And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Let's talk about stockings! It seems like in the past, I have loaded up on random junk that got tossed aside and never used. Things I really liked for myself, like putty, small gears for building and Squigz. This year I focused on what my kiddos need and what would benefit them without going overboard. So yes, underwear and socks are in the stocking, BUT I also included their favorite treats. I think I did pretty good. 5 Below had some great options!

These are some of my recommendations for the birth to 3 age group. My 18 month old son got playdoh (a different set because we have this one), an EZPZ tiny cup to work on open cup drinking and a sensory ball. We loaded up on books as part of the "Want~Need~Wear~Read" that we try to follow for gifts, so no books for the stocking! But these are some of the favorites of the kiddos I work with.

1. Bubbles and cups~ First, need I say anything else about bubbles? Refer to my post "Why do speech therapists love bubbles?" Besides the language opportunities that go along with bubbles, it's also a great oral motor activity. While we are talking about oral motor, get your kiddo a new cup to be excited about! Many of my EI kiddos are still on bottles and that's OK, but it doesn't hurt to start practicing with new cups as well! I could go on about cups for awhile so I'll leave it at that.

2. Playdoh Fun Factory~My son got this as a gift from his physical therapist and I realized what an awesome and CHEAP toy it is! They have a $5 version and then also a more expensive one but the cheaper one works great! I love the language opportunities that go along with this. Some of the words I target: playdoh, open, help, colors of the playdoh, push, pull, squeeze, uh oh, wow, mine. This is an activity that a young child would have trouble doing on their own so lots of chances to practice asking for help!

3. Water Wow~If you haven't seen this yet, it's really neat! It comes with a pen that you fill with water. As you paint the pages with water, colors appear on the page. The best part, it dries and then you resuse it! To be honest, I do not get a lot of language out of this activity but it keeps the kids busy and they really seem to love it! The bonus for parents, is it's just water!

4. Flashlight~I love using a flashlight for lots of different things. It's a great way to engage children in books. They can use the flashlight to find items on the page or even play with it as you read. Playing with it is also so much fun! The child can work on identifying and labeling and they don't even know they're doing "speech work." Have the child find items with the flashlight or point to items and name them. I've also used flashlights to engage kiddos in games. One of my favorites to use it with is Seek-a-boo. A simple flashlight keeps them interested! And I can't forget the most obvious, making fun hand signals on the ceiling!

5. Books~that speaks for itself. There is no specific book, although this one is fun and the perfect size for a stocking! But any book will do!

6. Sensory Ball~Many of the children I work with also struggle with sensory needs so having items they can hold, squeeze and throw are great for mini breaks during the therapy session. Rolling a ball back and forth is also great for learning early turn taking and reciprocal play!