Dear Parents,

This month we are enjoying lots of language and articulation Christmas activities. Our book that we are reading is Clifford’s First Christmas by Norman Bridwell. Here are some language activities that you can do at home.

1. Talk with your child about your plans for Christmas.
2. Ask: Who will we buy presents for?  Where will we buy them? 
3. Sequence decorating the tree. What do we do first? Next? Last?
4. Get your child to tell you how to wrap a present. What do I need? What do I do first? Next? Last?

Ask:

1.  Who comes to see you at Christmas?
2. When is Christmas?
3. Where does Santa live?
4. What do you get at Christmas?
5. What do you give at Christmas?
6. How does Santa get to your house?
7. What do you need to decorate a tree?
8. What do you hang on the door?
9. What do you need to bake cookies?
10. What do you need to wrap presents?

Ask your child questions about his/her Clifford Story:

1. Who was the book about?
2. What was the little girls’ name?
3. When did the story take place?
4. What did the family decorate first?
5. What happened to Clifford when he hung the candy cane on the tree?
6. What happened to Clifford when he swung the ornament back?
7. What did Emily Elizabeth wrap?
8. What happened to Clifford when he helped?
9. Who came down the chimney?
10. What did he find in Emily Elizabeth’s stocking?
11. What did Santa leave for Clifford?
12. What did Emily Elizabeth do with her doll’s clothes?
13. Where did Emily Elizabeth put Clifford next?
14. What did he pretend to be in the dollhouse?
15. What did he pretend to be for the train?
16. Did Clifford stay little?
17. What do you call a small young dog?
18. What do we give our friends and family for Christmas?
19. Who comes from the North Pole on Christmas Eve?
20. Name three things that remind you of Christmas.

Here are some of your articulation words from the story. Practice them all month. Tell Mom or Dad the story and use your sound.

/k, g/                            /r/                                 /s, z/                             /sh, ch, j/                                                          wrapped                       first                               branch

Clifford                         turned                          Christmas                     giant

Christmas                     dropped                       spent

Decorations                  surprise                        us                                 /th/

candy                           deliver                          seen                              the       

Could                           our                               decorations                   Elizabeth

Like                             presents                        slipped                         with

Rescue                         rest                               rescue                          then

Swung                          right                              swung                           that

Gifts                             electric                         gifts                              there

Tucked                         car                               last                               other

Good-night                   driver                           was                              Thumbelina

Investigate                    very                              lights                             thought

Stocking                       better                           said                              though

Got                              pretended                     sleep

Cute                             miniature                       investigate                     /f, v/

Clothes                         train                              somebody                    Clifford

Electric                         horse                            Santa                            love

Car                              ride                              stocking                        very

Good                                                               surprise                        first      

Dog                                                                  presents                       before

Big                                                                   lots                               eve

                                                                        Rest                             beautiful

/r/                                 /l/                                 toys                              found                           

first                               Clifford                        size                               fill

Clifford                         Emily                            clothes                         deliver

Remember                    Elizabeth                       switch                          off

Really                           love                                                                  driver

Never                           really                                                                for

Tree                             slipped

Before                          like

Decorations                  looked

Branch                         ball

Rescue                         little

Ornament                     lights

Right                            told

Poor                             deliver

tree                              lots

Have a wonderful holiday season. It is a language rich time of year. Give your child the best gift ever…yourself and your time.

Happy Holidays!!

Judy Lowry, Speech Therapist