Winter isn’t just for snow angels and hot cocoa—it's also the perfect time to sprinkle a little communication development into your child’s play! With these five fun and evidence-backed activities, you can support your child's speech and language growth while making magical memories together. All of our activities are supported by current research from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
1. Snowy Storytelling
When the snow comes down, bundle up and build a snowman or fort together, then create a backstory for your frosty friend or snowy structure. Encourage your child to name their creation and craft a mini adventure.
Why it works: Narrative skills foster vocabulary growth and sequencing abilities, vital for language development.
2. Hot Chocolate Chats
Whip up some hot chocolate and add a twist—marshmallow questions! For each marshmallow added, ask a question about your day or favorite winter activities.
Why it works: Interactive conversation strengthens turn-taking and builds pragmatic (social) language skills.
3. Winter Word Hunts
Take a stroll (indoors or out) and create a scavenger hunt for winter-related words, like “sled,” “gloves,” or “snowflake.” You can also snap photos and label them together.
Why it works: Labeling objects improves word retrieval and builds vocabulary breadth.
4. Cookie Creations and Directions
Bake winter cookies and let your child “play chef” by giving simple, step-by-step instructions: “Add the sprinkles!” or “Mix the dough!”
Why it works: Following multi-step directions enhances auditory processing and comprehension skills.
5. Arctic Animal Charades
Play charades with a frosty twist! Act out animals like penguins, polar bears, or owls, and guess what they are.
Why it works: Pretend play improves symbolic thinking and encourages descriptive language use.
With these activities, you're not just enjoying winter but building communication skills to last a lifetime. Don’t forget to let us know which activity your family loved most—snow joke, we love hearing your stories!
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