Tips on how to celebrate Halloween with your non-verbal child in speech therapy for kids. Halloween is a super fun holiday. It is the time when we can be creative with our costumes, eat yummy candy, and go door-to-door to collect even more candy. How bad can it be to get a ton of free candy? But what if your child is nonverbal or has difficulty communicating? How can they still enjoy all the fun that Halloween has to offer? For children with apraxia of speech, a late-talking toddler, or a language or speech-delayed preschooler in speech therapy for kids, this holiday can be a bit more stressful.
In this article we will discuss:
Why? Because the one task a child has on this holiday is to knock on a stranger’s door and speak. That can be a little intimidating for a child just starting to work on their speech or language skills. But there’s no way anyone should be deprived of a ton of sugary candy. It’s every child’s right!
Want to teach your non-verbal child how to talk?
Trick or Treat Cards for Kids in Speech Therapy
One of the superhero Better Speech SLP’s has made some cards that can be handed out or pinned to a costume. We all know that children with difficultly communicating often draw pictures or use gestures to communicate, so these cards are a way for them to “talk” to the person who answers the door. Visual cards can also be used to help the child know what to say. And there are choices:
1. For kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech – These cards educate your neighbors by (proudly!) letting them know that your child has apraxia and that they’ll be getting their candy no matter what. Acceptance starts when we educate those around us about apraxia.
2. For non-verbal kids that don’t want to let anyone know their diagnosis but still want to get the credit for making the huge effort to knock on someone’s door to ask for candy.
3. For kids that don’t want to tell anyone they are non-verbal. These cards can be glued back to back and attached to a stick or wand. Show the first side when asking for candy. Show the second side before leaving.
To download your Halloween cards for kids with Apraxia or other non-verbal children, click the PDF link below:
Practice Speech Skills with Halloween Candy
Halloween candy can be a great incentive to practice speech skills with your child in speech therapy for kids! You can never go wrong with bribing your child with candy. But besides that, there are other ways to use Halloween candy to help improve speech and language skills.
First thing you can do is use “choice” questions.
These types of questions help your child practice his or her communication. A “choice” question is when you give your child two clearly named choices to select from. Here are some examples:
”Would you like to eat some candy or a cookie?”
“Would you like to have a Twix or a Snickers?”
“Would you like to share some M&Ms or Skittles with your brother?”
It’s best if you show the actual items to your child as you name them, as this reinforces the link between the word and the item. You also want to be sure you are offering two items that are acceptable options. In other words, don’t offer something that’s not okay for your child to have.
Second, practice their speech sounds!
You can also help your child practice sounds he or she is working on with Halloween candy. We all know that repetition is key when talking about speech drills. Halloween candy can make this process a little more fun. Here are some examples:
Ask your child to say “lollipop” to practice the /l/ sound (and a 3-syllable word) before handing them a lollipop.
If your child is working on the /m/ sound, ask them to say “M&M” before they can eat some M&Ms.
Use any small candy for toddlers to practice early social words like “give,” “more,” “please,” “open,” “lick,” or “chew.” For example:
If your toddler reaches for a piece of candy, ask them to say “Please.”
If your toddler finished their M&Ms and wants more, ask them to say “More.”
If your toddler can’t open their candy bar, ask them to say “Open.”
For kids working on the /k/ sound, have them say “candy corn” for every corn they eat or “cookie crumble” for each cookie they eat.
Have kids working on the “ch” sound practice saying “chunky chocolate.”
Good letter sounds to practice for Halloween include: H, L, W, N, J (these are the letters in the word Halloween, along with J for Jack-o-lantern).
You can use these examples to practice speech on other holidays with your kids as well, having them repeat “candy cane” to practice the /k/ sound at Christmastime, or giving them hearts that have phrases on them as a reward for practicing that phrase on Valentine’s Day.
Third, work on following directions!
This is a great skill to work on with kids of all ages. You can give your child one-step, two-step, or three-step directions depending on their level. Here are some examples:
“Pick up the candy and put it in your basket.”
“Open the door, go outside, and then ring the doorbell.”
“First say ‘trick-or-treat,’ then wait for a response, and then say ‘thank you.’”
If your child has difficulty following directions, breaking the steps down into simpler chunks can help. For example:
“Open the door. Now go outside. Now ring the doorbell. Good job!”
“Say ‘trick-or-treat.’ Wait for a response. Now say ‘thank you.’ Good job!”
You can also make following directions more fun by adding in some silly elements. For example:
“Dance like a monster, then say ‘trick-or-treat’ in your best monster voice!”
“Jump up and down three times, then clap your hands four times, and then say ‘Happy Halloween!’”
Being able to follow directions is an important skill for kids to have, not just during Halloween but all year round. Following directions at home, at school, and in the community will help your child be successful.
Fourth, work on vocabulary!
Halloween is a great time to work on learning new words with your child. There are so many new things to see and talk about during Halloween, from costumes and candy to decorations and pumpkins. Here are some ideas for ways to work on vocabulary with your child using Halloween items:
Point to different parts of a pumpkin and name them (e.g., stem, top, bottom, side, inside). You can also talk about the color, size, and shape of the pumpkin.
If your child is dressing up in a costume, name the different parts of the costume (e.g., cape, mask, hat, teeth, wig). You can also talk about the function of each part of the costume (e.g., the cape is for flying, the mask is for hiding your identity).
If you are carving a pumpkin, talk about what you are doing as you do it (e.g., cutting, scooping, scraping). You can also talk about the different tools you are using (e.g., knife, spoon, bowl).
As you are going trick-or-treating, name the different houses and decorations you see. You can also talk about the different colors and shapes of the houses and decorations.
When you get home from trick-or-treating, sort through your candy and name all of the different types of candy you have. can also talk about the different colors, sizes, and shapes of the candy.
Fifth, work on answering questions!
Answering questions is an important communication skill for kids to learn. Asking and answering questions is how we communicate with each other and exchange information. Here are some ideas for ways to work on answering questions with your child using Halloween items:
If you are carving a pumpkin, ask your child
“What color is the pumpkin?”
“What shape is the pumpkin?”
“What does the inside of the pumpkin look like?”
“What does it feel like to touch the inside of the pumpkin?”
There are just a few of the things you can do to work on communication skills with your child this Halloween. By taking some time to work on these skills, you can help your child be ready for success not just during Halloween, but all year long! Enjoy your SPOOOKY HALLOWEEN 🙂
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