It’s Halloween! It’s probably #2 on the scale of “The Best Day of My Life” that every kid has. And all you can think about is, “What the heck am I gonna do with all that candy?” Well, you are in luck. I just happen to think about writing this post just for parents (and SLPs) like you! Not parents like me…one year we paid our kids to NOT go trick or treating. But you’re a good parent and you took your kids wandering through neighborhoods at night, asking strangers for candy. Here’s how you can use that candy to enrich language skills.
I posted my first You Tube video today with a few tips that I will mention in the blog post. If you want to check it out, I would love it! Don’t feel like you have to though!:)
Language Tip 1
This was my first tip in the video. Categorize the candy. Sort according to type (Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat all in their respective groups), ingredients (no peanuts vs peanuts, chocolate vs fruit flavored), or size. Talk about which group has more/less. What you don’t realize it you are not only helping language, you are helping math skills too!
Language Tip 2
Compare and contrast the candy. What are the differences between a Snickers and a Starburst? How are they the same? Which candies are close to the same?
Language Tip 3
Sort Skittles, Starbursts or M&Ms according to color. This is great for the little ones! Work on naming colors, grouping colors, requesting (such as “I want purple.”) and SHARING! Once they are all sorted, count! Practice counting even if it is only to 10!
Language Tip 4
Using the candy to work on pronouns. This is a great activity for two or more kids. “She has a Twix.” or “He has M&Ms” are great ways to use pronouns in context. Find other ways to work in “him,” “her” or “me” such as “The Hershey’s belongs to her.” Have fun and make it natural!
Language Tip 5
Use that bucket of candy to work on longer utterances! Have your child make a request such as “I want Snickers please” or “Can I have Twix please?” Have them tell you what they are eating like “I am eating M&Ms.” Bonus points for the correct verb!!!
This is an articulation tip! Have a kiddo working on “s”? Have him pull a piece of candy from his bucket and say the name of the candy! Doesn’t have an “s”? No worries, use the phrase “I see a Kit Kat.”
These are all pretty simple to use ideas really require little planning. Hoping everyone has a safe and fun night!
Need some more tips for enriching language? How about this one for family outings?!
