We hope you are all staying safe and warm in this terrible weather!  If you're like us, you've been feeling pretty cooped up this winter.  This feeling doesn't apply to just adults though; kids are likely to be affected by bad weather also!  Here are some activities targeting speech and language that are sure to stave off the winter blues:

 

• Make homemade play dough together following this easy recipe.  Add glitter, food coloring, or spices such as cinnamon to add an extra sensory component.  If your child is prone to putting items in his or her mouth, try out this edible play dough.

• Read Jan Brett's The Mitten, a story about animals that stay warm in the snow by burrowing into a boy's lost mitten.  Then, retell the story with your child by using these props from Jan Brett's website!

• Write and mail Valentines together.  This is a great activity for sequencing and vocabulary skills. You can even have your child dress up as a mail carrier and pretend to distribute Valentines to family and friends.  For a book to go with this activity, try The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond.

• Make your own indoor snow by mixing 3 cups of baking soda with 1/2 cup hair conditioner.  Add toy vehicles, people, and animals and get creative playing with them!  Alternatively, bring in a tub of snow from outside and allow your child to play in it with his or her cold weather clothes on.

• For an activity that will please kids of all ages, try cooking together.  This is another activity that is great for sequencing, vocabulary, verbs, and math skills.  If several children are working together, it also encourages problem-solving, collaboration, and overall social skill development.  Here are some fun recipes to try:
  • Cinnamon sugar snowflake tortillas
  • Snowman on a stick
  • Valentine's pudding:  mix up plain vanilla pudding and add some red food coloring or beet juice.  Top with sliced strawberries, raspberries, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles.

• Make "I spy" bottles together.  The possibilities are endless, as shown bythis Pinterest board!  

• Try a winter-inspired craft or game together.  You don't need too many materials, and these are great for following directions, understanding spatial concepts, and sequencing!  For bonus language practice, have your child draw or write directions for making the crafts afterward.  Here are a few favorites:
  • Snow shooters
  • Snowball toss
  • Egg carton penguins

• Watch the Olympics and talk or write about them together.  Ask your child to describe how to play a sport, to research and write about his or her favorite athlete, to invent a new sport, or to talk about good sportsmanship to encourage social skills.  (Shaun White's response to getting fourth place in snowboarding is a fantastic example.) 

We hope this list helps ward off boredom while encouraging language development!  We'd love to hear   your ideas for activities as well; please comment below or on our Facebook page!

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