5 Tips for Boosting Your Child's Speech Sounds Skills (According To Science)
Concerned about your child’s clarity or intelligibility issues? Sometimes it can be hard to find the right way to encourage our young friends to use the correct sounds when they talk. It is like they have the correct sound on the tip of their tongue, but just can’t quite say it. Thankfully, science is here to help. Here are five simple tips to help parents and teachers encourage their children's speaking skills:
Modelling and Recasting: Frequently model correct speech sounds during natural conversation. Gently correct errors by ‘recasting’ what the child said in error. For instance, if they say "wabbit" instead of "rabbit," respond with "Yes, a rabbit is hopping." This technique provides a correct model to help guide your child, but without directly correcting the child (this makes the learning process more natural and less stressful).
Phonemic Awareness Activities: Engage children in activities that build phonemic awareness, such as rhyming games, syllable clapping, initial sound matching, memory games, and nursery rhymes. Research shows that phonemic awareness is strongly linked to speech sound development and literacy skills in kindergarten and early primary school.
Auditory Bombardment: Regularly expose the child to the correct pronunciation of sounds through focused listening sessions. Use books, stories, or recorded words that emphasize the sounds the child is struggling with. This helps the child to hear and differentiate the correct sounds more frequently (e.g., if they struggle with ‘r’ sounds, find and play a song on YouTube to help).
Sounds pairs: Use similar (but not the same) words to highlight the differences. Sound pairs that differ by only one phoneme (e.g., "bat" and "pat") help children distinguish between different sounds. This technique helps children understand how changing a sound can change the meaning of a word, improving their ability to produce correct sounds.
Positive Reinforcement and Feedback: Provide specific, positive feedback when the child produces a sound correctly/accurately. Reinforce correct productions with praise, stickers, or other rewards to motivate the child. Consistent positive reinforcement encourages the child to continue practising and improving their speech sounds. For example, let them they play their favourite dinosaur game with you if they say the sound correctly.
In conclusion, by incorporating these simple tips into your daily routine, you can help support your child's speaking skills to improve their clarity and be understood properly by their peers. Remember that every child learns at their own pace, so be patient and supportive along the way with positive reinforcement. Your children will become confident and proficient speakers in no time!
Please note the above information is general in nature and is not intended as professional medical advice. Please seek an appointment with a registered speech-language pathologist if you are at all worried about your child's development.
References
ASHA. (2009). Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development. Asha.org. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Activities-to-Encourage-Speech-and-Language-Development/
SPA. (2023). Speech sound development 0-3 years. www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/Comm-swallow/Speech-development/Speaking-3-years.aspx
SPA. (2023). Speech sound development 4+ years. www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au. https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/Comm-swallow/Speech-development/Speaking-4-plus-years.aspx
Suggested Resources
FREEBIE Stone Age Struggle: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds with dangerous dinos in a fun interactive game.
FREEBIE Shopping Trip: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds by competing to see who can fill their shopping basket first.
FREEBIE Monster Madness: /b/ Sound
Practice your child’s /b/ sounds with mad monsters in a fun interactive game.