I love Halloween and no, it’s not the candy.  I love the fun.  Costumes and decorations and pumpkins to carve.  I also think it is a great vehicle for early intervention targets.  Watching mom carving the pumpkin is fun and scooping the seeds out is a wonderful sensory activity and takes strength and coordination if using a spoon.  Of course, using the hands is best.  Younger children can talk about body parts and older children can help draw the face or decide if the jack-o-lantern will be ‘happy’, ‘sad’, or ‘mad.’  Sing this song when carving the pumpkin:

 I’m a Little Pumpkin             (sung to ‘I’m a Little Teapot’)
 I’m an orange pumpkin
 Big and round                        (hold arms out as if holding a big ball)
 Cut me a hat                          (pat your head)
 And scoop the seeds out     (make a scooping motion)
 Carve a little nose,                (point to your nose)
 Eyes and mouth                    (point to eyes and mouth)
 Put a candle in
and blow me out!                 (take a big puff and blow!)

Infants and toddlers will enjoy floating ghosts above the changing mat and don’t forget to make the “ooooooooo” sound playfully.  This sound takes a lot of muscle strength in the lips but it’s worth it even if you only get a quick motor imitation.  Witches can be used as well (not scary ones) and I make a “eee, eeee, eeee” sound like a witch’s cackle.  Here’s another song for eliciting speech sound production:

HOO!         (sung to ‘Farmer in the Dell’)
The owl goes hoo, (cup hands to mouth)
The owl goes hoo,
Hi ho on Halloween, the owl goes hoo.

Other verses:

The ghost goes boo (wave hands out in front)
The bats go eek (flap arms)

Have fun!

© Ann Haig Wheeler, DSC 2009

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