How to promote language development over the holidays?
The holiday season brings extra opportunities to promote your child’s language development, no matter what holidays your family may celebrate. There truly is something magical about experiencing this season through your little one’s eyes. In fact, as a speech therapist, I’ve heard many families report that their child starts saying new words this time of year! It seems that even the youngest of children pick up on the novelty and excitement of trading in our day to day routines to spend time with family and friends.
Here are some fun ways to practice speech and language skills during your holiday traditions:
As you gather with friends and family, model communicative gestures like waving, blowing kisses, giving high fives, and fist bumps! I place so much focus on imitating gestures because gesture use is a foundational skill for supporting spoken language development. If your child is already familiar with these, try pairing a sound or word with the gesture. For instance, you could say “yay” as you give a high five or “bye bye papa” while waving goodbye.
Point out new vocabulary as you read holiday books, shop in stores, or decorate your home! Try narrating what you see during these activities with your child. Pair a point with key vocabulary words to capture their attention. Try expanding on your sentences to teach your child new words and word combinations. For instance, when shopping in store you could say “Wow, a tree! A very big tree!”
Sing holiday songs together! Once your little one becomes familiar with the new tune, start leaving out lyrics to see if they’ll fill in the blank! Opt for singing the song yourself instead of playing it from a phone or on tv, so that you can slow down the rhythm, giving your child extra time to fill in the blank. Plus, removing technology will turn this activity into a social interaction between you and your little one. For example, try singing “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the….” pause, and see if your child will fill in: “Way!”
Get messy! Have fun completing festive art projects and baking cookies together. Try modeling simple instructions to build your child’s understanding of directions. For instance, try repeating “Put it on” in a singsongy voice while decorating the tree or a gingerbread house!
Lastly, while spending time with relatives and friends, avoid comparing your child to others. Keep in mind that all children develop at their own pace and your child is lucky to have you championing them!
If you have questions or would like to learn more about your child’s unique language development, reach out to one of our expert speech therapists for more information about how you can support your child’s communication growth.