Whether you will feast in Turkey, Texas or Cranberry, New Jersey I hope there will be lots of food and good old fashioned family fun on your plate today! Let’s not forget time to talk with those at the feast. Perhaps you will chat with family and friends by phone. How will your little one do with talking turkey? Here are tips to encourage social language skills.
Let’s Talk Turkey Language Plan
Choose a couple (maybe only one) language skill.
- Hello – Goodbye
- Happy Thanksgiving
- I can help.
- I like ------. More please!
- Pass the --------.
- Please and Thank You
- Where is the bathroom?
- Let’s play a game.
- Let’s watch a movie.
- Would you like to watch ----- or --------?
Model how the skill could be used. Use one to two immediate family members to demonstrate the skill. Make it fun. If it is fun, and there is a lot of repetition, it will be more likely to carry over into your child’s language.
Example: Look at the calendar. Point to Thanksgiving.
Mom: Soon it will be Thanksgiving. I will say Happy Thanksgiving, Dad. I love you.
Dad: Happy Thanksgiving, Mom! I love you, too!
Mom: Happy Thanksgiving, Susie! I love you!
Dad: Happy Thanksgiving, Susie! I love you!
Practice the skill. Practice/play with the skill often. Include your child in the language play. It takes MANY times of being exposed to a skillbefore it becomes internalized.
Prompt the skill when you are with your guests or talking on the phone. When the appropriate time comes at the table, on the phone, etc. use the language prompt again. Your child will be encouraged to follow through with the practiced phrase, question, greeting, etc.
Praise good social language. We all want to do things when we are praised.
Use pictures to make a memory book of the holiday. This is a great way to practice one more time. . . actually many more times.
- Did you help?
- Who was at Thanksgiving dinner?
- What did we eat?
- What foods did you like?
- Did you like the ______? (yes or no)
- What did we do after dinner?
- Who called on the phone?
More ideas to help your child shine over the holidays:
- Special Needs and Holiday Travel
- Disabled Kids and Cooking
- Special Places, Special Kids
- Encouraging Nonverbal Kids to Talk
- Building Language Skills
- More Language Skills Ideas
Are you shopping for a child with special needs this year?
- Toys for Special Tots and Tweens
- Sensory Integration Gifts
- Puzzles
- Sign Language Books
- Cookbooks for Kids
- Ability/Disability Awareness Gifts
