Bringing Speech Practice Home: Simple & Fun Tips from a Speech Therapist

As a Speech-Language Pathologist, I often hear from parents and caregivers who want to know how they can best support their child’s progress with speech sounds at home. It’s a fantastic question, and the answer is both simple and incredibly powerful: consistent and fun speech practice at home makes a world of difference!

Think of speech muscles like any other muscles—they need regular exercise to get stronger and more coordinated. The work a child does in speech therapy sessions is a great starting point, but practicing new sounds in different words and situations throughout the week is key to making them a natural part of everyday speech. This is how children learn to generalize these sounds.

It’s understandable that adding “speech therapist” to your many roles might feel overwhelming. But the good news is, home practice doesn’t have to be a chore! In fact, the more you can make it a playful and natural part of your daily routines, the more effective and enjoyable it will be for both you and your child.

Your Powerful Role: Speech Practice at Home

One of the most valuable tools you have in helping your child with their speech sounds is simply you! As a parent or caregiver, you are your child’s most important communication model. The way you speak, the sounds you make, and the words you use all provide crucial examples for your child as they learn and practice.

We call this “auditory bombardment” in the speech world, and it just means making sure your child hears the target sound correctly many, many times throughout the day in natural conversation. You don’t need to feel like you’re constantly testing them or pointing out errors. Your role is to be a clear and positive example.

This brings me to another important point: speech practice at home doesn’t need to look like a formal therapy session! You don’t need a stack of flashcards or a structured worksheet (unless that’s something your child enjoys and it has been specifically recommended to you). The most effective home practice is often the most simple and fun, woven into your everyday activities.

Instead of trying to practice a long list of words, focus on just a few – even just 1 to 5 words that contain your child’s target sound. The magic is in repetition, not in the sheer number of different words. Getting many, many correct productions of a sound in a few familiar words is far more beneficial for helping that sound become automatic.

Let’s take the example of practicing the /f/ sound at the end of words. A great word to focus on might be “off“. This is a word we use all the time! You can get lots of natural practice by simply saying “off” clearly, perhaps emphasizing the final /f/ sound slightly, whenever the opportunity comes up. For instance, you can say:

• “Let’s turn the light off.”
• “Time to turn the bath water off.”
• “Can you help me turn the toy off?”
• “Please take your shoes off.”

Here are some more example of common, everyday words that can be used while working on different targeted sounds. 

P Sound

• “Up” (at the end of a word)
  • “Time to get up!”
  • “Let’s put the toys up.”
  • “Can you help me pull my socks up?”
  • “Let’s jump up high!”
• “Put” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Please put your plate in the sink.”
  • “Let’s put on our shoes.”
  • “Where should I put this book?”
  • “Can you put the block in the box?”

B Sound

• “Ball” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Let’s play with the ball.”
  • “Kick the ball!”
  • “Can you find the red ball?”
  • “The ball rolled away.”
• “Book” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Let’s read a book.”
  • “Open your book.”
  • “Which book do you want?”
  • “Put the book on the shelf.”

M Sound

• “More” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Do you want more juice?”
  • “Can I have more?”
  • “Let’s read more of the story.”
  • “He wants more blocks.”
• “Mom” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Hi, Mom!”
  • “Where’s Mommy?”
  • “Can Mommy help you?”
  • “Let’s tell Mom.”

N Sound

• “No” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “No, thank you.”
  • “No, we can’t do that now.”
  • “Say ‘no‘ if you don’t want it.”
  • “I see no more cookies.”
• “On” (at the end of a word)
  • “Put your shoes on.”
  • “Turn the light on.”
  • “Let’s put the lid on.”
  • “He’s sitting on the chair.”

T Sound

• “Eat” (at the end of a word)
  • “Time to eat dinner.”
  • “Did you eat all your carrots?”
  • “I want to eat an apple.”
  • “Let’s eat some snacks.”
• “To” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “We’re going to the park.”
  • “Give it to me.”
  • “Let’s go to bed.”
  • “I need to tie my shoes.”

D Sound

• “Down” (at the beginning of a word, or as part of a phrase)
  • “Sit down.”
  • “Let’s slide down.”
  • “Put your hands down.”
  • “The rain is coming down.”
• “Dad” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Where’s Dad?”
  • “Can Dad help?”
  • “Let’s call Dad.”
  • “Hi, Daddy!”

S Sound

• “Yes” (at the end of a word)
  • “Yes, you can!”
  • “Say ‘yes‘ if you want it.”
  • “Is it your turn? Yes!”
  • “Are we ready? Yes!”
• “See” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Do you see the bird?”
  • “Let’s go see the puppy.”
  • “I can see you!”
  • “What do you see?”

SH Sound

• “Push” (at the end of a word)
  • “Can you push the button?”
  • “Let’s push the car.”
  • “Push the door open.”
  • “Give it a little push.”
• “Show” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Can you show me?”
  • “Let’s show grandma your drawing.”
  • “I’ll show you how.”
  • “What did you show?”

SP Blend

• “Stop” (at the beginning of a word, often used alone)
  • “Stop! Red light.”
  • “Time to stop playing.”
  • “Can you stop running?”
  • “Let’s stop here.”
• “Spot” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “I see a spot on your shirt.”
  • “Can you find the yellow spot?”
  • “This is my favorite spot.”
  • “Look at the animal’s spots.”

ST Blend

• “Stand” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Stand up straight.”
  • “Time to stand in line.”
  • “Can you stand on one leg?”
  • “Don’t stand on the table.”
• “Star” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Look at the bright star.”
  • “Draw a star.”
  • “Wish upon a star.”
  • “The star is shining.”

SK Blend

• “Ask” (at the end of a word)
  • “Don’t forget to ask.”
  • “Can I ask a question?”
  • “Go ask Dad.”
  • “Did you ask for help?”
• “Sky” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Look at the blue sky.”
  • “The birds are in the sky.”
  • “The sky is so big.”
  • “Is the sky cloudy?”

SM Blend

• “Smile” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Give me a big smile!”
  • “Let’s smile for the picture.”
  • “She has a pretty smile.”
  • “Make a happy smile.”
• “Small” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “This is a small car.”
  • “I want the small piece.”
  • “Look at the small bug.”
  • “He’s still very small.”

SKW Blend (Squ-)

• “Squish” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Let’s squish the playdough.”
  • “Don’t squish the berries.”
  • “Can you squish the mud?”
  • “I like to squish slime.”
• “Squeeze” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Can you squeeze the orange?”
  • “Give me a big squeeze!”
  • “Squeeze the toothpaste.”
  • “Let’s squeeze the lemon.”

K Sound

• “Look” (at the end of a word)
  • “Look at that!”
  • “Look here, please.”
  • “Can you look for your shoes?”
  • “Let’s look at the book.”
• “Come” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Come here, please.”
  • “Come and sit down.”
  • “Let’s come inside.”
  • “Will you come with me?”

G Sound

• “Go” (at the beginning of a word)
  • “Ready, set, go!”
  • “Time to go home.”
  • “Where do you want to go?”
  • “Let’s go to the park.”
• “Big” (at the end of a word)
  • “That’s a big dog!”
  • “I want a big piece.”
  • “Look at the big elephant.”
  • “You’re getting so big!”

See how easy it is to get 3-5 (or even more!) repetitions of the word “off” just in these few daily moments? By focusing on a few target words with speech practice at home and incorporating them naturally, you provide that essential auditory bombardment and give your child repeated chances to hear and practice the sound correctly without the pressure of a formal drill. Keep it light, keep it fun, and celebrate their efforts!

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and suggestions for educational purposes. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment from a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Please consult with a qualified professional if you have specific concerns about your child’s speech and language development.

Resources

For more information check out these resources:

MDS: You Are Your Child’s MVP: Partnering with SLPs and Teachers for Communication Success

MDS: The SLP’s Toy Chest: Best Toys to Boost Preschool Language Development

First Words Bright Futures Facebook Page

First Words Bright Futures Instagram Page