Activities for the Holidays

The holidays are here which means your kids may be home from daycare or school. Here are some ways from our Rehabilitation and Audiology team to keep your children occupied, entertained, and active while working toward building motor skills and promoting language.

Indoor Fun

• Check out an indoor playground.
• Cuddle up on a couch with a good book. Be interactive and ask your child simple questions about the book. Have your child hold the book, turn pages, point out characters, and tell you about the story. Or, encourage your child to create their own stories. Help your child write them into a book and draw pictures too.
• Play a board game. Have your child explain the rules, try to predict what will happen next. (i.e. if I move here, then…)

Outdoor Fun

• Play “I Spy” on a walk around your neighborhood.
• Turn a hike into a nature scavenger hunt.
• Enjoy a play date at your local park.
• Ride a bike or scooter. Wear a helmet and/or appropriate safety gear.

Limit Screentime

• If you do choose to play video games, choose something that gets the body moving like one that you mimic dance or athletic moves. These games are designed to challenge balance and motor coordination.
• If you watch a show or movie, talk about it afterward. For children 2 to 4 years of age, ask simple “WH-” questions (i.e. What happened?, where did she go?, who is that?). For older children, ask “why” and “how” questions. You can also pause and have them predict what they think will happen next. Listen to the movie soundtrack and ask, “What is this song about?”

Baking

• Baking and cooking for the holiday is a fun, sensory-rich activity that can help build language skills as they follow a verbal or written recipe and recall the ingredients. They can work on fine motor skills as they help knead dough, mix ingredients and decorate cookies. Cracking eggs is a higher fine motor skill that requires coordination of both hands.
• What a perfect time to share traditions and stories over a holiday feast!

Decorating

• Gather together some paint, glitter glue, tinsel etc. to create ornaments, popcorn garland or paper chain links for a fun fine motor activity. Have your child help wrap presents and tie bows. Cutting, taping, stringing, tying, and folding are all great activities for fine motor development.

Celebrating

• Turn up the holiday music and dance! What a fun way to get your body moving without having to leave the comforts of home. Singing children songs and holiday songs are great ways to build both memory and language.