Season’s Greetings!
Language Activities to Target:
Inference, Describing, & Categories
By Karen Heim-Reiger
What am I?
Cards
Target skill: Inference
Students must use the clues to guess the target word.
Easier: Give students the list of vocabulary words
so they have a closed set for guessing.
Harder: Challenge students to make a guess using
the fewest number of clues possible
(cards have 3+ clues).
What am I?
Vocabulary
List
o Snowflake o Hat
o Ice skate o Cookie
o Mittens o Scarf
o Reindeer o Snowman
o Hot Chocolate o Tree
o Present o Bell
o Ornament o Stocking
o Santa Claus o Candy cane
o Elf o Gingerbread
o Icicle o Wreath
What am I?
o I come from above o I have a blade
o I am tiny o I have laces
o I am cold o I glide on ice
o I am white o People wear me
I am a snowflake! I am an ice skate!
o I am a piece of clothing o I work hard on Christmas
o I work best in a pair o I wear bells
o I have a thumb but no o I have antlers
fingers o I pull a sleigh
o I keep hands warm
I am a reindeer!
I am mittens!
What am I?
o I am warm o I can be purchased
o I am liquid or handmade
o I am sweet o I am wrapped
o I am brown o You can give or receive me
I am hot chocolate! I am a present!
o I have a string or hook o I am a person
o I am often shiny or colorful o I am jolly
o I am decorative o I have helpers
o I hang on a tree o I wear a suit
I am an ornament! I am Santa Claus!
What am I?
o I live at the North Pole o I am a piece of clothing
o I usually wear green o I am often made of yarn
or red o I cover hair
o I have pointy ears o I keep people warm
I am an elf! I am a hat!
o I am a food
o I am cooked in the oven o I am a piece of clothing
o I am a sweet treat o I am long and thin
o I taste good with milk o I keeps necks toasty
I am a cookie!
I am a scarf!
What am I?
o I have a body o I come from outside
o I am not alive o I am green
o I am found outside o People cut me down
o I disappear when the snow o I have branches
melts
I am a snowman! I am a tree!
o I am shiny o I hang by the fire
o I am silver or gold o I am stuffed with presents
o I am on Santa’s sleigh o I am opened Christmas
o I jingle and ring morning
o I look like a sock
I am a bell!
I am a stocking!
What am I?
o I have stripes o I am a food
o I am edible o I am baked
o I am sweet and minty o I am sweet and a little spicy
o I am usually red o I can be a person, but I am
and white not alive
I am a candy cane! I am gingerbread!
o I hang on a door o I am frozen
o I am circular o I hang from the roof or
o I am often green and red gutter
o I am a decoration o I am pointy and sharp
o I am made of ice
I am a wreath! I am an icicle!
I am ….
Cards
Target skill: Describing
Put all the cards in one stack. Have the kids take turns
describing the item on the card, giving the other kids
clues so they can guess what the item is. Possible
questions for students to answer to help describe the
items are included on the following page.
*Extra activity: If you have the game Headbanz, you can
use these cards to practice asking and answering yes/no
questions.
Describing
Prompts
1. What category does it belong to?
2. What does it look like?
- How big is it?
- What color/shape is it?
3. What does it feel/smell/taste like?
4. Where would you see it?
5. What is it used for?
I am …
I am a snowflake! I am an ice skate!
I am mittens! I am a reindeer!
I am …
I am hot chocolate! I am a present!
I am an ornament! I am Santa Claus!
I am …
I am an elf! I am a hat!
I am a cookie! I am a scarf!
I am…
I am a snowman! I am a tree!
I am a bell! I am a stocking!
I am a…
I am a candy cane! I am gingerbread!
I am a wreath! I am an icicle!
Category Cards
Target skill: Categories and
Associations
Each card has 3-5 things listed that are associated
in some way, or are in the same category.
An answer key is also included.
Read the items to your kids and have them guess
a category or group that would fit all the items.
Remind them that all the categories relate to
winter in some way.
After reading the list, you can use the phrase
“They are all….” as a prompt.
What category?
Christmas Nutcracker
New Year’s Eve Ornament
Kwanzaa Wreath
Hanukkah Lights
1 2
Snowboarding Dancer
Skiing Dasher
Ice skating Donner
Rudolph
3 4
What category?
Hot chocolate Paper
Apple cider Gift tag
Tea Tape
Coffee Scissors
5 6
December Doll
January Stuffed animal
February Action figure
Blocks
7 8
What category?
Scarf Fir
Hat Pine
Gloves Spruce
Coat
9 10
Chocolate chip Deck the Halls
Gingerbread Jingle Bells
Oatmeal raisin Silent Night
Snickerdoodle Joy to the World
11 12
Categories Answer Key
1. Winter holidays
2. Christmas decorations
3. Winter sports
4. Santa’s reindeer
5. Hot drinks
6. Present wrapping supplies
7. Winter months
8. Toys
9. Winter clothing
10. Types of trees
11.Cookies
12.Christmas carols
Name 3
Target skill: Categories
The “Name 3” activity can be used to help kids practice naming
items within a category.
Have students draw a card and prompt them to name 3 items
within the stated category.
The categories match those on the category cards from the
previous activity. If you want to make this task less
challenging you can start with the category cards, then use the
“Name 3” cards on the same day, so that they have heard recent
examples of items within the category.
To make it more challenging, do not do the activities on the
same day. You can also have the kids generate more than three
items within the category.
Name 3 Cards
Name 3 Name 3
winter holidays Christmas decorations
Name 3 Name 3 of
winter sports Santa’s reindeer
Name 3 Cards
Name 3 Name 3 present
hot drinks wrapping supplies
Name 3 Name 3
winter months toys
Name 3 Cards
Name 3 articles of Name 3
winter clothing types of trees
Name 3 Name 3
types of cookies Christmas carols
The Credits
Thank you for purchasing my product!
Activities by: Karen Heim-Reiger
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