skip to Main Content

Indoor activities to enhance language this winter





Now that winter is here, it is time to hang up your coats and play indoors. Don’t worry; this can be just as fun as playing outside. The ideas below are starting points for your family to continue to encourage language development for your child.  Keep in mind that the best way for a child to learn language is through playing in a language rich environment and remember: always have fun!


1.      Make a craft as a family- Children love to make things; they are very proud of their work. You can have your child follow directions, practice turn taking skills, have them describe what they made to a different family member. When making your crafts, remember to narrate what you are doing, what your child is doing.

2.      Read books-Reading is such an important way for children to develop language and new vocabulary. Let your child be a part of the process, they will be more motivated to follow through to the end of the book. When reading, make sure to point out pictures, use different intonation, and ask questions along the way. It is more than reading; it’s helping your child learn new concepts and vocabulary.

3.      Pretend play- Make believing is a powerful tool that should not be forgotten. Pretend play allows your child to use their imagination and creativity. Take out some toys and have fun with them; whether you are making something to eat, playing house with dolls, or fixing cars and trucks that are broken in a garage you made out of pillows. Engage with your child and play alongside them.

4.      Build a fort- This seems simple, but a lot of language can be incorporated when building a fort. You can have your child follow directions to build the fort. You can use different aspects of language such as prepositions to work on putting things under, in, or on top of the fort and take things out of the fort. Who doesn’t like to build a fort?

5.      Play board games- Gather your family around the table and play a board game together. Board games are full of language and can help your child with matching, following directions, counting, and answering questions.  Board games are also a very social activity; e.g. helping your child learn turn taking skills.

Winter can be long and boring, but don’t let it get you down. I would love to hear more of what our readers are doing with their children. What are some of your favorite indoor winter activities that you and your family enjoy?



By Jeannine Abel, M.A., CFY-SLP
Back To Top

Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

Facebook
Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

Facebook
My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

Facebook
My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

Facebook
My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

Facebook
I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

Facebook
We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

Facebook
They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

Facebook
We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
Read More