The holidays are a fun time with family and friends, and they are also full of chances to grow your child’s language skills. You don’t need special materials. These holiday language activities fit into traditions you may already have, from baking cookies to decorating the tree.
Five Easy Ways to Build Language at Home
Cook and Bake Together
Cooking or baking is a real-life way to work on language. Have your child help read the recipe and follow the directions. They can describe what they taste, see, and feel. You can also talk about favorite family recipes and ask “WH” questions, such as “What are your favorite holiday treats?” or “What shapes do you see?”
Sing Holiday Songs
Singing songs can support language development. Familiar songs offer repetition and rhyme, which help your child notice patterns in language. They can also help with letter and sound recognition.
Read Holiday Stories Together
Reading together is a good way to build vocabulary, print awareness, and comprehension. It works whether your child is reading to you or you are reading to them.
Make Gifts or Go Shopping for Family Members
Whether you make gifts or buy them, preparing them is a fun way to build language. You can talk about descriptive words like “soft” or “fluffy” while working on creativity. Shopping can help kids practice new vocabulary, remember a list, and answer questions like “What would your sister like?”
Help Decorate and Make Holiday Crafts
Decorating is a good time to use descriptive words like “red,” “shiny,” and “sparkle.” It’s also a good time to ask “WH” questions, such as “Where should we put this?”, “What goes next?”, or “Who do you see?”
Practice Following Directions
Following directions, simple or complex, matters in a child’s daily life. You can practice it during play and routines. Depending on your child’s age and receptive language skills, try two-step and three-step directions during holiday traditions. For more on this skill, see our post on following multi-step directions.
Baking Cookies
Baking also works on sequencing and basic concepts like size and color. Here are some examples:
- Two-step: “Get the bowl and bring it to me.” “Open the flour, then pour it in the bowl.” “Pick up the spoon, then stir the mixture.”
- Three-step: “Pick up the rolling pin, hold it over the dough, then start to roll.” “Find the candy cane cookie cutter, pick it up, then press it into the dough.” “Pick up the knife, dip it in the frosting, then frost your cookie.”
Making Holiday Cards
Before you start, set out the materials, such as colored paper, crayons, scissors, glue, and glitter. Then give directions based on your child’s age and skill level.
- Two-step: “Pick your favorite colored paper and bring it to the table.” “Pick up the red crayon and set it on the paper.” “Draw a star, then color it yellow.”
- Three-step: “Pick up your scissors, grab the green paper, then cut it down the middle.” “Pick up the glue, put the glue on the paper, then sprinkle the glitter on top.” “Finish coloring the page, pick up your pencil, then sign your name.”
Decorate a Felt Tree
If little hands can’t help with the real tree, make a kid-sized tree by cutting a tree out of felt and making “ornaments” from felt shapes in different sizes and colors. This simple activity can target many goals.
For Younger Kids
- Turn-taking: Take turns placing ornaments, saying “My turn” and “Dad’s turn.”
- Describing: Name the color, shape, or size before placing the ornament.
- Requesting: Use a word like “more” or a phrase like “I want ___.”
- One-step directions: “Put the star on top of the tree.” “Put a red piece on the tree.” “Get a big ornament.” “Put your piece under the star.”
For Older Kids
- Two-part directions: “Get a blue triangle.” “Put a yellow square on the tree.”
- Multi-step directions: “Get red and blue circles and put them on the bottom of the tree.” “After you put on a triangle, put the star on top.”
- Your child’s turn: Kids love to be in charge, so let them give you directions too. This practices expressive language.
Build a Snowman
Building a snowman is a winter activity that works on several language skills at once.
- Sequencing: Before you start, ask your child to explain the steps using words like “first,” “then,” and “finally.” A question like “Does the smallest snowball go on the bottom?” can help them add details.
- Descriptive language: Encourage adjectives, like “The middle snowball is big and round” or “The hat is black and tall.”
- Social skills: Take turns sharing ideas about how to decorate. Open-ended questions like “What should we use for eyes?” invite discussion.
- Vocabulary: Words like snow, carrot, scarf, stick, and hat can go on a word bank that you make together.
Holiday Sight Word Ideas
The holidays are busy, so it can be hard to find time for sight words. These five ideas fit them into seasonal fun.
- Under the tree: Write sight words on index cards, and spread them beneath the lit tree. Turn off the other lights and let your child read the words by the glow of the tree. A flashlight can help if it’s too dim.
- Snowflakes: Cut out paper snowflakes and write a sight word on each corner. Hang them around the house as decorations and reminders. You can also try candy canes, wreaths, and snowmen.
- Santa hat draw: Put sight word cards in a Santa hat or stocking. Your child draws a card, reads the word, and repeats it a few times. Take turns drawing.
- Marshmallow madness: Spell the sight word on paper with mini marshmallows or chocolate chips. Then your child reads it and practices it five times.
- Shaving cream snow: Squirt shaving cream on a clean table and call it “snow.” Your child smears it out, then writes sight words in the snow and reads them aloud. Wash hands afterward, and keep it away from eyes and mouths.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I fit these activities into a busy holiday schedule?
Pick one or two that match what you’re already doing. A few minutes of conversation while you bake or decorate can add up.
What if my child doesn’t want to join in?
Keep it playful and low pressure. Invite them to help, but don’t force it, and try again at another time.
Are these activities enough if my child needs speech therapy?
They are a fun way to practice, but they don’t replace therapy. If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language, a speech-language pathologist can help.
How ETLC Can Help
If you think your child could benefit from one-on-one support, our team is here to help. Our passion is to help kids build effective communication skills and gain academic confidence. Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available.
Learn more about speech-language therapy at ETLC or schedule a free consultation to talk with a member of our team.
You may also find these pages helpful:
- 6 Fun Activities for Your Holiday Travels
- Family Game Night: 8 Games for Language Skills
- Action Words and Your Child’s Language Development
About the Author
Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center. With over 25 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, Sonia has dedicated her career to helping children overcome complex communication and academic challenges. She has advanced training and a special focus on treating dyslexia and childhood apraxia of speech, and she is passionate about providing families with a clear path to success.
0 Comments