Winter Olympics and Listening and Language Fun

Listening and learning about the Winter Olympics is one of my favorite themes to share in LSL therapy with preschoolers and on up. Whole families get involved. Kids become "experts" while learning about sports, athletes, equipment, and current events in the world.

I buy the winter Olympics issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids for each listener to take home. Families find the magazines educational, inspirational, and fun. Kids become engaged in the sports news and want to follow and listen and read all about the event and Olympians.

We sing along with Jack Hartman's Move Like the Winter Olympians Do. This video is on YouTube and showcases the winter Olympic sports and how the Olympic athletes move in their sport. It’s great to listen, move to the music while learning facts and new vocabulary.

I love the Winter Games: Literacy, Language & Listening Game by K.Ratliff, Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (AVEd.) on TpT. As your students move around the board, they are challenged with answering questions/engaging in the tasks practicing the following skills:

1. Curling Comprehension- Short reading or listening comprehension passages containing information about the Winter Olympics with a WH- question to answer.

2. Figure Skating Functions- Given an item associated with the Olympics, name its function.

3. Snowboarding Synonyms and Antonyms- Given a sentence with an underlined word, change the underlined word to a synonym or antonym, as directed by the card.

4. Guessing Goalie- Describe the item on the card using attributes and other players guess the item.

5. Alpine Analogies- Solve the analogies containing a combination of pictures and words.

6. Bobsled Run Rhyming- Roll the die and name that number of words rhyming with the item pictured on your card.

We target so many goals! Kids are excited and come back to therapy to share the events they watched, their favorite athletes, and information about countries worldwide.

Creativity and Crafts Can Foster Listening and Language Opportunities For Kids With Hearing Loss

I foster children's creativity so typically don't love staged crafts. HOWEVER, kids find them irresistibly fun especially if they involve hot chocolate!

I've learned that crafts when well-planned can create countless listening and spoken language opportunities in both virtual sessions and face-to-face sessions. The purpose of the craft and the target areas need to be clear especially when guiding families.

➼ What strategies will be modeled? - Sabotage?
Too bad. The lid is stuck on the glue, or the scissors are out of reach.

➼. What are the listening and language goals? - Following directions? Sequencing? Critical elements? Turn-taking and conversational skills.

❤ Is there a simple craft you recommend for expanding listening and spoken language learning?

Hot Chocolate Day - No Prep Listening and Language Activities

Celebrating HOT CHOCOLATE DAY is always a hit with kids and families of all ages. Hot chocolate is like a hug from the inside. 💙

Do you make hot chocolate with your Little Listeners? Here is a song we sing in LSL auditory verbal therapy.

HOT CHOCOLATE

(To the Tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Pour some milk into a pot.

Stir it 'till it's nice and hot.

Take the chocolate - give a squeeze!

Add marshmallows if you please.

Wrap yourself up nice and snug.

Drink hot chocolate in a mug.

The HOT CHOCOLATE Listening Walk activity is no-prep and ready to use today with school-aged listeners. If you have kids that need help with auditory working memory, executive functioning, and following directions, the Winter Listening Finger Walks are a must-have!

A Melting Snowman Can Boost Listening and Language Learning

The melting snowman is one of my favorite therapy winter activities. Building a snowman is a rich listening and language learning experience and can target many kiddos' goals. It is easy to level up and down for most kids on my caseload.
I never let on that the snowman is made of reusable melting putty.  

Once built, I hide it out of sight then near the end of the session, I pull out the snowman who is melting into a puddle! 

Talk about a fun language booster and conversation starter. Parents are usually as surprised as their kids.

There are many companies that make the product and here is an Amazon link!

Can You Hear Snow? Winter Picture Read-Aloud Story For Kids With Hearing Loss

Ten Ways To Hear Snow By Cathy Camper (Author), Kenard Pak (Illustrator) is a stunning picture book for reading, sharing, and talking about sounds on a cozy winter day.

One winter morning, Lina wakes up to silence. It's the sound of snow. As she walks to her grandmother's house, she listens. She discovers many ways to hear snow from the scrape of a shovel on a sidewalk to the quiet pats of snowman-building. Lina discovers ten ways to pay attention to what might have otherwise gone unnoticed.

It is a must-have for parents and professionals teaching listening and spoken language to children who are deaf and hard of hearing.