The temperature is starting to drop and soon the leaves will be changing colours and falling to the ground. This means fall is here! Fall provides many opportunities to incorporate language into daily activities. Here are 3 ideas to boost your child’s language this fall!

1. Go for a walk! As you are walking, talk about everything you see. If you are walking through trees talk about the different colours on the trees. Talk about the leaves on the ground. Encourage your child to talk about what they look like (colour, shape, size), what they feel like (soft, rough, bumpy), and what they sound like when you walk through them (crunchy, loud, quiet). Using different senses provides so many opportunities to introduce new vocabulary words and make the words more memorable!

2. Go on a scavenger hunt! Create a small scavenger hunt with different things you would see during the fall. Here are some ideas: a green, yellow, and red leaf, a small and big leaf, a pumpkin, an acorn, a rock, etc. Once you find the item, talk about it! Once again, use different senses to introduce new vocabulary while talking about the items you find. You can also talk about where you found it. This provides an opportunity to talk about location words/prepositions (“I found it under the tree,” “I found it behind the tree,” “I found it on the grass”). Going on a scavenger hunt also allows your child to practice following directions by finding the correct items.

3. Make a fall craft! Crafts provide opportunities for children to practice following directions and learn sequencing skills. Always have the finished product available for your child to see before starting the craft. Provide the instructions step by step, so it is easy for your child to understand. Use words like “first,” “then,” and “last” to ensure your child is successful in sequencing the steps. Some fun fall crafts include: making or carving pumpkins, making a scarecrow, finding a leaf or rock outside and decorate it, etc.

Written by Kristen Lipp, Registered Speech-Language Pathologist (Provisional) with Wildflowers