The festive season is a magical time for children and families, but beyond the twinkling lights and holiday traditions, it’s also a wonderful opportunity to encourage speech and language development. Everyday activities during December naturally lend themselves to rich conversations, creative storytelling, and vocabulary building.
For children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN), the holiday period can also bring challenges. Changes in routines, busy environments, and an influx of new experiences can feel overwhelming. However, with a bit of thought and planning, parents, teachers, and carers can turn this busy time into a valuable learning experience.
Holiday activities like decorating the Christmas tree, writing cards, or singing carols naturally encourage communication. These traditions can be adapted in simple ways to support children of all ages and abilities, creating fun opportunities to develop key skills.
This blog will explore practical, easy-to-implement strategies to help you use the festive season to build children’s communication confidence while enjoying the magic of December.
1. Expand Vocabulary with Seasonal Words
The holidays introduce a treasure trove of vocabulary that may be new to children: tinsel, sleigh, mistletoe, elf. Use these words frequently in conversations and activities to help children understand their meaning and context.
When decorating the Christmas tree, for example, you can narrate what you’re doing:
“Let’s hang this shiny bauble on the branch.”
“This star goes right at the top. It’s gold and sparkly!”
For younger children, focus on naming objects, while older children can be encouraged to describe them in more detail. Ask questions like:
“What colour is this ribbon?”
“Can you find something soft?”
This builds vocabulary and introduces concepts like texture, size, and colour.
To take it further, turn these conversations into a game:
I Spy: Use holiday-themed objects to play I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...
Sorting and Matching: Ask children to group decorations by colour or type, describing each group as they go.
These playful interactions help embed new words in a fun and meaningful way.
2. Encourage Storytelling
Festive traditions provide endless opportunities for storytelling, which is a powerful tool for building language and communication skills. Storytelling helps children organise their thoughts, practise sequencing, and expand their vocabulary.
You can start by sharing holiday stories together. After reading a festive book or watching a Christmas film, encourage children to retell the story in their own words. For younger children, use prompts to guide them:
“What happened at the beginning?”
“Who were the main characters?”
“What was your favourite part?”
For older children, challenge them to create their own festive stories. Provide a fun prompt, such as:
“What would happen if Santa got stuck in traffic?”
“What would you do if you found an elf in your garden?”
These imaginative activities not only strengthen expressive language but also help children practise structuring their thoughts and developing creativity. To support visual learners or those with SLCN, use props like puppets, toys, or drawings to act out the stories together.
If children struggle to start, co-create a story by taking turns to add a sentence. For example:
Adult: “It was Christmas Eve, and snow was falling outside.”
Child: “The reindeer were getting ready for their big trip.”
This collaborative approach can ease the pressure and make storytelling enjoyable for everyone.
3. Singing to Support Language
Singing is a natural way to promote speech and language development. The rhythm, repetition, and rhyming patterns in songs help children develop phonological awareness, which is key for early literacy.
Festive songs like “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” are particularly effective because they use simple, repetitive phrases. Singing them regularly helps children learn new words and phrases without realising they’re practising language skills.
For children with SLCN, consider adding Makaton signs or gestures to the songs. For example, sign along to words like “star,” “bell,” or “snow” to make the song more engaging and accessible. This is especially helpful for children who use non-verbal communication, as it provides an alternative way to express themselves.
For extra fun, encourage children to make up their own verses to familiar songs. For instance, you could ask:
“What else could Santa be doing in the song?”
This invites creativity and reinforces vocabulary while keeping the activity light-hearted and festive.
4. Build Social Communication Skills
The festive season often includes social events like family gatherings, school plays, or Christmas parties, which can be ideal for practising social communication skills. However, these situations can also feel intimidating for children who struggle with communication.
Help children prepare by role-playing common scenarios they might encounter, such as:
- Greeting someone (“Merry Christmas!” or “Hello, how are you?”)
- Answering questions about presents (“What did you ask Santa for this year?”)
- Saying thank you when receiving a gift.
Break these interactions down into small steps and practise them in advance. Use visual aids or social stories to show what might happen in different situations, helping children understand what to expect.
During events, offer gentle prompts and encouragement as needed. For example:
“You could say, ‘Thank you for the present!’”
“Let’s ask Auntie what her favourite Christmas song is.”
Encouraging turn-taking in conversations or games is another way to support social skills. For younger children, simple board games or passing the Christmas cracker at dinner can introduce the concept of taking turns in a fun, relaxed setting.
5. Use Play to Boost Language
Play is a powerful way for children to learn and practise communication skills, and festive-themed play provides endless opportunities for language development.
Set up role-play scenarios like a pretend Christmas shop, Santa’s workshop, or a family dinner. Use these to introduce new vocabulary and phrases while modelling conversational turns. For example:
“Welcome to my shop! Would you like to buy some tinsel?”
“This present needs wrapping - can you pass me the tape?”
Playing with toys or props can also encourage imaginative language use. For instance, let children lead a toy reindeer sleigh, pretend to bake mince pies, or create a festive show using sock puppets. Decorate the puppets as Christmas characters like Santa, elves, or reindeer, and use them to act out scenarios. Children can give the puppets voices and personalities, practising dialogue and storytelling:
“Hello, I’m Rudolph! Have you seen my red nose?”
“This elf is very busy wrapping presents – can you help him?”
Adults can join in to introduce more complex language:
“Oh dear, the elf puppet has lost his wrapping paper. What could he use instead?”
“Rudolph says he’s feeling cold. How could we help him warm up?”
Through play, whether with puppets, toy trains, or festive baking, children develop problem-solving skills, descriptive language, and creativity, all in a fun and engaging way.
6. Mind the Overwhelm
While December is full of excitement, it can also be a sensory overload for some children, particularly those with SLCN. Managing overwhelm is crucial to keeping communication opportunities positive.
Create calm, quiet moments in the day where children can relax and recharge. Use visual schedules to help children understand what’s coming next, especially on busy days with lots of activities. Seeing what’s planned can reduce anxiety and make transitions smoother.
If children are struggling to communicate, give them extra time and avoid rushing their responses. Offering a choice of two options (e.g., “Would you like to play with the train set or the Christmas puzzles?”) can help them feel more in control without overwhelming them with open-ended questions.
7. Make the Most of Reading Time
Festive books are not only enjoyable but also fantastic tools for developing language. Choose books with rich illustrations and simple, repetitive text to support comprehension. While reading, pause to ask open-ended questions like:
“Why do you think the elves are busy?”
“How do you think the snowman feels?”
Encourage children to predict what will happen next or describe their favourite part of the story. For children with SLCN, you can use visual prompts or props, like puppets or toys, to bring the story to life and aid understanding.
Repetition is key—reading the same story multiple times helps children internalise new words and concepts. By the third or fourth reading, invite them to join in by finishing sentences or retelling the story in their own words.
December is filled with opportunities to make communication meaningful and fun. By weaving language-building activities into festive traditions, you can support children in developing key skills while enjoying the magic of the season. For more strategies and resources, visit Elklan Training and explore how we can help you create a communication-friendly environment at home or school.
This blog is designed to provide practical advice for families and educators supporting children’s speech and language development.
