Did you start the day by putting on your favorite green shirt? Are you eating green eggs and ham?
At Better Speech our speech language pathologists love to celebrate every holiday.
Here are 3 of our favorite activities for kids on this jolly holiday. And don't tell them we snuck in some speech therapy activities.
In this article we will discuss:
Treasure Hunt
What would a holiday be without a treasure hunt!
This is a great way to practice receptive language - or what your child understands. You can download and print our St Patricks day images of gold coins, a rainbow and more. Hide them around the house and give your child clues. The clues can be changed to match the child's ability and level of understanding.
Here are some examples:
Leave the rainbow picture on the kitchen counter and give your child this clue: CLUE: What luck! I see a rainbow where we prepare your dinner.
Leave the gold coins picture near your child's toothbrush. CLUE: Leaping Leprechauns! There is a treasure where you brush your teeth.
Download these pictures and print.
Does your child need additional speech therapy practice?
Read "How to Catch a Leprechaun"
We love this book because after reading it with our little clients at Better Speech, we always start to talk about what kind of traps we would like to set for a Leprechaun.
After reading the story a few times, you can ask your child to retell it. Use the pictures as a reminder for your child for what happens and in what sequence.
You can also listen to the story being read on YouTube.
Story retell, sequencing and talking about a story you just read are great ways for parents to model expressive language. Stories also teach narrative to young children by helping them identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. You can teach them transition words like "first," "then," and "last" to tell a story.
Holiday Picture Sorting
This activity is great for this holiday and 2 others. You can also skip the pictures to download below and collect holiday objects from around the house. You can cut out the pictures and micx them up on the table.
Ask your child to sort the pictures by holiday and explain why each picture belongs to a different holiday.
Mix them up on the table and tell the kids to separate the St. Patrick's Day themed words from other words that don't belong.
We hope you have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day !
At Better Speech, we offer online speech therapy services convenient for you and tailored to your child's individual needs. Our services are affordable and effective - get Better Speech now.
About the Author
Cheri Gipson
I am a speech-language pathologist who specializes in language skills and pronunciation. I obtained my Master’s of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Western Illinois University and I have worked in the field of speech pathology for over 20 years. One of the things I enjoy most is helping people learn.
In my spare time, I enjoy writing tips on how to improve online teaching for both the larger language schools and also as a private ESL teacher. Teaching is my passion, and I love seeing students make progress. Every day is a new adventure, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help people learn and grow!
