If you have ever noticed your child saying “thun” instead of “sun” or “thlide” instead of “slide,” you might be wondering: Does my child have a lisp? Should I be worried? Let’s walk through what a lisp is, when to be concerned, and what simple things you can do at home to support your child’s speech.

What is a Lisp?

A lisp happens when the tongue does not stay in the right spot while producing certain sounds, most often /s/ and /z/. Instead of the air flowing cleanly through the center of the mouth, the tongue either pokes out between the teeth (frontal lisp) or rests against the sides of the teeth (lateral lisp).

This small difference in tongue placement can make sounds like /s/ and /z/ sound “slushy” or “th-like.”

Is a Lisp Normal?

Many young children experiment with tongue placement as they learn to master speech sounds. It is common for preschoolers to have a frontal lisp, and for many, this resolves naturally as they grow and their oral motor skills mature.

By around age 7, most children should be producing /s/ and /z/ without a lisp. If your child is younger than that, it may just be part of the normal learning process. However, if your child is 7 or older and still has a lisp or if the lisp is making them hard to understand, it may be time to consult with a licensed SLP.

When Should I Be Concerned?

Here are some helpful guidelines:

Not a concern (yet): Your child is under 7, easy to understand, and the lisp does not bother them socially.
Worth checking out: Your child is 7 or older, the lisp has not improved, or it affects their confidence.
Get help sooner: If your child is struggling to be understood, feels embarrassed about speaking, or the lisp is accompanied by other speech or language difficulties.

What Can I Do at Home?

Even before starting therapy, there are things you can do to gently support your child. The key is to keep it fun, pressure-free, and playful.

1. Build Awareness

Help your child notice what their tongue is doing.

Script: “When we say sss, our tongue stays behind our teeth. Let’s check in a mirror together.”
Use mirrors, phone cameras, or even a spoon for your child to watch their tongue placement.

2. Play With “Quiet Tongue” vs. “Sneaky Tongue”

Turn it into a game.

Quiet Tongue: stays behind the teeth (“sss”).
Sneaky Tongue: pokes out (“thhh”).
Game idea: Make silly faces and say, “Oops! That was sneaky tongue! Let’s try quiet tongue instead.”

3. Use Straw and Bubble Games

Activities that encourage airflow straight down the middle of the mouth can support correct tongue placement.

Blow bubbles through a straw.
Have “bubble races” by blowing a cotton ball across the table with a straw.
While playing, say: “The air goes straight out, just like sssssnake.”

4. Read Books with /s/ Sounds

Pick stories rich in /s/ and /z/ sounds—like ones with snakes, superheroes, or zoo animals.

Strategy: You read first with clear /s/ sounds, then invite your child to join in.
Script: “Let’s say it together: ‘Sammy snake slid silently.’”

5. Keep Practice Low-Stress

Avoid correcting your child every time they lisp. Instead, model the correct sound casually.

Child: “Look, a thun!”
Parent: “Yes, a sun! I see the big sun too.”

This way, your child hears the right sound without feeling criticized.

The Bottom Line

For many children, a lisp is part of normal speech development, especially before age 7. You can support them at home by making speech awareness playful, using mirrors, and modeling correct sounds. If your child is older, struggling to be understood, or feeling self-conscious, consider reaching out to a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.

Remember: speech development is a journey. With encouragement, modeling, and when needed professional support, your child can gain clarity and confidence in their speech.