A New Year: Looking Back, Looking Ahead, Activity for Speech Therapy At Home
Updated: Aug 25
In this article we will discuss:
For kids or adults, the start of a new year is a good time to practice "past, present, and future" concepts to improve speech, language and memory.
When you are practicing speech therapy at home for speech, language or memory development, the new year offers some easy activities to work into your routine. These also work anytime throughout the year, when you approach, pass, or remember specific events or milestones that you can share.
Photos or Facebook vocabulary activity using past and future concepts.
Past > Future, Back > Forward
This is a great time to open up your photo album (or your social media images) from the past year and share them. Look through them together and talk about what happened.
Here are some more question to practice these concepts:
What does eve mean?
Why do we create resolutions?
When does the new year begin?
Why do people like to stay awake until midnight on New Year’s Eve?
What is the opposite of new?
Learn how to use any occasion as a learning opportunity.
Target past tense regular verbs (walked, played, cooked) or irregular verbs (flew, swam, went).
"Remember when we walked down to the lake? We swam in the water and then went to the cabin and cooked dinner?"
Then, make plans for the future by targeting future tense verbs.
"Where will we go next summer? Will we swim again then, like we swam before?"
Highlight where will you go, what will you do next month, time or year. And talk about your plans for the future.
"What does future mean? When is next summer?"
Younger children may respond better to back and forth.
If you have younger kids, you can talk about back and forth by moving a car back and forth, or talk about what the doll did (earlier today or yesterday), which is also a great way to improve memory skills.
"Let's move the car back and forth." or "Let's move the car backwards and forwards. Which way are we going now, backwards or forwards?"
"What did Dolly do yesterday? When did you get Dolly?"
Social Skills Activity: Asking Questions or Making Plans
New Year's is a great time to talk about subjects we don't often get to cover. Depending on what you are working on in your speech, language or memory practicing, talking about goals, or New Year's Resolutions, is a great activity to help encourage conversations and social skills. Later, you can also practice memory.
Practicing asking other people what their New Year’s Resolutions are and then having a short conversation about it.
"Do you have New Year's Resolutions? Would you like to share?"
Next, especially with adults or older children, you can expand on this. Practice conversation techniques.
"Have you started working on that resolution? Have you made a plan to begin? What are the steps you are planning to take to get there?"
This way, you can help practice a conversation about how they will make a concrete plan to make that resolution happen. Help them break down the plan into simple, attainable steps.
After the conversation, you can practice memory skills by asking about those interactions.
"Did you meet John? Did you ask John about his resolution? What is his most important goal? What is his plan to accomplish that goal?"
These speech language and memory development activities are a great way to address social skills, ask questions and make plans for the new year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What memory-based activities work best for speech therapy at home around the New Year?
Looking back at favorite moments from the past year is a wonderful starting point. Try creating a simple photo timeline together, asking your child to describe each memory using full sentences or new vocabulary words. Recalling events in order also builds narrative skills, which are essential for communication development.
How can I turn a New Year reflection activity into a real speech therapy exercise?
Ask your child open-ended questions like 'What was your favorite day this year and why?' then gently model expanded sentences if they give short answers. Encourage them to use descriptive words, sequence words like 'first' and 'then,' and emotion vocabulary. These small conversational tweaks turn a fun tradition into meaningful language practice.
Is it okay to do speech therapy activities at home, or should I only rely on a professional?
Home practice is a powerful complement to professional therapy, not a replacement for it. A licensed speech-language pathologist sets the goals and strategies, while your daily practice reinforces those skills. Better Speech offers licensed, insurance-ready care with no waitlists, so you can start with a professional and build a strong home routine together.
What if my child struggles to remember past events during these activities?
That is completely normal and actually gives you useful information about where to focus. Use visual supports like photos, drawings, or a simple calendar to help anchor memories before asking questions. Prompting with 'Remember when we went to...' gives your child a scaffold to build their response without frustration.
Can these New Year memory activities help adults in speech therapy too?
Absolutely. For adults working on cognition, word retrieval, or aphasia recovery, reminiscing about the past year is a rich and motivating exercise. Reviewing meaningful personal events engages long-term memory and provides natural opportunities to practice forming complete thoughts and finding specific words in a low-pressure, personally relevant context.
About the Author
Aycen Zambuto
I’m a seasoned educator in speech therapy with over six years of experience helping people navigate challenges in communication. Throughout this time, I’ve found joy in guiding individuals through a variety of therapeutic journeys, from toddlers with apraxia to seniors with dysphonia.
I’m passionate about demystifying this complex world of speech therapy and helping readers around the globe achieve clear and effective communication. When I’m not writing about speech, you’ll often find me reading, traveling or spending time with friends and family.
