Ways to Encourage Speech and Language Growth This Christmas Season

The Excitement of Christmas GIVES us captive listeners and eager participants!

By: Kimberly Tucker, Perimeter School Speech‑Language Pathologist

Christmas is full of opportunities to help your child grow in his/her speech and language skills. The past couple of years have been full of change and uncertainty, and many traditions that may be very commonplace to us will feel altogether unfamiliar to your child. One year in a child’s life can be long enough for him/her to almost forget a tradition that you have done for several years!

This year, we can enter the Christmas season with fresh eyes and thankful hearts, taking advantage of our traditions and newfound activities by talking through our days with our children. The beauty and excitement of Christmas give us many chances to have captive listeners and eager participants!

WHEN YOU GATHER

When gathering with family, talk through what your child might experience before the event. Look at pictures of your extended family and friends; take time to review the names and interests of the people he/she will see. This will allow your child to participate in greetings and conversations. 

For example, “Today we are going to your Uncle Andy and Aunt Jessica’s house. Do you remember them? They love dogs! Uncle Andy also loves building cars.” 

Also, review how to greet family and friends: “Remember, when we get to Uncle Andy’s, I’d like for you to say, ‘Hi Uncle Andy, Merry Christmas!’” Older and younger children need reminders to use appropriate greetings and eye contact.

And with younger children, it is fine to have a do-over! “Uncle Andy, we are going to try that again…” Walk outside and give your child a hug, then encourage him/her by saying, “It is hard to talk to people you haven’t seen in a while, but I’d like for you to use respectful manners.” Then, give a suggestion of what he/she could say, “Hi Uncle Andy!” or “Hi, Merry Christmas!” Then, try again.

With older kids, make sure to reinforce situational appropriateness (that one’s demeanor and choice of words and formality can change with different audiences), and any corrections can be discussed afterward in a one-on-one setting.

WHEN YOU BAKE

Do you have special dishes that you bring to family dinners or cookies to bring to a party? Include your child in the process. Talk about the recipe: “Your great grandmother taught me how to make this!”

Increase vocabulary knowledge by labeling the ingredients and listing the tools needed: spatula, mixing bowl, whisk. Use action words: beat, mix, fold, preheat, and use sequential words: first, second, next.

For older kids, have them make a grocery list, read the instructions, and take the lead. When finished, get silly and act out a scene “baking show style” using as many adjectives as possible: “As you can see, we have a delicious, chocolate cupcake exploding with fresh peppermint buttercream icing, topped with sparkling, snowy sprinkles.”

WHEN YOU GO OUT

When going on traditional outings, explain what your child may see and experience. “We are going to see The Nutcracker today! I love watching the dancers spin and twirl. The costumes are so beautiful. I can’t wait to hear which dance you love the most!” 

Or, “Today we are driving up to the mountains to cut down a tree! I love getting hot chocolate and seeing all the tall trees. We used to do this each year!” Comment on what you see or hear, and make sure to allow time for silence and observations.

Many times, we keep our thought patterns, sequences, and problem-solving in our heads because that is how we are trained as we become adults; however, our children learn how to do these things from us, so we can use these valuable times to teach them how to have this internal dialogue.

WHEN YOU PLAY

Here are some additional ideas for the holidays that can spark speech and language growth:

• Plan a Holiday Play-Doh Bash with the whole family. Kids and adults will love it! (You can order a 10 pack of Play-Doh for $8 or a 24 pack for $20 on Amazon!) Play relaxing Christmas music, get a plastic tablecloth for easy cleanup, and start creating. Set “rules”: you must have fun, encourage others, mix colors together, etc. For older kids, make it a competition or work together to create a bigger project such as a gingerbread village, decorated Christmas trees, or a Christmas candy shop. Talk through your thought process while you create: “I’m going to roll out two colors and twist them together, then make a giant lollipop!” Put out simple tools (plastic knives, toothpicks) to encourage creative thinking.

• Wrap up some Christmas books in festive wrapping paper, give them numbered labels, and have a book countdown to Christmas. Let the kids take turns picking a book each night, and then unwrap and read the book together. Older kids could read the book to the family on their night or choose to have a parent read it. As you read, make comments or label pictures (but not too much to take away from the story). “I see a pink Christmas tree!” Commenting encourages your children to listen and then make comments of their own. After reading, play “I spy” by using pictures in the book. To encourage phonemic awareness, say, “I spy something that starts with the ‘p’ sound.” Have your child makes guesses of words that start with “p.” If he/she makes a mistake, ask “Hmmm… dog… does that start with a ‘p?’ I know another word… what about puppy?”

• Rhyme with Christmas words: deck the “halls” with “malls,” Santa-Fanta, bells-tells, elf-shelf, manger-ranger, holy-roly-poly, and keep on rhyming!

• Play a Christmas guessing game: “I’m thinking of something cold; it is white, and you can build a snowman with it…” Use broad categories and attributes, then switch and let your child take a turn while you guess. 

• Draw a picture based on descriptions given by your child. For instance, “draw three big snowballs with a hat.” Instead of drawing a snowman, put the balls in three different spots with a hat on the ground. You can even model this with another adult or older sibling by having one of you draw this incorrectly. This will show your child the importance of using details. You can try this with multiple holiday scenes.

These games are specifically targeted to teach your children the importance of sequencing, context clues, creative word production and recall, and non-electronic interaction. It also gives you a chance to assess their ability to express themselves, critically think, and intentionally engage with others.

Unquestionably, there is a giant communication chasm that continues to grow with younger generations; we have all the tools we need to train up our children to thrive in communication, but we must take an active role to optimize their development and encourage their success.

It is a high calling, but it is something for which God has designed each of us as parents. As we have fun and celebrate this festive season together, we can have such a positive impact on their futures.