It’s no secret that we love using crafts in speech therapy! Crafts are motivating and engaging for children of all ages.
With Memorial Day and Fourth of July just around the corner, we are making Patriotic cookies to honor the holidays. Baking and crafting with your child is a fantastic way to foster learning and encourage speech and language skills. Not only are these cookies festive, they’re easy to make, too! These treats can create lasting memories and traditions for years to come. Keep reading to see how we made them!
Ingredients:
The following includes OWLS Therapy Amazon Affiliate links.
Blue m&m’s- https://amzn.to/3U3PYig
Peel licorice- https://amzn.to/3xMxgUZ
Graham crackers https://amzn.to/3Jwmm8E
White icing- https://amzn.to/3xQWodq
Steps
For larger flag cookies, leave the graham crackers in its original rectangle shape. If you prefer a smaller treat, break the graham crackers in half to create a square shape.
Ice the graham crackers with the white icing. Be sure to cover them completely!
Decorate the top left with blue M&M’s. We recommend 4-6 blue M&M’s per treat.
Peel the licorice and place it on the iced graham cracker. If you are creating a smaller treat with a square graham cracker, cut the licorice to the desired size to fit on the “flag”.
That’s it! Super quick, simple, and FUN!
See below for ways we encourage speech and language skills during this craft.
Work on expanding language:
Model, model, model! Use the strategy of descriptive talk as you make this craft with your child. Descriptive talk models expressive language skills to children. This means, as you participate in tasks (everyday activities, crafts, meals, you name it), talk about it! While making this craft, describe what you feel, hear, see, or even taste! For example, you can model “the icing is sticky!” or “the cookie is crunchy!”.
Work on speech sounds:
Is your child working on using their speech sound during conversation? Create a cooking show! First, follow the directions and complete the craft with your child. While doing this, practice words that have their sound in it. For example, if they’re working on the “r” sound, you may need to work on “graham cracker”, “licorice”, or “rectangle”. Then, create a cooking show! Record your child making another cookie and describing what they’re doing. Since they have already practiced their “r” words with you, remembering them should be easier. For more speech fun, have them watch the “cooking show” back, listen to their speech sounds, and rate how they did!
Work on describing:
Get friends or family members involved! Everyone gets to make a cookie. Once all the cookies are created, have your child describe the differences. Do some cookies have more M&M’s? Are some cookies big and some are small? Think of all the adjectives they can use to describe what they see!
Work on answering questions:
Ask your child a variety of wh-questions about the craft. If answering questions or recall is difficult for your child, start simple. For example, tell them a 1-step direction from the craft, such as: “Ice the graham crackers with the white icing.”. Then, immediately ask your child a question. Some questions could include “Where did we put the icing?” or “What do we put on the graham crackers?”. To increase the level of difficulty, ask your child questions once the craft is completed (or even several hours after!). You can ask them questions such as: “What was the first step of the craft?”, “Who put on the licorice?”, or “When did we add the M&M’s?”.
Have fun creating this patriotic treat and be sure to follow us on Instagram at @owlstherapy for more kid-friendly and free content!
We hope you have a safe Memorial Day spent with loved ones.
-The OWLS Therapy team