The holiday season brings a wealth of opportunities to make speech practice both festive and functional for adults with aphasia. By incorporating holiday themes, caregivers, friends, or loved ones can create engaging, relevant activities that help boost language skills while connecting to the joy of the season. Here are some creative speech therapy ideas to try during the holidays:
1. Holiday Recipe Reading and Sequencing
Cooking is an excellent way to practice language skills, and holiday recipes provide a festive twist. Choose a simple holiday dish, like gingerbread cookies or hot cocoa, and work through the recipe step-by-step. This activity encourages reading, sequencing, and comprehension.
How to adapt:
- For individuals with more severe aphasia, use visual aids like pictures to accompany each step.
- Ask them to read or describe each action, such as “first, mix the flour,” encouraging sentence formation.
2. Gift-Wrapping Role Play
Engage in role-playing activities where adults with aphasia describe how they would wrap a gift or explain what the gift is. This involves practical, everyday language practice while keeping the focus on holiday traditions.
Example:
- Have the person with aphasia explain the steps of wrapping a gift, using words like “paper,” “ribbon,” “scissors,” and “tape.”
- Incorporate functional communication, such as asking for help or giving instructions.
3. Holiday Storytelling
Use the holiday season to reminisce and practice storytelling. Encourage clients to share their favorite holiday memories or traditions. This taps into long-term memory, a strength for many people with aphasia, while giving them a chance to practice sentence formation and storytelling.
How to adapt:
- Use simple prompts like “What’s your favorite holiday tradition?” or “Tell me about a time you celebrated the holidays.”
- For more support, you can ask yes/no questions or use visual cues to help them elaborate.
4. Holiday-Themed Word Games
Incorporate festive word games, such as holiday word searches or fill-in-the-blank exercises with Christmas or Hanukkah vocabulary. Games like these can help improve word retrieval, reading, and comprehension.
Example:
- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed _____ (reindeer)” or “The snow is ____ (falling).”
- Adjust the difficulty by providing more or fewer word choices.
5. Decorating Descriptions
Incorporate holiday decorations into speech practice. Ask the person with aphasia to describe various ornaments, wreaths, or lights. This promotes vocabulary building, sentence creation, and descriptive language.
How to adapt:
- Provide visual aids like pictures of holiday decorations or bring in physical objects.
- Encourage them to describe textures, colors, and shapes (e.g., “The ornament is shiny and round”).
6. Holiday Music and Speech Practice
Many holiday songs are familiar, which can help with word retrieval and fluency. Sing holiday songs together or work through lyrics to practice pacing and intonation. For individuals with aphasia, familiar tunes can stimulate language areas in the brain.
How to adapt:
- Focus on keywords from songs and ask them to fill in the blanks (e.g., “Silent Night, Holy ____ [Night]”).
- For higher-level practice, encourage discussion about what the song means or why it’s a favorite.
7. Holiday Greeting Card Writing
Writing holiday cards provides an opportunity for adults with aphasia to practice written language and sentence formation. They can write short, simple messages to friends and family, which also encourages social interaction and connection during the holiday season.
How to adapt:
- Provide templates or prompts if necessary, such as “Merry Christmas, [Name]. I hope you have a ____ holiday.”
- Encourage them to read the message aloud, practicing speech as well as writing.
8. Holiday-Themed Conversation Practice
Engage in simple holiday-themed conversations to practice everyday speech. Topics might include discussing holiday plans, favorite meals, or traditions. You can guide the conversation with specific questions or let it flow naturally, depending on the individual’s ability.
How to adapt:
- Ask questions like, “What’s your favorite holiday food?” or “Are you excited for the holidays?”
- Use visual aids or photos to spark discussion and support word retrieval.
And don’t forget to check out our Christmas Fridge Functional Phrases for more practice ideas for the holidays.
By weaving holiday themes into speech therapy, you can make language practice more engaging and relevant for adults with aphasia. These activities encourage communication in a joyful, low-pressure environment while tapping into the nostalgia, sensory experiences, and traditions of the season. The key is to tailor each activity to the individual’s needs, creating a fun yet productive session that supports their ongoing language recovery.
