How to Use Seasonal & Holiday Themes to Increase Vocabulary Knowledge

As an SLP, I don't have to tell you how important the number of exposures to a new vocabulary word is for the students on our caseload. Students with developmental language disorders need up to 3x the exposures than other children, as well as considerations of engagement and target selection of Tier 1 and Tier 2 words based on the student (McGregor, Van Horne, Curren, Wagner Cook, Cole, 2020).

When I was an SLP in the schools, I would sometimes struggle with activities that would give multiple exposures AND keep my students engaged with words that are meaningful. That's was exactly why I created this thematic vocabulary bundle!

Based on the work of Beck, McKeown, & Kucan (2013), words chosen to teach should be based on the child's ability to explain a target word with words they already know AND that that it's useful and interesting so that the child use it in their everyday life. We know that seasons and holidays are themes that are often utilized in the classroom for teaching, but for students with language disorders or delays, they might be missing important instruction due to a lack of understanding the vocabulary about the topic. These words may be basic Tier 1 words or more complex Tier 2 words, depending on the student's needs. So what better way to create meaningful vocabulary instruction than to use seasonal & thematic words that the child can be be exposed to in multiple ways.

When approaching a new season or holiday, I would often choose a book that would introduce some of the words that the student would be exposed to. This is a great way to collect baseline data and give you information about what words the student knows and what they don't know. Then I would use the vocabulary sets to teach some of those words that they weren't familiar with.

Each of the 8 sets included in this bundle have 4 different, hands-on activities for 3 sets of vocabulary. There is an interactive book, cut & paste mini book, craft, and sensory bin for 1 set of nouns, 1 set of verbs, and 1 set of adjectives related to the season or theme. Students get the repeated practice of the same words, with all of the different activities, creating those multiple exposures we need for learning.

I would often set up the sensory bin for exploration first, adding in trinkets or mini objects I can find related to the topic. Then we might spend the next session reading the interactive book(s) and looking back at the sensory bin. The next session we can complete the craft. You can also print two sets of the picture cards and play games like go fish or memory match. The cut and paste books are great to send home with the student or to do in the classroom.

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Summer is the perfect time to prep these activities so they are ready for you to use this coming year…and all the years after that! ​Grab them here!

A buyer already said: “Very through and comprehensive bundle. I love that I can use this in many different ways. It gives me lots of options and different ways to go about increasing vocabulary. Thank you. Another great resource from your store.” ​