Winter-Themed Language Targets for Speech Therapy in January

Hey, speech friend! 👋🏼

January can be a tough month in speech therapy. The holiday excitement has faded, winter weather keeps everyone indoors, and students are still settling back into routines after a long break. If your sessions are starting to feel a little sluggish, you’re not alone.

One of my favorite ways to bring fresh energy into January therapy sessions, without adding extra prep, is by leaning into winter-themed language targets. Winter themes are familiar, flexible, and easy to adapt across ages and goals, making them perfect for elementary and younger students.

Let’s break down some of the most effective language targets you can naturally work on using winter-based activities that actually feel fun 👇🏼

❄️ Vocabulary & Word Associations

Winter themes are packed with meaningful, functional vocabulary—snow, ice, mittens, boots, hot cocoa, sleds, scarves. These words are concrete, visual, and easy for students to connect to real-life experiences.

Try this in therapy:

• Create a winter word sort (clothing vs. weather vs. activities).

• Practice categories and associations: What goes with snow? What do you wear when it’s cold?

• Build simple sentences using winter vocabulary to support expressive language.

For younger students, visuals and play-based activities work beautifully here. For older elementary students, you can expand into synonyms, describing words, or multiple-meaning words like cold or freeze.

Want the perfect winter vocabulary practice support?

Check out my Winter Drill Cards! ❄️ 

☃️ Describing & Expanding Sentences

Winter objects are perfect for targeting descriptive language. There’s plenty to talk about—textures, temperatures, sizes, and functions.

Easy winter describing ideas:

• Describe a snowman using attributes (color, shape, parts, size).

• Compare winter items (mittens vs. gloves, snow vs. ice).

• Use sentence expansion visuals to turn short responses into full thoughts.

You can easily scale this up or down depending on student needs, making it ideal for mixed groups.

🧣 Spatial Concepts & Basic Directions

Winter play naturally lends itself to prepositions and spatial language.

Ideas to try:

• Put winter objects on, under, next to, or between items.

• Give directions like: “Put the hat on the snowman, then place the scarf around his neck.”

• Use multi-step directions for students working on auditory memory and comprehension.

This works especially well with pretend play, crafts, or interactive visuals.

⛄ Sequencing & Story Structure

January is a great time to revisit sequencing—especially after time away from structured routines.

Winter sequencing ideas:

• How to build a snowman

• Getting ready to go outside in winter

• Making hot cocoa

Have students retell steps using first/next/then/last, visuals, or sentence starters. This naturally supports narrative development and story grammar skills without needing a full book every session.

📖 Listening Comprehension & WH-Questions

Winter-themed books, pictures, and short passages are perfect for targeting comprehension.

Focus on:

• WH-questions (who, what, where, why)

• Main idea and details

• Predicting what might happen next

You don’t need anything fancy—one winter picture can spark a full session of language goals when you guide the conversation intentionally.

🧠 Inferencing & Social Language

Winter scenarios provide built-in opportunities for inferencing and social reasoning.

Try prompts like:

• “Why is the child wearing boots?”

• “How do you think the character feels when they fall in the snow?”

• “What would you do if you were cold outside?”

These discussions help students connect language to real-life problem-solving and emotional awareness—especially helpful for upper elementary students.

Winter-themed language targets are a simple way to bring structure, familiarity, and engagement into January speech sessions. By using themes students already understand, you can spend less time explaining and more time targeting meaningful communication skills.

If January feels long, let your themes do the heavy lifting. A few winter visuals, simple play ideas, or themed activities can completely transform your sessions—without adding to your workload.

Warm, engaging therapy doesn’t require extra prep… just a little seasonal intention. ❄️💙