The holiday season is a great time to take advantage of all that New York City has to offer. There are tons of activities for families with children that promote speech/language, cognition, motor planning/movement and social development. This blog post will discuss five free activities that are sure to be fun for the whole family while helping your child develop important skills and build memories that will last a lifetime.
Create Holiday Cards
Making handmade holiday cards together is a great way to support speech/language development while improving fine motor skills (drawing lines and circles) and creativity. Ask your children what they would like to draw on each card or tell them stories about why we send cards during the holiday season so they can make connections between their artwork and its meaning. Build holiday and winter vocabulary by incorporating messages in the cards. Thinking about who may receive the card, their perspective, and what they may want to read will help your child’s social development. But don’t stop there! Writing addresses on envelopes (or tracing over pre-written ones) helps with letter recognition, honing handwriting skills, and supports the development of a critical life skill!
Seeing Lights & Decorations at Dyker Heights
If your family is looking for something fun and festive during this time of year then take some time out of your day or night together to walk around Dyker heights admiring all the lights & decorations together! Doing this promotes language development by encouraging kids to use a variety of adjectives & verbs when talking about what they see. Play games such as I-spy or a winter scavenger hunt to work on theme based vocabulary and descriptive language. Focus on basic concepts by comparing sizes and shapes. Further, having your child work on expressing their thoughts and feelings about various designs promotes their social development . There are many opportunities to grow their language skills and capture a few fun family photos.
Make Gingerbread Houses
Making gingerbread houses is a classic winter activity that promotes problem solving strategies as kids figure out how best to piece together their creations from scratch! Building gingerbread houses involves using fine motor muscles for precision work (cutting shapes out of dough) which strengthens hand strength over time too! Further baking these sweet treats provides tactile sensory input for kids who need it most – it’s like getting two activities in one shot here!
Traversing the High Line
This elevated park on the west side of Manhattan offers a unique experience in the heart of one of the busiest cities on earth. It’s perfect for exploring how language can be used to describe surroundings as well as developing cognitive skills as children recognize patterns and compare them to other familiar spaces. Plus, it’s an excellent way to work on gross motor planning skills like balancing and walking through tight spaces.
Visit the Holiday Window Displays
Taking an outdoor stroll around the city and admiring the festive window displays is a great way to engage in language-building conversations with your children. Point out different decorations, talk about what they see and ask open-ended questions like “What do you think this window is trying to tell us?” or “Which one do you like best?” Encourage them to use descriptive words when talking about their observations or favorite pieces in each display. This activity also promotes visual perceptual skills as the kids get more familiar with their surroundings and learn how to recognize details.
With so many exciting activities available this holiday season in New York City there is no shortage of options when it comes to finding ways to promote speech/language, cognition, motor planning/movement, and social development simultaneously – you get the added bonus of helping your children hone multiple skills at once without losing sight of what matters most during this time – spending quality time together as a family unit!
Happy Holidays everyone!
