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by Erica Zollman, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Going for a ride in the car? Why not use this time to practice speech? Try some of these fun games to practice good articulation skills:
- License Plate Game: Have your child scan license plates to see if he can spot the letter of the targeted sound. For example, if your child is working on the /l/ sound, he can receive one point for the finding a license plate that reads ‘LMN123.’ To make the game more fun, everyone in the car can choose a letter, and whoever finds the most license plates wins! As an added bonus, children can use the letters on the license plates to make sentences, like “Louise makes noise.”
- I Spy: To play this game, parents and children take turns describing or labeling things in or around the car that contain the child’s targeted sound. For example, if a child is working on the /r/ sound, he may say “I spy something round and made of rubber.” The other players guess until someone discovers that the mystery word is “tire.”
- Categories: To play this game, one player chooses a category, such as “colors.” Children take turns naming items in that category containing the targeted sound, being careful not to repeat any items. For example, if a child is working on the /s/ sound and the category is food, he can name items such as sandwich, salad, or pasta. If a player is unable to recall a member of that category, or repeats one already named, he is out. Play continues until only one player remains. The remaining player is the winner.
- Tongue Twisters: Choose some tongue twisters containing the child’s targeted sound. Have the child practice saying them several times. For example, if a child is working on /g/, have him practice saying simple tongue twisters like: Gail is going to Gettysburg with Gus and Gabby, or Guy has a goose named Gordon.
- Apps: There are many apps available to help children practice articulation skills. A great app to practice articulation is the Super Duper StoryMaker app! With this app, a child can create a story containing words and pictures that address the targeted sound. After creating a story, the child retells the story to someone else in the car. Encourage the child to use his good speech sounds when retelling the story!
Practicing articulation skills in the car is a great way to facilitate generalization, and a fun way to get in some extra practice. Children will find these games are fun to play, and they will make time in the car go by much faster.
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