Letter of the Week: H

October 28 – November 1
Letter of the Week: H
Theme: Halloween

Hhhhhhhhhhalloween is coming!  I’m not sure if you can tell, but I LOVE this time of year.  Cooler air, warmer layers of clothes, hot drinks and beautiful color changes outside = happy, happy, joy, joy.  Mother Nature is even helping to create a Halloween-mood with all the fog.  For H / Halloween week, practice saying “Happy Halloween!”  If your child cannot say it verbally, learn to sign it or say it via an AAC system.  Oh, and Halloween costumes are definitely welcome in therapy for the week of Halloween! 

‘H’ is a consonant.  Image from the LiPS Program by Lindamood-BellFrom a speech perspective, ‘h’ is a wind sound.  The mouth is opened, tongue lowered, and vocal cords held open.  Air is released forcefully from the lungs and allowed to exit through the mouth unimpeded.  ‘H’ is a quiet sound (no voice).  Hold your hand to your throat as you say “hhhhhhh”; no vibration from the vocal cords.    

In therapy:  We will be reading 'h'/Halloween themed books, doing ‘h’/Halloween themed activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'h'.

Suggestions for home:  Sprinkle ‘h’ (and Halloween!) throughout the week.  Pick out a variety of activities that appeal to your child.  Kids learn best through active experiences.  Multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• My “h” Book (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure
• Hilda Hen’s Scary Night by Mary Wormell
• In The Haunted House by Eve Bunting
• Inside a House That is Haunted by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
• Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler
• Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara
• AlphaOops: H is for Halloween by Althea Kontis
• Mouse’s Halloween Party by Jeanne Modesitt
• The Perfectly Horrible Halloween by Nancy Poydar
• Halloween Day by Anne Rockwell
• Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson
• It’s Halloween Night! By Jennifer O’Connell

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - H:  Consider adding some “h” foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
     ham     hamburger     hash browns     hazelnut     honey     hoagie     
     honeydew     hot dog     hummus     hot cocoa     halibut     

Feeling adventurous?  Make Halloween cookies with your child.

ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt:  how many ‘h’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?

Field Trip:  

• Zoo/Aquarium:  can you find any animals with ‘h’ in their name?
• Catch Disney’s animated Hotel Transylvania at EMP’s Kids Halloween Extravaganza 
• Take in an Un-Haunted House 

Be a letter detective:  hunt for the letter ‘h’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates)

Sensory Play:

• Use happy face or heart stickers to make a letter H (you might need to print out a large H for your child to follow the lines)
• Check out this Haunted House craftivity from No Time for Flashcards  
• Make a Halloween Sensory bin  
• Make sensory bags (like these).  Put a letter underneath the bag and have your child trace the letter through the bag. 
• Check out this 13 Days of Halloween activity calendar 
• Make Halloween cards and give/send them to special people of your child’s choosing

APPS
There are many apps with a Halloween theme.  Here are a few to check out:

• Treat Street HiDef
• Halloween Party App
• Hiding Monsters
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
• First Words Halloween
• The Witch with No Name
• The Little Witch at School
• Mystery Machine
• Mickey’s Spooky Night Puzzle Book
• Spooky Playtime
• Room on the Broom Games
• Trick or Treat – Little Critter
• Halloween Fun for Kids
• KidsMag Halloween Special Edition
• The Scariest Halloween Story Ever
• The Haunted Halloween: A Scooby Doo You Play Too Book

Do you have any Halloween traditions?  Do you go all-out for Halloween, or stay low key?  I’d love to hear!

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