Therapist Corner
The month of December is a great time to practice speech and language goals, as many are decorating their homes with Christmas trees, Santa and Mrs. Clause, and eating lots of tasty treats. Here are some ideas of ways to practice those speech and language goals with your children at home while you enjoy the holidays.
Christmas tree
:
Identifying familiar objects- ask for your child to identify familiar objects that can be found on the Christmas tree; your child can either point to items that you name or you can ask them to name items
Object function- ask your child about what different items are used for
Colors- your child can practice pointing to or saying colors they see on the tree
Shapes- ask your child to identify various shapes he/she sees
Numbers- your child can count ornaments (ie. how many Santas do you see?)
Following directions- practice following directions using Christmas ornaments
Spatial concepts (ie. beside/next to, under/beneath, above)- your child can help you decorate the tree by asking them to place ornaments on the tree based on spatial concepts
Biggest, smallest- ask your child to identify the biggest and smallest ornaments they see (can even be broken down by types of ornaments, ie. the biggest star they see)
Answer wh- questions- practice asking your child what and where questions
Name a described object- practice this like the "I Spy" game
Santa, Mrs. Clause:
Body parts- practice facial body parts in addition to arms, legs, hands, feet, and belly
Clothing- practice shirt, pants, coat/jacket, shoes, socks, hat
Treats:
Numbers- your child can count how many treats each of you have
More, most- ask your child to identify who has more or the most
