Making Winter and the Holidays Communicative

The holidays are an exciting and busy time of year, and they are also a wonderful opportunity for communication and social connection. Communication happens everywhere: during everyday routines and during special events that may only happen once a year. That’s why it’s so important for AAC users to be included in the fun, traditions, and memory-making that come with the season.

Below are common winter activities and ideas for what to model on an AAC device. No extra prep required—just talk, model, and enjoy the moment together.

Prepping for the Season🔗

  • Ensure the AAC device is charged, updated, and ready to go for holiday fun
  • Review available vocabulary and consider adding holiday-specific words
    • If you celebrate Kwanzaa, consider adding the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba)
    • If you celebrate Hanukkah, add traditional foods and activities
    • If you celebrate Christmas, add words such as Santa/St. Nick, Christmas tree, reindeer, and presents.
  • Remember: special activities are powerful communication opportunities
    • Talk about them before, during, and after they happen

The Empowerment Team is happy to help with any programming questions🔗

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Schedule a meeting🔗

Winter & Holiday Activities: Vocabulary to Model🔗

Need more info on how to model? Check out this link!

Visiting a Winter Character (e.g., Santa, Grinch, reindeer)🔗

hello/hi, I, want, go, up, down, stop, like, not, you, on, off, good, feel, funny, big, scary

Making a Gingerbread House🔗

put, on, take off, more, yummy, colors, candy, cookie, smell, eat, don’t eat, sticky, help

Seeing a Light Show🔗

look, see, wow, like, love it, too loud, more, again, that, watch, fast, slow, good, amazing

in, out, on, off, put, more, stop, all done/finished, yummy, silly/funny, help, eat, my turn, your turn, good, not, later, again

Sleigh Ride🔗

go, stop, look, up, down, more, like, not, want, fast, slow, cold, fun

Lighting the Menorah🔗

look, light, go, more, stop, all done, beautiful, numbers, see, colors, on

Playing Dreidel🔗

put in, spin, go, stop, all, none, you, your, my, turn, again

Giving Gelt🔗

give, get, more, all done, happy, thank you, money, share

Lighting the Kinara🔗

look, light, colors, more, stop, all done, beautiful, numbers, on

Communal Feast (Karamu)🔗

eat, drink, food, together, family, more, yummy, all done, thank you, happy

Holiday & Winter Books🔗

Reading together is another great way to model language and incorporate your AAC device!

Christmas
  • Pete the Cat Saves Christmas
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • All Aboard the Christmas Train
  • The Polar Express
  • If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
  • Pete the Cat’s Twelve Groovy Days of Christmas
Hanukkah
  • The Night Before Hanukkah
  • Biscuit’s Hanukkah
  • Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah
  • Hanukkah Pajamakkahs
Kwanzaa
  • Kevin’s Kwanzaa
  • The Night Before Kwanzaa
  • My Family Celebrates Kwanzaa
  • Celebrate the World: Kwanzaa
  • Soulful Holidays
Winter (Non-Holiday Specific)
  • Sneezy the Snowman
  • Pete the Cat: Snow Daze
  • The Snow Thief
  • Why I Love Winter
  • The Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow
  • The Mitten

Tips for Modeling During a Busy Season🔗

  • When in doubt, model universal core words (frequently used words that can be used in multiple situations):
    • help, go, stop, more, want, again, open, good, like, not
  • Model language without expecting a response (users need lot of input before we can expect consistent output with the device)!
  • Keep the AAC device visible and accessible
  • Encourage family and friends to model language (as appropriate and welcomed by the AAC user)
  • Make gatherings more accessible with:
    • Core vocabulary boards
    • Visual supports
    • Sensory accommodations (e.g., quiet spaces or breaks)

Even small moments of modeling can make the season more meaningful and inclusive. We hope these ideas help create joyful, communicative experiences that make winter and the holidays brighter for everyone.

Check out these additional seasonal resources!🔗

Click Here to Download: Holiday AAC Resources
Click Here to Download: Holiday AAC Resources (Spanish)
Click Here to Download: Winter Break AAC Guide for Families

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