{"id":1149,"date":"2012-08-03T17:43:53","date_gmt":"2012-08-04T00:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=1149"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:19:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:19:33","slug":"how-to-improve-articulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/how-to-improve-articulation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve Articulation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Child<\/a>

Image source: Parents.org.uk<\/p><\/div>\n

You\u2019ve probably had this experience before: you\u2019re at a playgroup or birthday party with your child, and you\u2019re trying to converse with the other little ones there. But the kid\u2019s speech is difficult to understand, and you have to call his parent over to interpret. Or maybe you have to guess a few times before you can figure out what your own child is saying. It\u2019s perfectly normal for a young child to pronounce \u201croom\u201d as \u201cwoom\u201d and \u201csun\u201d as \u201cthun.\u201d Some children master most or all sounds by five years of age, while others master articulation by the age of eight. If you believe your child might be struggling with articulation, you can request an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). If the SLP diagnoses your child with a speech disorder or delay, speech therapy can help improve articulation. You can also use some simple, fun activities<\/a> at home to encourage proper articulation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Modeling Correct Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n

One effective method of improving articulation in your child is to model correct speech. Avoid correcting your child when he makes a mistake. Instead, repeat the words correctly. For example, your child might say, \u201cToy in my woom.\u201d You can say, \u201cYes, Billy, your toy is in your room. Will you please go to your room to get your toy so we can play?\u201d Avoid speaking too quickly, but use a natural rhythm.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a regular flow of conversation around your child helps him learn speech and language. For example, describe how you are making a salad or putting on your child\u2019s shoes. It is also beneficial to set aside certain blocks of time to encourage vocalization. For example, every evening at dinner, make a habit of having each person discuss what they liked best and least about their day. The convenient thing about modeling correct speech as a speech therapy technique is that it requires no equipment; you can take it anywhere. So the next time your family is enjoying a fun ecotourism vacation, remember to incorporate speech therapy into your conversations.<\/p>\n

Speech Buddies<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to modeling correct speech, consider using Speech Buddies.<\/a> These tools provide a target within the mouth so that your child can feel for the right way to pronounce a sound. Just a few minutes of work with Speech Buddies per day can help your child learn correct tongue placement for the sounds that he struggles with.<\/p>\n

\"Child<\/a>

Image source: 123rf.com<\/p><\/div>\n

I Spy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Play I Spy with your child. Challenge your child to name objects around the room that contain the sounds that he\u2019s working on. For example, if he\u2019s working on the \u201cp\u201d sound, challenge him to find the apple or the pastry. If your child loses interest in this quickly, play a game of pretend in which you\u2019re both private investigators hunting for certain objects around the room.<\/p>\n

Treasure Hunt<\/strong><\/p>\n

Treasure hunts are pretty similar to I Spy. Hide objects around your child\u2019s room that will prompt him to repeat target sounds. Then, give him clues as to the item\u2019s whereabouts. This is also a great opportunity to work on prepositions. Instruct your child to ask you for hints, like \u201cIs it in my toy box? Is it on the shelf? Is it under the bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Flashcard Road<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get a large poster board and draw a curvy road on it made up of two parallel lines. Segment the road into blocks and write a word on each block that contains a target sound. Play cars with your child. Each person has to say the target word as he drives the car over it.<\/p>\n

\"Children<\/a>

Image source: Afunfair.wordpress.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Mother May I<\/strong><\/p>\n

Create your own version of Mother May I. Instruct your child to take a step forward every time he hears a target sound that you speak. For example, tell your child to take one step forward every time he hears you say a word with the \u201cr\u201d sound. As your child masters this game, make it a little harder. Tell him to take one giant step forward when he hears the \u201cr\u201d at the beginning of the word, and one small step forward when he hears the \u201cr\u201d at the middle or end of the word.<\/p>\n \n \n \n \"Parents'<\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably had this experience before: you\u2019re at a playgroup or birthday party with your child, and you\u2019re trying to converse with the other little ones there. But the kid\u2019s speech is difficult to understand, and you have to call his parent over to interpret. Or maybe you have to guess a few times before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1739,15],"tags":[668,666,669,667,22],"class_list":["post-1149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pronunciation-lisps","category-speech-therapy-techniques","tag-articulation-activities","tag-articulation-games-for-children","tag-articulation-speech-therapy","tag-improving-articulation-in-children","tag-speech-therapy-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1149"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11861,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1149\/revisions\/11861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}