Valentine’s day is approaching, and love is in the air! Here are a few fun craft ideas for you to make with your littles while working on their language development!
Supplies:
Red paper, white cardboard, black marker, googly eyes, scissors, glue
Instructions:
- Cut out one large heart and four small hearts from the red paper.
- Fold the white strips of paper like an accordion. Glue two strips for arms and two strips for legs.
- Create a face for your heart man! Glue two googly eyes and draw a mouth!
How to target language?
- Expressive language: Talk about body parts when making/gluing the eyes, mouth, legs, and arms.
- Receptive language: Following multi-step directions (e.g., “First, put on eyes, then draw mouth”).
Supplies:
Tissue box, wrapping paper, stickers, markers, candy and/or envelopes
Instructions:
- Cover the empty tissue box with wrapping paper.
- Decorate your tissue box with stickers, markers, pom poms, etc. Get creative!
- Deliver candy and/or Valentine’s cards to other mailboxes!
How to target language?
- Expressive language: practice “mail”-related vocabulary, such as card, send, mailman, mailbox, write, letter, and stamp
- Receptive language: understanding pronouns (e.g., “put the candy in her mailbox” or “put a card in theirmailbox”)
- Pragmatic language: role play social exchanges as you deliver letters to loved ones
Supplies:
Craft foam, yarn, scissors, hole punch, beads
Instructions:
- Cut a small heart out of the craft foam.
- Punch a small hole into the top center of the heart.
- Thread a 2-3-foot piece of yarn through the hole.
- Add the beads of your choice and tie a knot on the top!
How to target language?
- Expressive language: using prepositions (e.g., “on the string,” “in the heart”)
- Receptive language: following directions to put different beads on the string
Jill Teitelbaum, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist