Category: General (Page 1 of 3)

Winter is a magical time filled with opportunities to engage children in activities that can enhance their speech and language skills. Here are six fun and effective winter activities that can help elementary-aged students develop their communication abilities, inspired by strategies from speech-language pathologists. 

1. Baking Holiday Treats 

Baking is not only a delightful winter activity but also a fantastic way to work on language skills. Following a recipe helps children practice sequencing and following directions. You can also introduce new vocabulary related to ingredients and cooking actions. For example, ask them to describe the texture of the dough or the taste of the cookies. 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-baking-recipes 

2. Winter Storytelling 

Encourage children to create and tell their own winter-themed stories. This activity promotes creativity, narrative skills, and vocabulary development. You can provide prompts such as “Imagine you are building a snowman that comes to life. What happens next?” This helps them practice structuring their thoughts and using descriptive language. 

https://woojr.com/christmas-ad-libs/ 

https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/winter-writing-prompts/ 

3. Holiday Scavenger Hunt 

Organize a scavenger hunt with winter-themed items. Provide clues that require children to use descriptive language and follow multi-step directions. For example, “Find something that is white and cold” or “Look for an item that jingles.” This activity enhances listening skills, vocabulary, and the ability to follow instructions. 

4. Carol Karaoke 

Singing holiday songs can be a fun way to work on articulation and fluency. Discuss the lyrics to help children understand the meaning of new words and phrases. This activity also encourages expressive language as children sing and perform the songs. 

5. Building a Snowman 

Whether you have real snow or use craft materials, building a snowman can be a great language activity. Have children describe each step of the process and the materials they are using. You can also incorporate social skills by having them work together and communicate their ideas. 

https://pjsandpaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Build-your-own-snowman_Pjs-and-Paint.pdf 

 6. Winter-Themed Role-Playing 

Set up role-playing scenarios such as a visit to Santa’s workshop or a holiday market. This allows children to practice conversational skills, use new vocabulary, and understand social interactions. Role-playing helps them develop pragmatic language skills in a fun and engaging way. 

These activities not only make the winter season enjoyable but also provide rich opportunities for language development. By incorporating these fun and festive ideas, you can help children enhance their communication skills while celebrating the joys of winter. 

Activities: 

https://woojr.com/christmas-ad-libs/  

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-baking-recipes  

https://iheartcraftythings.com/christmas-coloring-pages.html  

https://www.communicationcommunity.com/christmas-themed-scavenger-hunt/ 

https://www.communicationcommunity.com/hanukkah-themed-scavenger-hunt/ 

https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/winter-writing-prompts/  

https://pjsandpaint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Build-your-own-snowman_Pjs-and-Paint.pdf  

Many of us reflect on Halloween as being an exciting time in our childhood. The costumes, the candy and the parties can conjure up wonderful memories. However, for some children Halloween can be a time of over stimulation, unpredictable events and frightful masks or costumes.

For those children, some suggestions for Halloween night include:

• Front loading your child about trick or treating. Showing them clips from a children’s television show of what to expect and/or provide them with a social story detailing the events of the night.
• Costume Ideas: Parents/caregivers can suggest costume ideas that are comfortable, especially for children with sensory needs. Encourage them to try the costume on, to help ensure they feel comfortable.
• Trick or Treat: Model and rehearse the sentences that will be used when trick or treating. For children that use AAC, ensure that they have a means to express themselves on the night (i.e., adding a Halloween page to their touch chat and/or Halloween picture symbols etc.). Practice and rehearse these prior to Halloween night.
• For children that may be overwhelmed by trick or treating, consider having a small gathering with a familiar friend(s) instead of trick or treating. In addition, you can also check with your local mall for Halloween events.

Halloween Activities

1. Spooky Storytelling

Encourage kids to create their own Halloween stories. This can help with narrative skills, vocabulary, and sentence structure. You can use prompts like “Once upon a time, in a haunted house…” to get them started.

2. Halloween Charades

Play a game of charades with Halloween-themed words and phrases. This activity can help with expressive language skills and vocabulary.

3. WH Questions

Use Halloween-themed pictures or stories to ask WH questions (who, what, where, when, why). This can help with comprehension and critical thinking skills.

These activities can make speech and language practice enjoyable and festive!

4.  Spooky Sentence Formulation

Give kids Halloween-themed words and have them create sentences. For example, “witch,” “broom,” and “fly” could be used to make the sentence, “The witch flies on her broom.

For more Halloween language activities, check out peachiespeechie.com

Halloween Activities by Peachie Speechie

5. Painting a Pumpkin using AAC

By using picture symbols, core board or digital AAC, either paint or add stickers to create a spooky face for the pumpkin.

Mister Clay on YouTube kids:  Painting Pumpkins For Halloween using AAC

October is Autism Acceptance month in Canada.

Autism Acceptance month is a time to celebrate neurodiversity and increase our understanding of Autism. This helps to reduce the stigma and discrimination that Autistic people experience, and it empowers Autistic individuals to express themselves confidently.

Did you know?

 In September 2024, the Public Health Agency of Canada published a new framework for Autism in Canada.

“The purpose of the Framework for Autism in Canada (framework) is to promote the health and well-being of children, youth, adults and older adults on the autism spectrum, their advocates, families, and caregivers; and to provide a common direction for autism in Canada that lays the foundation for collaborative and complementary action to be taken by all sectors. The framework was created in response to the Federal Framework for Autism Spectrum Disorder Act” (Government of Canada, 2024).

To read and learn more about this framework for Autism in Canada click here.

The SLPs at the Burnaby school district value the unique perspectives, strengths, and talents of Autistic individuals, their families/caregivers, and the Autistic community.  We are excited to celebrate Autism acceptance Month with you! To learn more about The Role of Speech-Language Pathologists in Supporting Autistic People click the link.

Reference

Government of Canada. (2024, September 26). Framework for Autism in Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/framework-autism-canada.html#a3.1

October 18, 2024 is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day! What is DLD? See the graphic below from DLD and Me to learn more.

Try this quiz to see how much YOU know about DLD: https://radld.org/about/dld/dld-quiz/.

See https://dldandme.org/ and https://radld.org/ for more information about DLD.

Engaging with your child about their day at school can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be frustrating for parents when your child gives a one word answer to the common question, “How was school today?”

Here are some additional ways to encourage your child to share more:

1. Ask Specific Questions: Instead of general questions, ask about specific parts of their day. For example, “Who did you sit with at lunch?” or “What game did you play during recess?”
2. Create a Routine: Establish a daily routine where you spend a few minutes talking about each other’s day. This can be during dinner, a walk, or bedtime.
3. Use Conversation Starters: Try fun and engaging questions like, “What made you laugh today?” or “Tell me the most interesting thing you learned about.”
4. Be an Active Listener: Show genuine interest in what they say. Use body language, facial expressions, and follow-up questions to show you are engaged..
5. Share Your Own Stories: Share something about your day first. This can make them feel more comfortable opening up about their own experiences.
6. Engage in Activities Together: Sometimes, doing an activity together like cooking, playing a game, or drawing can naturally lead to conversations about their day.
7. Avoid Immediate Interrogation: Give them some time to unwind after school before asking about their day. They might need a little space before they’re ready to talk.
8. Use Visual Aids: Using drawings or pictures to talk about their day can be helpful. Ask them to draw something they did or saw.
9. Encourage Storytelling: Ask them to tell a story about their day, focusing on details and emotions. This can help them articulate their experiences better.

These strategies can help create a more open and communicative environment, making it easier for your child to share their thoughts and experiences with you.

Please see the About page for the name of the speech-language pathologist for your child’s school and browse by topic for other areas of information.

April is Autism Awareness month, previously known as Autism Acceptance month. Here are some links that highlight the differences between Awareness and Acceptance:

Acceptance, not just awareness: Changing the conversation around Autism

Autism Acceptance: Is There Still a Long Way to Go?

Click on the image above to read more about how SLPs support autistic individuals.

What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)? It’s the most common childhood disorder that most people have never heard of. DLD  affects 1 in 14 people causing difficulties understanding and using language for no known reason. In Canada, there are approximately 2.6 million people with DLD. DLD is a lifelong problem and affects people of all ages.

Today is international DLD Awareness day and the 2022 theme is Growing with DLD. DLD is a lifelong, permanent disability. People do not grow out of DLD but can thrive with supports that can include speech-language therapy and educational adjustments. It’s about growing with DLD.

Resources

RADLD Canada

DLD and Me

Raising Awareness about DLD video

Welcome back to school! Many children often give a one word answer to the common question, “How was school today?” Try some alternative questions to help your child share more information about their day:

• What was your favourite/least favourite part of today?
• Tell me something that was exciting/scary/funny/gross/cool.
• Who did you help today? How were you helped today?
• When were you happiest today?
• Where did you play and who did you play with at recess today?
• Tell me the most interesting thing you learned about.
• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Some children will also use a  home/school communication book to help them share important information about their day. Please click here for examples. Please see the About page for the name of the speech-language pathologist for your child’s school.

Who better to learn about autism from than the experts – not just people who study autism, but people who are actually autistic! As our knowledge about autism as a society progresses from awareness to acceptance, there is much to learn from autistic folk themselves. Below is an infographic with ways you can educate yourself about autism by listening to autistic voices.

Watch
Ask An Autistic YouTube channel
Why Everything You Know About Autism is Wrong TedTalk

Listen
Two Sides of the Spectrum podcast

Explore
The Autism Spectrum According to Autistic People website
What is autism? blog post
Uniquely Hari AAC user blog

Read
Books for kids about Autistic experiences
Loud Hands book

Shop
All Things Sensory Shop for fidgets
Divergent Minds Club Canadian jewelry & chewlery store