Christmas season brings changes in routine, sensory challenges, unexpected visitors and overwhelm at times. Therefore, our Christmas episode of Ready Eddie Go!, alongside this campaign, raises awareness about the build up to Christmas Day, encouraging everyone to do Christmas your way.”
All proceeds from ‘Silent Night, Gentle Light’ will be donated to the Caudwell Children’s Charity, who support children in need and further the mission of inclusivity and accessibility for all.
The Caudwell Children’s Charity said: “When Sky Kids approached us with the idea for this campaign, we couldn’t wait to get involved. Their reimagined version of Silent Night delivers a powerful and inclusive message that it’s okay to celebrate Christmas in your own way. Christmas is a very exciting time for a lot of families but for some families, especially those with neurodivergent children, Christmas can be a very unpredictable and daunting time. Our aim is to remind everyone that you don’t have to follow traditional norms; you can create your own rules to make Christmas enjoyable for your family. The campaign also reminds people to be mindful of others and makes people aware of things you wouldn’t necessarily think about. Simple things, like bright lights or loud sounds, can be overwhelming for neurodivergent individuals.”
Silent Night, Gentle Light is out now on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music.
Ready Eddie Christmas! is out now on Sky Kids.
