Christmas is a magical and exciting time of year, but for many families, it’s also incredibly busy. With so much to do, finding time to focus on your child’s speech and language therapy programmes might feel like an extra challenge.
The good news is you don’t need to set aside specific time for this.
Everyday activities during the festive season are full of natural opportunities to support your child’s communication skills in a relaxed and enjoyable way.
Here are some simple strategies to incorporate into your busy Christmas routine:
1. Embrace Festive Stories and Songs
Festive themed books and songs are perfect for building your child’s vocabulary and language skills.
Read together: Choose festive books or traditional stories While reading, discuss the pictures, predict what will happen next, and talk about the characters.
Sing carols: Songs are fun, repetitive, and full of rich vocabulary. Singing along helps children practise rhythm and articulation.
Tip: Emphasize clear sounds and words while reading or singing to naturally model correct pronunciation.
2. Make the Kitchen a Learning Space
Preparing festive foods together can spark conversations and learning moments.
Describe and discuss: Talk about the ingredients you’re using, describing their colours, shapes, and textures. Words like “sticky,” “sweet,” or “soft” introduce new vocabulary.
Step-by-step instructions: Narrate the steps of a recipe, such as “First, we pour the milk, then we stir it.” Ask your child to repeat or predict the next step.
Tip: If your child struggles with certain sounds, gently model the correct pronunciation during your chat, but keep the tone light and playful.
3. Get Creative with Decorations
Decorating the Christmas tree or setting the table are perfect opportunities for interactive language-building moments.
Naming and sorting: Discuss and sort decorations by size, shape, or colour. Use descriptive words like “round,” “sparkly,” or “big.”
Position words: While decorating, use spatial language like “on top,” “under,” “next to,” or “beside.”
Tip: If your child is working on specific sounds, look for natural opportunities to include words containing those sounds.
4. Gift Wrapping and Chatting
Gift wrapping is another great chance to practise vocabulary and social skills.
Naming and describing: Ask your child to name the gift and describe it. Use words like “soft,” “shiny,” or “heavy.”
Following instructions: Encourage your child to help by following simple instructions, like “Pass me the tape” or “Hold the paper still.”
Tip: Focus on turn-taking during wrapping tasks, which also supports conversational skills.
5. Use Travel Time Wisely
Long car journeys or travel time to visit family can be turned into fun language activities.
I Spy: Play games like “I Spy” to encourage descriptive language and sound awareness (e.g., “I spy something that starts with the ‘b’ sound”).
Storytelling: Take turns creating a Christmas-themed story. This helps with creativity, sequencing, and sentence building.
Tip: Use repetition during these games to reinforce sounds or phrases your child may find tricky.
6. Encourage Social Interaction
Christmas gatherings provide valuable opportunities to practise social communication.
Practice greetings: Before visiting friends or family, rehearse greetings like “Merry Christmas” or “Thank you for my gift.”
Turn-taking games: Play simple games like Snap or Ludo to practise conversational turn-taking and listening skills.
Tip: If your child feels shy, model social interactions for them and encourage them to join in at their own pace.
7. Reflect on the Day Together
Take a few minutes at the end of the day to talk about what you’ve done.
Share highlights: Ask questions like, “What was your favourite part of today?” to encourage your child to share their thoughts.
Plan for tomorrow: Use words like “tomorrow,” “later,” or “next” to discuss what’s coming up.
Tip: Keep these conversations low-pressure and enjoyable. The goal is to encourage your child to communicate, not to focus on perfect speech.
Little Moments Make a Big Difference
You don’t need formal sessions to support your child’s speech and language development. By weaving these small strategies into your festive activities, you’ll be helping them build confidence, vocabulary, and communication skills—all while enjoying the magic of Christmas.
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