Speech-Language Pathology Services

District Learning Support Services, Burnaby Schools

Category: Everyday activities

Outdoor Winter Activity Ideas (that support communication skills too!)

January 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

It’s winter! When the weather is cold and rainy, it can be hard to think of ways to have fun outside. Here are ten ideas of fun outdoor activities for those cold or rainy days that have lots of opportunity for using receptive, expressive, and social communication skills. So, dress for the weather and get outside!

 

  1. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
    Before heading out, create a list of things to find that match the season and weather (you can use pictures or drawings for your list for the non-readers. You can assign roles (e.g., navigator, hunter, recorder) to practice listening, speaking, and cooperation. List ideas might include pinecones, icicles, or footprints if it’s snowy; or worms, waterspouts, or raindrops on a flower if it’s rainy.
  2. Winter Obstacle Course
    Set up a simple obstacle course, like walking on a “balance beam” (a log or bench work well), jumping over rocks or snow mounds, splashing through a puddle, or crawling under low tree branches. Players can take turns giving each other instructions for the route and kids can earn points for how many obstacles they remember, how quickly they complete the course, or how fun the participants rate that route.
  3. Cold Weather Charades
    Act out winter-related activities (like sledding, skiing, or shoveling snow). Kids guess the actions, practicing both expressive and interpretative communication skills. You could extend this activity so that people then act out something that could happen next, like winning a gold medal at the Olympics for a fast ski race.
  4. Weather Reporter Role-Play
    Pretend to be weather reporters covering a “storm.” Take turns as the reporter and camera operator. Practice making up news stories about what’s happening. You could think of “guests” to interview, like Mr. Squirrel, Windy the Wind, or Ms. Orca, to practice perspective-taking, acting, clear speaking, and using your imagination. Film the weather reports and watch them together after, reliving the fun!
  5. Winter Survival Scenario Game
    Pretend to be stranded in the snow and brainstorm survival strategies. Kids can discuss what they’ll need, negotiate how they will prioritize tasks (e.g., building a shelter, finding food), and come up with creative solutions to solve problems that arise.
  6. Cold-Weather Role-Playing Adventure
    Create a story-based game where kids play different characters in a chilly environment (e.g., Arctic Explorers, Animals in the Tundra, Treasure Hunters). Kids can talk about what they’d see, hear, smell, and feel in these roles and situations, what they’d wear, how they’d move, and adventures that might occur.
  7. Puddle Reflection Exploration
    While out for a walk, look around for interesting reflections in puddles. You can look at the puddle from opposite sides or directions and describe what you see to each other (kind of like looking for different shapes in clouds in the summer!). If you each see different things, switch sides and try to see how both of your perspectives can be true, depending on your viewpoint.
  8. Fort Building Challenge
    Use natural materials (sticks, leaves, rocks) or what you have around the house or yard to construct a “fort” that can withstand the rain. Tell each other your ideas and problem-solve as a team if something doesn’t work the first time. Make it a goal that the final fort includes at least one idea from everyone playing.
  9. Group Storytelling in the Rain
    Dress for the weather, then find a spot to sit or take a walk while taking turns contributing to a collaborative story. The setting can be inspired by the weather or a storybook, like “A Rainy Day Adventure.” This is more fun if everyone has a hot chocolate to enjoy while being storytellers together!
  10. Tropical Island Beach Vacation
    Some days it just might be TOO nasty out for much outdoor play. Escape the weather inside by pretending it’s summertime and you’re on a beach or tropical island! Ask everyone what they think of when they think of summer? What would they see? Hear? Feel? Taste? Smell? Kids can wear their bathing suits or summer clothes, lay out towels, put on sunglasses, and pretend to be at the beach. To burn some energy, try a take on “the floor is lava” and pretend to hop between islands (Pillows? Cushions?), avoiding the ocean and sharks (floor) below!

Have fun playing and communicating together, and stay warm and dry!

Supporting your child’s language skills when watching TV or movies

April 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

As we are spending so much time at home, we are facing the dilemma of how to keep our children entertained. Thoughts of children sitting in front of a screen while many parents are still trying to get some work done dredges up mixed feelings.  At least they’ll be entertained and kept out of mischief, but we know that too much TV cannot be a good thing. But TV does not have to be only negative. Television (with controlled and limited  screen time) can be part of a balanced program for kids. You can actually support your child’s language skills when you watch TV or movies together! Keep reading below or click here to download a handout on supporting your child’s language when watching TV or movies and handouts for other activities.

Continue reading

Supporting your child’s language skills when reading and exploring books

April 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Your child’s teacher and school librarian always encourage reading books at home.  Keep reading below or click here to download a handout on supporting your child’s language when reading and exploring books and handouts for other activities.

WHY is reading and exploring books so important for promoting language and literacy development? 

  •  Children need to hear many words often.  Reading to your child often exposes them to more words and builds his/her vocabulary. 
  • Children learn words when they are interested.  Books motivate children to communicate and, when parents respond to what the child is interested in, it helps the child learn new words. 
  • Reading builds vocabulary and meaning.  Children learn what words mean when parents read with them and explain what new words mean while pointing to the pictures. 
  • Vocabulary and grammar are learned together.  Children need to hear new words in grammatically correct sentences in order to learn language efficiently. Reading books with your child exposes them to new words used in grammatical sentences.
  • Positive, extended conversations support cognitive and social development.  When parents read with their child this promotes a positive interaction and shared conversation. 

Continue reading

Supporting your child’s language skills when cooking and sharing meals

April 20, 2020 / / 0 Comments

During this unprecented time of social distancing, many of us are eating at home with our families more than before.  Cooking together is a wonderful way to work on language goals with your child!  Narrate as you plan and cook together.  This provides a language model for your child and is a great way to introduce new vocabulary and grammar.  For example, “First I am mixing in the eggs, then I will mix in the milk”.  Remember to speak in the first person instead of referring to yourself as Mommy/Daddy (e.g., use “I am mixing in the eggs.” instead of “Mommy is mixing in the eggs.”).  Meals are also a great time to sit and practice language in a relaxed way.  You can download a handout on Supporting Your Child’s Language Skills when Cooking and Sharing Meals and handouts for other activities here.

Cooking Activities and Strategies

  1. Before you begin, brainstorm what you want to make, and create a list (written or drawn) of the ingredients you’ll need.
  2. Flip through a recipe book together or look online. If your child struggles with reading, you can draw a sketch of ingredients and steps. Some food bloggers show photos not just of the finished product, but of each step of the recipe. Many children with language difficulties will appreciate having this visual support.
  3. Discuss the recipe together before starting. Talk about what you will do first, next, then, or last.
  4. Talk about where to find the ingredients and utensils needed (e.g. “The mixing bowl is in the drawer.” or “The drawer is under the microwave.”).
  5. Practice and talk about taking turns when adding ingredients, mixing, etc. Use phrases such as: “Whose turn is it?”, “It’s your turn now.”, “It’s your brother’s turn now”.
  6. Develop vocabulary by not only labeling objects (e.g., pasta, water, spoon), but also demonstrating action words (e.g., slice, pour, stir), and descriptive words (e.g., slowly, soft, sharp).
  7.  Practice asking and answering wh-questions (e.g. “What do we need next?”, “Where is the bread?”, or “When do we add the salt?”).
  8. Talk about the quantities of the ingredients you’re using (e.g., “We need more carrots.”) and how they relate to each other (e.g., “This tomato is big, and this one is bigger”).
  9. Practice understanding and remembering directions. Some children will need short directions (e.g., “Put the lettuce in the bowl.”), and others are ready to work on longer ones (e.g., “Put the lettuce in the bowl, then go get a cucumber and wash it.”). Discuss strategies we use to help us remember and show we understand, such as repeating back what we hear, paraphrasing what we hear, or writing or drawing the information.

Continue reading

© 2025 Speech-Language Pathology Services

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑