The Speech-Language MOMologist: Elf on the Shelf Ideas

It's hard to believe that the Christmas season is upon us! But, I couldn't be more excited! Each year, the boys are more and more into the holidays and I am just trying to soak up all the magic because I don't know how long it will last! This time of year brings so many activities and experiences that will be beneficial for your little one's speech and language development. First off, a whole new set of holiday vocabulary is to be learned and talked about ~ Santa, sled/sleigh, ornament, snow, dreidel, reindeer, chimney, elf, stocking, present, etc. and action words, like ~ wrapping, prancing, trimming, decorating. If you really listen, there are so many words appearing in our daily conversations during the holiday season that we don't use throughout the year. Take the opportunity, to teach your little one this special vocabulary. There's also plenty of pretend play that goes along with the season ~ pretending to be any Christmas characters (Santa, elves) and acting out their roles, pretending to cut down your own tree, and pretending to work at a Christmas bake shop/restaurant, just to name a few! Holiday songs and carols are another great way to celebrate and tap into the right side of the brain (the right side of the brain is in charge of singing!). There are plenty of new sensory experiences to explore during the holidays ~ the smell of gingerbread, the texture of tree needles, and the sound of jingle bells, to name a few! I'm hoping to share more of how to make the most of this holiday season throughout the month!

Last year, we introduced the Elf on the Shelf to our household and it was a big hit. The boys loved looking for our beloved elf (who they named Woddiey) each morning and my husband and I had fun hiding it each night. The Elf on the Shelf provides lots of fun and hopefully a little better behavior ;) to your home, but also provides a great opportunity to answer questions (where was the elf?), tell stories (Woddiey came back from the North Pole in a snowstorm last night...), tap into higher order thinking and prediction skills (Where do you think he'll be next? How did he get there?)and work on memory skills (Where was he hiding the other day? Tell Grandma what our elf was doing yesterday!). So here's 31 ideas for your Elf on the Shelf! I'm sharing some of our elf from last Christmas, as well as some new ideas found for this year. Enjoy!