Language Goals in the Kitchen: Holiday Cookies
With the holidays approaching, one custom that many families share in is making cookies. But as you are making delicious treats for your family and friends, you can also expand language skills!
Following directions
Target: Spatial concepts, or positional words, including: on top, over, under, up, down, bottom, in, out, in front, behind, beside, and between.
How to:After you roll out the dough, you can talk to and direct your child where to put the cookie cutters. For example, put the candy cane over the Christmas tree or Move that gingerbread man up. When putting sprinkles, icing, and candies on for decoration, you can continue to give these directions, or have the child direct you. For example have your child tell you where to put the candies on the cookie (up, over, under, etc.) Target: Temporal concepts which include: first, then, next, last, before, after etc.
How to: As you make the cookie dough, explain to the child the order in which the ingredients will go into the bowl. Ask the child to help. For example, first put in the flour before you put in the sugar or mix together the wet ingredients before you add the flour.
Categories
Target: Add items to categories
How to: Talk about the items that belong into a category Examples:
- Desserts
- Colors (while using sprinkles)
- Christmas decorations
- Things that are cold
- Different types of measurements (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc)
Compare/Contrast
Target:Talk about how things are alike and different
How to:Try and see if your child can help you name one thing that makes two items the same, and one thing that makes them different. If one is too easy, increase the complexity by having them name two things that make them the same/different. Items:
- Sugar/flour
- Spoon/fork
- Cookies/pie
- Measuring cup/ruler
- Oven/microwave
These are just a few ideas to get you started! Have fun with it, and enjoy a cookie together when you are done.
-Amanda Cox, M.S. CCC-SLP
**If you have any concerns with your child’s speech, language, and/or feeding development, please contact Sidekick Therapy Partners at (865) 693-5622. We have a team of experienced speech-language pathologists that would love to meet with you and discuss options for your child. **