Happy Valentine’s Day from CSRC! Here at Chicago Speech and Reading Center we love all of the ways we get to celebrate Valentine’s Day, as well as all of the goals we get to target! Are you looking for some fun speech and language activities to work on at home? We are here to help! Let’s practice sharing a little love as winter soon comes to an end!

Let’s Make Some Sweet Treats!
Is there a favorite baked good that your family loves? Baking is a great activity that targets reading comprehension, following directions, sequencing steps and describing. Talk with your kiddos about the ingredients you will need for your recipe. This is a great way to target vocabulary skills and to describe what each ingredient does. Once you go over your ingredient list, you can start by reading aloud the instructions or having your child read to you. Baking is also a great social activity. You can practice taking turns measuring out each ingredient and adding them to your mixing bowl. Once you are done baking, share your treat while practicing describing skills and conversation turn taking by checking in with each other.

Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards
Let’s break out those art supplies and make your own Valentine’s Day cards! Making your own Valentine’s cards is a really great way to be creative and to add a personal touch. Homemade cards are also a great way to target spelling, requesting for materials, and practice new vocabulary words. You can do this by discussing what materials are needed (e.g., scissors, glue, glitter, stamps, crayons, markers), what colors they want to use (e.g., red, pink, white), and having them ask for the next item they need (e.g., “Can I have the glue next?).

Share Some Kindness
Giving compliments is a great way to practice social skills, kindness, and self-love! Sometimes sharing our emotions can feel stressful. By practicing giving compliments, we learn how to send positive messages to our friends and family! Compliments can be as little or as big as you want them to be. You can even practice this at home during any family activity. Recognizing your child’s effort, empathy, or patience are great ways to acknowledge your little one and help grow their confidence. Practicing self-love is also a great way to give compliments! Have your child say them while looking in the mirror. This is an easy way to help your child learn to appreciate who they are!