Ah, the holidays! Tis the season for giving, receiving, and endless to-do lists! Between shopping, parties, and holiday planning, it may seem like there’s no time for creative session planning. We’re here to help with fun, no-prep activities for SLPs to incorporate around the holidays. These time-saving holiday speech therapy activities are great for preschoolers to elementary-aged kids, and they’re as fun and engaging as they are easy to integrate into your plans.
Why Use Holiday-Themed Activities in Speech Therapy?
Why are holiday speech activities ideal for this time of year? For kids, the joy of the season is contagious, adding a sense of anticipation to the air as they await treats, gifts, and more. Incorporating these speech therapy holiday activities builds on this excitement, increasing motivation and session engagement.
Holiday speech activities are especially effective this time of year because they tap into the natural excitement children already feel. The season brings a sense of anticipation (e.g., decorations, treats, gifts, and fun traditions), which can immediately boost motivation. When therapy aligns with what kids are already thinking about, they are more willing to participate and engage better throughout sessions. Much like strategies for handling the holidays with a special needs child, speech development holiday activities can be tailored to each child’s unique needs.
Moreover, holiday speech and language activities naturally promote generalization and novelty. Children are more likely to use new vocabulary outside the therapy session because the themes are familiar and meaningful at this time of year. For example, practicing winter-related words like “snowflake,” “sled,” or “cocoa” during holiday speech therapy games makes it easier for kids to use them when talking about real-life holiday plans. This blend of relevance and fun encourages stronger carryover and smoother participation.
No-Prep Holiday Speech Therapy Activities
When time is short, having some holiday speech therapy activities in your arsenal that take no preparation is essential to ensuring sessions are stress-free for you and productive for the child.
Holiday I-Spy for Vocabulary & Articulation
I-Spy holiday articulation activities are easy and high-energy. They help children build vocabulary while practicing articulation and comprehension. Setup is simple: you can use holiday décor throughout the child’s home or classroom. Start by asking them to “spy” festive items, then label each item together. For each item, model clear articulation for target sounds (e.g., “I spy a cookie,” “I spy a red stocking,” or “Find the shiny ornament”).
You can also incorporate WH-questions for language development support, such as “Where do you see the snowman? These questions encourage kids to describe what they see, expand their sentences, and make meaningful connections in a fun and festive way.
Holiday Story Starters (Expressive Language)
Seasonal-themed story starters spark imagination while helping children build stronger sentences and simple narratives. Begin by introducing a festive prompt and encourage the child to describe what happened first, next, and last. They can also add details about characters, settings, and actions. Some examples of prompts include “Santa’s sleigh broke down. What happens next?” or “You found a surprise gift under the tree. Tell me what’s inside?” Story starter holiday speech activities help kids practice expressive language while building their own narrative.
Ornament Category Sorting Game
Ornament sorting games help children practice categorization, vocabulary, and articulation. Begin by laying out the ornaments or pointing to them in a tree. Ask the child to categorize them by shape or type (e.g., stars, balls, bells), color, or initial sound (s- for star, b- for bell). To encourage language use, incorporate questions like: “Which ornaments are round?” or “Tell me something that starts with B”. Sorting-driven speech therapy holiday activities are great for developing expressive language and practicing speech sound repetition.
Low-Prep Holiday Activities for SLPs
These speech development holiday activities require minimal prep and offer an engaging way to develop speech and language skills.
“Decorate the Tree” Language & Following-Directions Game
This interactive therapy activity encourages language development, auditory memory, and expressive speech with participation that keeps sessions engaging. All you need is a tree and ornaments. These can be real or cut out of paper. Ask the child to place ornaments on specific branches or in a certain order, using two-step directions like: “Put the star on the top branch and then hang a red ball on the left branch.” You can also incorporate WH-questions, such as “Which ornament goes next?” or “Where should the candy cane go?”
Holiday Sensory Bin (Winter Items)
Holiday language development activities are hands-on and promote vocabulary growth and expressive language development in a fun, sensory-rich holiday context. All you need is a bin filled with seasonal items like fake snow, pinecones, mini ornaments, jingle bells, cotton balls, small gift boxes, and holiday figurines. Ask the child to describe objects using descriptive words. They can also categorize by type, color, or texture, and practice requesting items using complete sentences, such as “Can I have the red ornament?” There are also plenty of opportunities to weave WH-questions into the activity, such as “What do you feel?” or “Which item is bigger?”
Holiday Activities for Articulation Practice
Holiday articulation activities are easy to implement, as the season offers tons of opportunities to practice sounds. For example, practice S with snow, star, Santa; R with reindeer, ribbon, red; L with lights, sleigh, bell; SH with sleigh, shiny, stocking; and CH with chimney, chocolate, cheer. Here are a couple of easy holiday speech activities geared toward articulation, expressive language, and vocabulary building.
Sound Hunts (S, R, SH, CH)
Have the child look for objects or pictures starting with target sounds. For each object, demonstrate the correct production of a speech sound in words, phrases, or sentences. For example, say, “Let’s hang the Santa ornament!” and clearly emphasize the target sound so the child can hear and imitate it. Positively acknowledge correct attempts and gently guide corrections. This encourages repetition, boosts motivation, and helps the child generalize the sound to everyday speech.
Holiday Board Games With Speech Targets
It’s easy to transform any holiday board game into a speech practice tool by adding articulation or language cards. For example, each time a child rolls the dice or moves a game piece, they pick a card with a target word or phrase containing their sound, such as S in snowman. Instruct the child to model the word, practice repeating it, and use it in a sentence before taking their turn. This unique approach to holiday articulation activities blends therapy with play while also encouraging turn-taking.
Holiday Language Activities (Vocabulary, Grammar & WH-Questions)
Fun holiday language development activities encourage participation and engagement while helping children generalize language skills to everyday communication.
Holiday Sequencing (First–Next–Last)
There are numerous popular holiday activities that utilize sequences, such as baking cookies and wrapping a gift. Holiday speech therapy activities focused on sequencing help children practice organizing steps logically, which strengthens narrative skills, memory, and executive functioning.
Winter Describing Mats (Adjectives + Categories)
Whether hand-created or purchased, winter or holiday-themed mats can be used to target describing, comparing, and categorizing. Holiday speech activities using mats allow children to sort winter-themed images, such as mittens and beanies, by color, size, or type. During the activity, they should use adjectives to describe each item (e.g., “The blue mitten is bigger than the red one”). Incorporating prompts like “Which item is soft?” or “Can you find something that is round?” encourages expressive language, vocabulary expansion, and critical thinking.
Holiday Book Companions
Speech therapy holiday activities that incorporate seasonal stories are highly engaging. They help children practice comprehension, WH-questions, and expressive language. Popular titles include “The Polar Express”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and “The Night Before Hanukkah”. These titles may also be available on YouTube. After reading, ask WH-questions such as “Who is the main character?” or “Where does the story take place?” They can also retell the story in their own words to build sequencing, vocabulary, and sentence-structure skills.
Tips for Culturally Inclusive Holiday Sessions
Although Christmas themes typically dominate the season commercially, it’s important to consider each child’s celebratory practices. Not only is it culturally inclusive, but it also gives them relatable subject matter, supporting stronger carryover and smoother participation. Here are some culturally specific winter holidays:
- Hanukkah (Judaism)
- Diwali (Hindu)
- Lunar New Year (various Asian cultures)
Final Thoughts on Holiday Speech Therapy Activities
These holiday speech therapy ideas bring joy, excitement, and meaning to sessions. Similar to encouraging communication through holiday storytelling, incorporating elements of the joyous season into play-based therapy boosts motivation, participation, and retention. Plus, seasonal materials are easy to find in the winter, which simplifies planning by combining therapy goals with hands-on, ready-to-use materials. Incorporating the season’s spirit with holiday speech activities doesn’t have to be complicated. Small, festive touches can make sessions fun and effective for both you and your patients.
