Halloween may look a little different for most of us this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still get in the holiday spirit for this spooky season! Here are a few Halloween themed activities you can do with your child to help them have fun this fall while also building their speech and language ideas.
1. Work on Language Skills While Carving a Pumpkin
Pumpkin carving provides so many opportunities to work on both expressive and receptive language with your child. Before you begin carving, practice sequencing by asking your child to describe the steps to carving a pumpkin. Work on following 1-step or multi-step directions while you instruct them what to do. Your child can work on emotions by making different faces on the pumpkins (sad, scared, mad, happy, silly, etc.). You can also skip the carving and use stickers to decorate a pumpkin and get your little ones talking.
2. Read Halloween Themed Books
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams
A perfect book to work on sounds and to add movement to the sounds. Ask your child comprehension questions and follow the little lady to see what gives her such a scare.
Splat the Cat What Was That by Rob Scotton
A fun “lift the flap” book that follows Splat as he overcomes his fear of a haunted house to rescue his friend. Talk about flexible thinking, being brave, and friendship with this story.
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
This is such a fun book to work on rhyming skills! This is also great to practice problem-solving skills and inferencing. Follow along as the witch loses her hat and must figure out how to get it back with the help of some friends.
Pete the Cat Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean
Who doesn’t love Pete the Cat?! Pete goes on a Halloween adventure and meets his friends along the way.
Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle
Perfect “lift the flap” book for toddlers to work on silly noises, animal vocabulary, and introduce them to Halloween vocabulary words.
3. Play Halloween Themed Bingo
Halloween bingo is a simple, fun way to get your child exposed to a variety of Halloween themed vocabulary words. Take turns describing the pictures on the board. Have your child practice their articulation sounds while naming the pictures they see. Work on receptive language by asking your child to point to the pictures being named. Use candy corn for bingo chips for extra motivation!
https://crazylittleprojects.com/free-printable-halloween-bingo-game/
4. Make spooky crafts
Get crafty with your child this Halloween with a variety of simple activities. Make puffy ghosts using construction paper, glue, and cotton balls. Your child can practice their articulation sound before they glue on a cotton ball. Design monsters or Halloween characters using paper plates or toilet paper rolls. Your child can work on requesting, describing, and following directions with these easy crafts.
We love using seasonal holidays as therapy tools at the Clubhouse! Would your child benefit from seeing a professional Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapist? Contact us today to schedule an evaluation or complimentary screening!
By: Melanie Krupowicz, M.S., CCC-SLP
