🎧 Top 10 Holiday Gifts That Boost Speech & Language Skills — Teen Edition

(Because Yes… Teens Still Need Language Support, Even If They Only Speak in Shrugs.)

Teenagers: masters of sarcasm, professional eye-rollers, part-time philosophers, full-time snack enthusiasts. They may sound like adults sometimes (“That’s actually a logical fallacy, Mom”), but their brains are still rapidly developing higher-level language, reasoning, social communication, and executive functioning skills.

Luckily, the right holiday gifts can support all of that — quietly, sneakily, and without your teen realizing that you’re absolutely using their presents as language therapy in disguise. Shhh… they never have to know.

Here are 10 SLP-approved, teen-approved holiday gifts that strengthen speech, language, literacy, and communication skills — and won’t get you the dreaded “ugh, that’s so babyish.”

1️⃣ Catan (or similar strategy games)

Skills: negotiation, problem solving, inferencing, flexible thinking
The perfect game for teens who love strategy… or love winning.
Amazon Link

2️⃣ Conversation Cards for Teens

Skills: pragmatic language, emotional vocabulary, deeper communication
Shockingly: teens do enjoy talking — when the prompts are actually interesting.
Amazon Link

3️⃣ Creative Writing Prompt Journal

Skills: expressive language, narrative structure, descriptive writing
Perfect for the dramatic teen who “just has a LOT of feelings.”
Amazon Link

4️⃣ Podcast Starter Microphone

Skills: planning, clarity, sequencing, summarizing
Let your teen host a podcast about literally anything — gaming, cooking, conspiracy theories. It all builds language.
Amazon Link

5️⃣ Drawing Tablet (Wacom/Huion)

Skills: descriptive language, storytelling, sequencing
They’ll spend hours creating digital masterpieces — and explaining them (hello, expressive language!).
Amazon Link

6️⃣ Escape Room Game — Teen Level

Skills: team communication, inferencing, complex problem solving
Great for teens who love mysteries, puzzles, or shouting “IT’S A CLUE!”
Amazon Link

7️⃣ LEGO Architecture or Botanical Collection

Skills: following multi-step directions, vocabulary, sequencing
Teens call them “collectibles,” not toys. This is important.
Amazon Link

8️⃣ Anomia or Just One (Teen Word Games)

Skills: rapid word retrieval, semantics, category knowledge
Fast, funny, and language-heavy — teens love these.
Amazon Link

9️⃣ Graphic Novel Series (Heartstopper, Lore Olympus, Spy x Family)

Skills: inferencing, comprehension, visual literacy
Graphic novels are REAL reading. (We whisper this to parents often.)
Amazon Link

🔟 DIY Kits (Candle, Crafting, Electronics, Fashion)

Skills: reading directions, sequencing, problem solving
Teens love making something themselves — plus these kits require serious language processing.
Amazon Link

🎄 Final Thoughts

Teens may appear aloof and independent, but their communication systems are still blossoming: deeper vocabulary, richer reasoning, clearer self-expression, academic reading, perspective-taking… it’s all happening right now.

These gifts support that growth while still feeling cool, age-appropriate, and worthy of their highly curated vibe.

-Amy :)