An invitation to do less this season

As far back as I remember, Christmas time always evoked mixed feelings. Being Jewish, my family celebrated Hanukkah, which sometimes coincided with Christmas and other times did not.
 
My school hosted a number of Christmas related events and I envied the many families who celebrated what I believed to be a glamorous and universal holiday. Hence the mixed feelings. It all looked so great but I just wasn’t a part of it.  ANY OF IT.
 
Whichever holiday they are celebrating, toys and games are important to children. But… do you remember all the gifts you received over the holidays? Me neither. 
 
As adults we hardly remember the toys we so desperately wanted or received as gifts. What we remember most are the memories created from hanging out and laughing with family.
 
This year don’t lose sight of those things that build lasting memories. Choose to do less. Spend more time together playing and sharing stories. Invite your children to join you baking and decorating.  Create new family traditions your children can look forward to year after year.
 
Involving children in activities promotes language and social development. These are the interactions that will provide the basis for future reminiscence and story-telling.
 
For those of you still working on your gift list, I recommend you lean towards items that will provide your child with opportunities to use their language skills and learn through discovery.

Consider age appropriate novels, magazine subscriptions and cookbooks to promote a love for reading.  Consider toys that encourage turn-taking, guessing and word-finding to promote language development.
 
Here are some SLP endorsed gift options for all ages. Each item supports literacy, pretend play, guessing, turn-taking or vocabulary expansion.

1 – 3 years

     

Dot Magazine
An illustrated ad-free magazine for preschoolers. It is full of fun stories and activities. Use it to build pre-literacy skills and teach kids that reading is fun.


Munchkin Fishin’ Bath Toy 
The magnetic rod makes it easy to catch sea creatures. Use it to introduce “who” questions “Who did you catch?” and “where” questions “Where is the fish?” Use this toy to promote pretend play.


Fisher-Price Little People Caring for Animals Farm
Every kid should have a farm!! This toy encourages pretend play and conversations between the farmer and the animals. Animals are perfect prompts for teaching toddlers how to make different sounds and appreciate the connection between sounds and their meanings.

I Spy Eagle Eye Game
Young kids love searching for images. This helps develop vocabulary, particularly concepts to describe where they found each picture.

3 – 6 years


The Gruffalo
One of my all-time favourite children’s books. If The Gruffalo is not on your book shelf, order it now. One of the best books to help your child understand the unwritten text by encouraging them to consider what each character is thinking.

Dot to Dot Count to 25
Help your toddler guess what the image will be. Kids get super excited to eventually see the image for themselves. These dots follow each other in a logical manner.

 

Hape Dynamo Kid’s Wooden Domino Set
Model concepts (in-front/behind, first/last, close/far, fast-slow) and verbs (build, turn, push, fall, watch, repeat).


Cate and Levi Puppets
Handcrafted in Canada. Hand puppets stimulate pretend play and turn-taking. Puppets also encourage interaction, through scripts, which is the breeding ground for language development.

6 – 9 years

 

 

 

Wee Hee Hee
Who doesn’t love to giggle? These illustrated jokes strengthen metalanguage skills by using “wordplay”, a humorous use of words with more than one meaning.

 

 

 

National Geographic – 5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything
Kids can’t resist this book with fascinating fun facts. If you want to inspire your child to read more, just leave this bad boy lying around the house.

Scattergories
This game is so much fun and requires that kids search their own vocabulary to create lists of words within various categories. Guaranteed to keep you laughing.

Klutz Make Your Own Movie Kit
For the child with lots of Lego! This kit inspires creativity. This is stop-motion animation made easy. Among other skills, children explore their language abilities as they learn how to write scripts.

Maybe you don’t have any children on your gift list, but you’re looking for a way to give back. One way to connect with the true spirit of the holidays and make a big difference in the lives of children is by supporting The Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau.

They are a non-profit organization with one goal, to ensure every child has a smile on their face Christmas Day. They collect and ship gifts to Community Agencies across metro Vancouver. Simply choose an item and give the gift of play.

How grapefruits reminded me of the power of storytelling

According to Speech and Hearing BC,  29% of children arrive at kindergarten struggling to be able to tell a story. Did you know that telling your children stories helps them develop their storytelling skills?

Storytelling uses language to connect your child to people, events, concepts and humour. Stories teach sequencing, improve vocabulary, strengthen listening skills and help children connect ideas. And, the simple act of focusing on your child when you tell a story confirms for them that they are a valuable member of the interaction.

I love grapefruits!  I use a grapefruit knife to carefully separate the “meat” within each section, a tradition that was passed on to me by my grandfather. I fondly remember my “Papa Paul” eating his morning grapefruits.  He enjoyed this simple pleasure delighting in every bite, describing the grapefruit as a gift, squeezing every last drop of juice into his mouth. His lessons of appreciating the simple things in life were not lost on me.

The first time I served grapefruit to my children I shared stories about my grandfather, a truly unique and great man whom they had never met.

I  told them about the time my grandfather taught me to ride a bike, convincing me he was still holding on when in fact he had let go so that I could find my way. I must have hit every parked car on the street!  The story opened up a conversation about trust, fear and one’s willingness to try new things.

Then there was the time he bought a new set of dentures for a man he did not know, but who had lost his only set on the beach.  The story helped them better understand abstract traits such as compassion and generosity.

When my children were a little older, I told them about the time Papa Paul tried to teach my mother to swim by securing her to the end of a fishing rod! Seriously!  This story included a time lapse and provided a segue to discuss planning, considering your options and perspective taking.

To this day when my daughters see me cutting open a grapefruit they request it “Papa Paul style”!  A man they have never met has become a coined phrase in our home, simply through the act of storytelling.

Ways to support your child’s language skills through storytelling:

  1. Include the concepts of time – Using words such as “first”, “and then” and “in the end” will help build sequencing and narrative skills.
  2. Insert pauses – Pauses allow children extra time to process and consider what you are saying. And by pausing, you model how to pace yourself when speaking.
  3. Use descriptive language – Help them visualize the characters and settings in your stories. Talk about the qualities and traits of your characters to help grow their vocabulary.
  4. Be expressive – By matching your facial expression and tone of voice to your message, you help your child develop the ability to read social cues and understand how others feel. (See my blog on Understanding Social Language Skills)
  5. Connect the story to the present – If possible, build a relationship between one aspect of the story and your child’s life. This will help them remember the story and improve their ability to retell it.

Stories are captivating. Tell your children stories about them as babies, or what it was like being pregnant with them. Share stories about yourself when you were a child and about your own family.  Draw them in and strengthen their connection to their world.

“There is no greater power on this earth than story”. –  Libba Bray