Can your child say their speech sounds perfectly during a structured task in a therapy session or when you bring it to their attention at home? Do they still have a difficult time remembering to correct their speech sounds on their own or to use them in conversation? Here are some ideas of how you can incorporate home practice into your routines to help them make that leap!
- Play “I Spy…” in the car, especially if working on /s/ blends. If working on /th/, say, “I spy with my little eye…”
- Practice speech sounds while playing a board game (e.g., If your child’s target sound is /l/, they can focus on the /l/ in “yellow” and “blue” while playing Uno. Have them say the color + number each time they put a card down.)
- See if your child can identify their speech sounds in books. If they are a reader, have them practice their speech sounds while reading. If they are not a reader, they can imitate the word after you say it to them.
- Find objects in a room that contain their speech sound!
- See which family members, friends, and teachers have names that have your child’s speech sounds in them. Practice the names that they frequently say!
- Have them make silly stories using their target words.
- Watch Simon’s Cat Videos on YouTube, which are 2-3 minute wordless videos – have your child narrate or retell what happened and ask them comprehension questions about the video (great for language and articulation skills!).