Fall is one of the most exciting and memorable seasons for children. It’s a time filled with choices, rewards, change, and endless language-learning opportunities! This Fall season, try some of our favorite language-learning Fall activities. 

Decorate your home! Whether you like scary skeletons or cute jack-o’-lanterns, include your little one in the process. You can practice:

1. Vocabulary: Model/label  what each of the decorations are called as you pull them out “ghost, pumpkin, skeleton”. 

2. Qualitative and Quantitative Concepts: Describe what they look like “I see red, yellow, and green” “Big pumpkin” “little pumpkin”. Count how many you have. “Who has more?”

3. Spatial Concepts: Talk about the location (in, on, off, under) “put spider under the bush”.

Pick out Halloween costumes! Do you browse online or brave the aisle at the store? With both types of shopping, you can include your child in the decision making. 

1. Naming: Practice naming who the character is: “Elsa” “Spiderman” “ninja”.

2. Motor and Sound Imitation: Does the character make any sounds? Does the character have any actions? Act them out!

3. Decision making: Build confidence and self-expression with choices! “Princess or cowboy?”

*Don’t forget to practice your “hello” “trick or treat” “thank you” and “goodbye” for the big event!

Bake some warm treats! Pumpkin spice cookies, anyone? Baking is a great opportunity to follow directions and build joint attention, with a delicious reward at the end. 

1. Following simple commands: “put in bowl” “open jar” “clean-up”.

2. Descriptive vocabulary: “yummy” “hot” “messy” “sweet” “salty”.

3. Requesting: Model requests such as “help me” “want cookie” “all done”.

The options for learning are endless this season! Language can be fun and functional even during the holidays!

If you still have questions and want to know more about increasing speech and language skills in your young child.  Check out my new book, “30 Days To Get Your Toddler Talking.”  It is a 30 step by step guide to increasing language development in your toddler age 18 months to 3 years old.