Tips for Speech Therapy During the Holidays. Holidays are a busy time for all families. And, when you’re juggling tons of chores and prepping for the celebrations, chances are that you might miss a session or two of your child’s speech therapy. Between your family and your speech therapist, people take a little time off for family and relaxation.
Like your therapist will advise, successful speech therapy for kids is entirely dependent on repetition and practice with lots of family participation. You can make sure that your family continues with their language training even with all that holiday activity going on. Here’s what you can do for speech therapy during the holidays:
1. Get Your Kids to Join in Singing Songs
Music and singing are highly effective strategies for speech development. Songs and nursery rhymes teach your child how to differentiate tones, rhythms, and beats that help pick up words and pronunciation. This time of year, there are countless seasonal sounds that do the trick. Make speech therapy during the holidays fun. The best positive is that you won’t have to push to continue these sessions, and having the whole family join in makes learning seem fun and exciting.
2. Holiday Baking is a Great Time to Pick Up New Words
Looking for help with all that holiday baking? And, for an interesting way to keep the kids busy? Get them to help you in the kitchen. Use this time to incorporate speech therapy along with the different ingredients. Name each item that you’re using and show them how to say the words correctly. If your child is learning to read, encourage them to read the recipes and tell you how to make the dish. This is a creative way to enforce speech therapy during the holidays.
Kids love to join in grown-up activities, and when the result is a yummy batch of cookies, the effort is every bit worth it. In addition to identifying ingredients, you can also teach them how to sequence actions, name the utensils, tastes, flavors, colors, and shapes. You might just be able to get them to try new foods simply because they helped cook them.
3. Choose Speech Development Games and Toys
When looking for presents for the kids, pick out toys and games that assist in speech development. Memory games and wooden magnetic puzzles that teach alphabets, colors, shapes, and numbers are great options. You would also want to invest in a Hear Myself Feedback phone so kids can listen to their voices and learn to enunciate words clearly. Or, try matching games where objects and words are provided, and kids are asked to build connections. New toys are always a great excuse to keep kids busy and learning – a win-win situation for super busy parents.
4. Organize Poetry and Song Recitals for Visiting Grandparents & Close Friends
Children love praise and attention. When grandparents, uncles, and aunts visit for the holidays, invite them to attend poetry and song recitals displayed by the kids. Applause is always an excellent way to get kids to practice their poems and perform. Even when relatives can’t be present in person, maybe your little can put together their own livestream concert over video chat with some colorful filters to set the scene.
5. Holiday Stories and Books
Reading stories at bedtime is a usual routine that all parents follow. Introduce new books with holiday stories to teach them more about your family’s culture and traditions, plus the different celebrations that your friends and neighbors enjoy. You’ll get the kids interested in new concepts, words, and pictures and add to their vocabulary. Igniting their imagination with magical tales is a great way to encourage visualization and better understand languages.
Holidays provide innovative ways to take speech skills to a whole new level. Don’t pass up on this opportunity to have fun while teaching language.
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