Why do children growl badly?
The difficulty of reproducing sounds, including “r”, lies in their constant sonority.
In speech, it can be difficult for a child to cope with the connection of sonorants with each other, with vowels, with voiceless sounds, with hissing sounds. This is an articulatory problem (cannot pronounce sound combinations) and is most often overcome by training the tongue, cheeks, lips and palate. When a single “r” cannot be pronounced correctly, that is, growled, you need to understand the reasons.
They can be hidden both in the anatomy of the speech apparatus and in the general rates of psycho-speech development.
1. Anatomical features
- decreased tongue mobility;
- poor development of the muscles of the lips and cheeks;
- malocclusion;
- special structure of the frenulum (hyoid ligament).
Anatomical problems are solved by massage, articulation exercises, frenulum stretching or surgery. It is necessary to discuss the appropriateness of the latter with a speech therapist.
Children usually like articulation gymnastics. Because during such an activity, parents are forced to lift the ban on grimaces, sticking out their tongues and scary faces. Useful pranks with facial muscles help strengthen the articulatory apparatus, make it more mobile, and this will improve the clarity of speech in general.
2. Features of sound perception
If in a preschooler’s speech letters are constantly getting confused, rearranged, or falling out of words, phonemic hearing disorders can be suspected. On the other hand, the cause of pronunciation problems may be a banal imitation of one of the family members or older comrades.
3. ENT diseases
Sometimes the cause is improper breathing (weak breathing is more common in girls) or ENT diseases: allergic rhinitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis, tonsillitis, adenoids, polyps, paresis. In each case, a unique individual treatment and a set of speech therapy exercises must be selected to restore the function of the speech apparatus.
4. Dysarthria
Neurological disorders should be highlighted as a separate item. Not only the purity of diction, but also the very ability to pronounce sounds depends on the innervation of muscles and ligaments.
How does a speech therapy session on sound production work [p]
Any adult will answer how to teach a child to pronounce the letter P - take him to a specialist. With the help of exercises, a speech therapist will be able to deliver correct speech.
Classes are held with the aim of preparing the oral cavity for correct tongue movements. The main tasks are considered:
- Show how sound should be formed correctly.
- Train articulatory motor skills.
- Learn to control air flow.
- Learn to go towards your goal.
For the lesson you will need a mirror to understand how gymnastics works, a ball, a machine, a frog with a tongue.
Sound making exercises for children:
- Animal repetition ball game.
- Broad smile.
- Moving the tongue up and down outside the mouth.
- Sticking your tongue out and in.
- Stick out your tongue and place it on your lower lip.
- Licking your lips.
- Blow without puffing out your cheeks.
- growl
- Rumble like a car.
After work, the child finds out what he needs to learn for the next lesson.
Thanks to gymnastics, the muscles of the mouth begin to function correctly
Sound making exercises for children
There are many techniques for improving sound pronunciation. If the baby is able to quickly master one exercise, then you need to move on to another. If the tasks turned out to be difficult, then they need to be spoken 7 times a day. You can recite tasks in different sequences so that your child doesn’t get bored.
The emotional state of the child at this time is very vulnerable. He needs to be supported for every success and not scolded for failures. There is no point in comparing your child with other peers. This can have a detrimental effect on the psyche and further development of the baby.
Exercises for producing sound in children:
- Touch the alveoli with your tongue and back.
- The tongue is on the alveoli, and you need to blow hard.
- Clatter like a horse.
- Stop the horse.
- Place your tongue on your lower lip as if on a plate. This exercise is best done in front of a mirror.
- Tap your tongue on the alveoli.
- Chatter like a magpie (trrrrrrrrrrr).
- Imitate a car engine.
- Place the tongue on the alveoli and speak sounds (dddd, dddddd, rrrrr).
Breathing training
The training should not tire the child. During gymnastics, exercises should help with the following:
- Arouse interest in classes.
- Develop speech prosody.
- Accelerate correct pronunciation.
Exercises:
- Blow on cotton wool, inflate a balloon or blow out a candle.
- Pronounce vowel compounds: “a-ua-uua-aaee-eeoo-ooiii.”
- Pronounce voiceless consonants.
- Pronounce voiced consonants.
- Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth for a minute while holding your breath.
- Exhale forcefully.
- Exhale while pronouncing the letter s.
Articulation gymnastics
Training articulatory muscles promotes constant speech in a person. Speech skills begin to develop from birth. Such gymnastics will help strengthen muscles and eliminate pronunciation difficulties at any year of life.
Training should take place in a playful way. Classes are held with interest, with colorful didactic material. Seeing himself in the mirror, the child is more willing to do the exercises. If the task cannot be completed, then the parent should use clean hands to help their child direct his tongue.
Note! To get started, 2 exercises are enough. With each lesson you can add one more
Exercises for muscles:
- Open your mouth wide and sit there for 10 seconds.
- Make lips like a duck’s and freeze.
- Turn your tongue in different directions.
- Puff out your cheeks and deflate.
- Pull your cheeks in and return to the opposite position.
If the tongue cannot perform actions, then you can help it with clean hands or foreign objects. The main thing is hygiene and monitoring the conduct of classes.
An exercise in which you need to reach your nose with your tongue
Staging technique
Correct sound production includes taking into account muscle tone, mobility, and articular readiness. Activities for sound production must be carried out comprehensively. By doing gymnastics, massage, speech exercises and motor skills development.
Speech gymnastics
Exercises during gymnastics affect the following:
Breath. Hearing. Attention. Voice timbre. Muscles of the oral cavity.
Note! They develop the connection between speech and movements, pronunciation. Exercises:
Exercises:
- Repeat speech commands with your voice and translate them into movement.
- Repeat tongue twisters after the speech therapist.
- Depict the wind.
- Speak with increasing volume.
- Pronounce syllables.
Exercises for home practice
If the child does not have pathologies that require treatment from a specialist or surgical intervention (a very short frenulum, the need to solve problems with adenoids, sinusitis, etc.), then it is quite possible for parents to teach the child at home to pronounce R correctly.
Of course, a preliminary consultation with a speech therapist is highly advisable. He will point out the specific cause of the problem and give general instructions on how to shape the sound.
All exercises are quite simple, but nevertheless effective.
Speech gymnastics
For the first few training sessions with your son or daughter, you should simply do speech gymnastics. In the future, every lesson on producing the sound R will begin with it.
In general, this warm-up includes three groups of exercises. Each of them is repeated 5–7 times.
Breathing exercises:
- Blowing out a candle. The child should imagine a large cake with candles in front of him, which must be blown out with his breath. To do this, more air is drawn into the lungs, and then it is released with a sharp, intense movement. Then the candles are blown out one at a time - with sharp intermittent exhalations.
- Blowing snowflakes off your palm. A piece of cotton wool is placed on the baby’s palm - an impromptu snowflake. He should blow it off with a smooth, long exhalation through his mouth. After successful attempts, the task becomes more complicated - you need to blow off two, and then three snowflakes. By the way, during the flowering period of dandelions, you can exercise with them - blow off the white “cap” from them.
Special exercises will help develop breathing power
Lip exercises:
- Fence. You need to close your teeth tightly, and then open your lips and show the white “fence” (the teeth remain closed).
- Elephant trunk. The lips should be pulled forward with a tube to the maximum distance.
- Frog. The baby should smile broadly and hold his lips in this state for about 10 seconds.
You need to pretend to smile at a frog for at least 10 seconds.
Exercises for the tongue (stretching the frenulum, developing vibration and amplitude):
- Lick the jam. The child imagines that he has delicious jam on his lips: he must lick his upper and then lower lip with his tongue.
- Kitty. You need to invite the child to imagine himself as a kitten lapping up milk. To do this, he also licks condensed milk or jam from the plate.
- Swing. The baby consistently reaches with his tongue, first as high as possible to the nose, and then down to the chin.
- Watch. You need to move your tongue from side to side—wiggle it left and right.
- Let's brush our teeth. The tongue, as if with a toothbrush, should be passed over the upper and lower teeth.
- Paint brush. Run your tongue from the front teeth back to the throat.
- Horse. You need to show how a horse clicks: open your mouth, raise your tongue to the roof of your mouth and click it (helps you feel the vibration).
A useful exercise that stretches the frenulum of the tongue is “Kitten”, when a child licks something sweet from a plate.
In addition to these exercises, an adult can massage the child’s frenulum. The baby opens his mouth and lifts his tongue up. The parent, with his thumb and forefinger (clean, of course), touches the frenulum and slightly pulls it up. The massage is performed twice a day for about three minutes.
Video: speech gymnastics to help make the sounds R and L (mother tells how she practiced with her little daughter)
Direct exercises for developing the sound R
The following exercises are already related to the pronunciation of sounds and are directly aimed at developing the correct sound P:
- The child should press his tongue to the upper palate at the level of the alveoli (behind the teeth) and quickly pronounce the sound D several times with a strong exhalation. It's like a machine gun burst: "d-d-d-d-d."
- A cotton swab is placed under the tongue (it’s good if you have a speech therapy spatula), the adult moves it left and right (the baby can put his finger there and move it independently). At the same time, a long sound “w-w-w-w-w” is pronounced.
- The child opens his mouth wide and pronounces the extended syllable “z-z-z-a-a-a,” while the adult moves a cotton swab under his tongue. The soft R is placed in the same way: only instead of “z-z-z-a-a-a” it is pronounced “z-z-z-i-i-i”.
What prevents a child from pronouncing “r”
Hyoid frenulum (small membrane located under the tongue). By the age of six, the child’s tongue frenulum should stretch to 8 mm or more. If it is short, thick, and inactive, difficulties may arise with the sound “r”. In this case, you need to either try to stretch it with the help of special exercises, or trim it at the clinic.
Impaired sound pronunciation. A problem with earlier sounds (for example, a child confuses whistling and hissing sounds) may later result in a problem with the sound “r”. Most likely, the pronunciation of this sound will also be impaired.
If a child pronounces the sound “l” instead of the sound “r”, the situation is normal and can be easily corrected. These two sounds are similar in terms of the position of the tongue, but pronouncing “l” is easier, and the child, hearing “r” in someone else’s speech and trying to repeat it, chooses the simplest method. If a child replaces the sound “r” with other sounds, the situation is more complicated, but in this case we can say that he hears it.
If a child misses a sound or swallows, it can be assumed that phonemic perception of sound is impaired.
Phonemic hearing impairment. The hearing aid cannot perceive all speech, but only individual sounds. In this case, we are talking about a violation of phonemic hearing, which manifests itself in the form of problems with distinguishing sounds.
The peak development of phonemic hearing occurs at the age of 4-5 years. But even before this age, you can notice that the child hears differently. When pronouncing words, he makes substitutions of sounds or skips individual sounds.
Signs of phonemic hearing impairment are a serious reason to take your child to a speech therapist. The cause of impaired phonemic hearing may be damage to the central nervous system, or it may be ordinary adenoids or previous otitis media.
Tone of the articulatory apparatus (tongue, cheeks, lips). Skipping sounds may also indicate insufficient development of speech muscles. A child’s speech muscles may be either insufficiently mobile (hypotonicity) or too tense (hypertonicity). In both cases, sound pronunciation suffers.
Behavioral problems. As we have already said, mastering the sound “r” requires the greatest effort from the child. Making the “r” sound is especially difficult for children with behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No less problems with learning pronunciation arise in tonically relaxed children.
Throat "r". If a child has developed according to norms, hears all sounds and the process of mastering speech has not caused him any problems, he does not have the habit of working on acquiring speech skills. In this case, when trying to reproduce the sound “r”, he can take the path of least resistance and replace the difficult to pronounce “r” with a simpler option, namely the laryngeal “r” (in this case, the vibration occurs due to the laryngeal uvula).
Correcting the “r” in the throat is very difficult, since in this case relearning is required. In this case, you definitely need to contact a speech therapist. The situation is further complicated by the fact that many parents simply cannot distinguish the “r” in the throat from the “r” in the tongue.
In all these cases, the most important thing is to correctly determine for what reason the child cannot independently cope with the sound “r”. And the best solution is to contact a speech therapist
A qualified speech therapist will check the frenulum and tone, phonemic hearing, determine the throat “r” (if it is present) and, if necessary, draw up a correction route. If correctional assistance is not needed, you can try to develop the “r” sound yourself.
DEFECTS IN ARTICULATION OF SOUNDS [Р] AND [Р']
The sound [R] is one of the most differentiated, and therefore difficult, sounds of human speech. In the ontogenesis of children's speech, the sounds [P] and [P'] appear later than many other consonants, and, as a rule, with the appearance in the child’s speech of developed utterances in the form of complex and complex-subordinate sentences. Distortion of the articulation of the sound [P] or its omission is called rhotacism . Replacing a normal, dental [P] with any other sound is called pararotacism , for example replacing [P] with [L], [D], [T], [I] (lyba - fish, Yula - Yura).
The following types of rotacism are distinguished:
- Throat [P] (burr) - the most common defect in the articulation of sound [P] has two variants, but in both cases the tongue is pulled back and its root part comes close to the soft palate.
- If in the first version, the exhaled air, passing through the groove, vibrates a small tongue, then this sound is called uvular [P] ( “grassing” ).
- If [P] is formed by vibration of the soft palate, we have a velar [P] .
- Uvular [P] is acoustically closest to normal [P], especially in children with good ear for music. With velar [P], a rough rumble is heard.
- Doral [R] . The front edge of the tongue is lowered, vibration is generated by the back of the tongue, which hits the front of the palate or alveoli. The entire lower jaw trembles along with the tongue. A rough rumble is heard.
- Lateral [R] (lateral rotacism) . The anterior lingual vibration is replaced by a separation of the lateral edge of the tongue (usually on one side) from the upper molars. Exhaled air breaks through the resulting gap. An unpleasant squelching sound is heard. In the most severe cases, vibration involves the cheek and upper lip.
SOUND PRODUCTION [P]
The timing of setting up vibrant [P] ranges from several minutes to several months and depends both on the psycho-physiological capabilities of the student and the structure of his speech apparatus, and on the skill and methodological equipment of the speech therapist.
The sound [P] is produced in two directions:
a) holding the tongue when its front edge rises to the alveoli, leaving a narrow gap through which exhaled air passes;
b) generation of vibration.
Preparatory exercises for proper tongue retention.
- First, introduce the child to the parts of his tongue by showing them on his palm: the tip of the tongue, its back, the edges of the tongue (edges of the palm) and the “tummy”, under the back, the “tummy” has a string.
- In front of a mirror, teach your child to click his tongue (mouth open “to the ears”) and suck the back of his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
Pay attention to the hyoid ligament: it looks like a “fungus”. Click fast and slow, loud and quiet.
- Be able to hold the tongue in a suction state (counting) with a clearly visible stretched sublingual ligament.
- Be able to produce a loud click of the tongue - “shpok” - from the suction state at the command of the speech therapist.
- Stick your tongue between your lips and make a “chatter”.
Development of the fricative [P].
If the child has a good command of his language, use the method of Professor F.F. Rau, the essence of which is the temporary replacement of the vibrant with a fricative sound. This fricative sound has a common place of formation with the normal sound [P] and differs from the latter in the absence of vibration. The child is asked to say FOR or 3-3-3 behind the upper incisors, on the “tubercles” (alveoli) and listen to what happens. The resulting fricative (protoic) sound is similar in sound to the English g.
Fricative [P] is used in syllables RA (ZA), RY (ZY) and words. With your tongue raised, pronounce: FOR, ZY, ZYBA, ZYBak, ZABOTA, ZAKETA.
If the fricative [P] is well established, you can temporarily use it in speech.
If the child has not found the right “place” for the tongue, offer the following exercises:
- The mouth is wide open, the front edge of the tongue is raised behind the upper teeth towards the alveoli.
- The child speaks with an aspirated D-D-D or T-T-T. The tongue "jumps on the tubercles." The blows of the tip of the tongue are clearly visible, which either touches the alveoli or bounces off. For a better view, you can place a spatula between the molars.
- Alternate repetition with aspiration on the “tubercles” TDA-TDA-TDA-TDA... TDA-TDA-TDA-TDA.
As a rule, the hypoglossal ligament gradually stretches. As a last resort, consult a dentist.
- “Drum”: quickly “knock” on the palate of the DDDD, starting from the “top” palate and going “down” to the upper incisors.
- “Breeze on the hillocks”: DZA-DZY (P fricative).
- “Balalaika on the tubercles”: DAY-DAY-DAY.
- “Balalaika with the breeze”: DZN-DZN-DZN (fricative).
Producing tongue vibration.
- At the moment the student pronounces the fricative [P], his tongue is mechanically set into vibration, first by a speech therapist using a special probe, and then, taking the child’s index finger in his hands, the speech therapist places it under the tongue. Invite the student to pronounce the fricative [P] for a long time and quickly move the finger left and right to oscillate the tongue. The result is an intermittent drumming sound.
- The student quickly says the syllables on the “tubercles”: dy-dy-dy-dy - and at this time he vibrates his tongue with his index finger, the finger under the tongue.
As a result of regular exercises (no more than 35 seconds with breaks), rough vibration is replaced by normal vibration. If the process of strengthening the vibrant [P] is slow, the child can pronounce individual words with the sound [P], helping himself with his finger.
SOUND PRODUCTION [P']
After setting the hard P sound and working it out in words and phrases, [P'] soft may appear spontaneously.
If necessary, [P'] soft should be placed from the fricative soft (ZI, ZYA), excluding vibration and teaching one to make one blow with the tip of the tongue where the upper incisors grow or on them.
Mastering the correct articulation of the sounds [P] and [P'] sometimes requires careful work on vibration, both long-term for [P] hard and single-impact for [P'] soft.
Normal installation of the organs of articulation when pronouncing the sound “R”.
- The tip of the tongue is raised to the palate (alveoli);
- The lateral edges of the tongue are pressed against the upper molars;
- Under the pressure of exhaled air passing through the middle of the tongue, the tip of the tongue vibrates at the alveoli;
- Lips open;
- The teeth are open;
- A strong stream of air is felt on the palm brought to the mouth;
- The voice motor is working.
Preparatory exercises for the sound “R”:
How to teach a child to pronounce the letter “R” - video
More effective exercises can be seen in the specially designed course of speech therapy classes “Growl Now”.
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Stages of formation of correct sound pronunciation
The formation of correct pronunciation occurs in stages, from simple to complex. Conventionally, correctional work can be divided into three stages:
- Sound production (correct position of articulation organs, pronunciation in an isolated state).
- Automation (correct reproduction of syllables, words, sentences).
- Differentiation (difference between similar sounds by ear, in this case hissing Zh-Sh).
Specialists use various methods and techniques. During work at the first stage, the speech therapist uses massage and staging probes in his work. The former help to relax or tone weak muscles, the latter fix the organs of the articulatory apparatus in the correct position. The speech therapist begins each lesson with articulation gymnastics.
In the initial stages, a mirror is used. This allows the child to correctly correlate his actions with an adult and see whether he correctly repeats after the speech therapist. If it is difficult for a child to hold his tongue in one position or another, at first the teacher helps him with the help of probes. However, there are children who perceive these devices fearfully, as they associate them with medical devices. In this case, you can use disposable cotton swabs; they are safe and easy to use.
Exercises for the tongue when making the sound Z may include the following exercises:
- “Pancake”: the exercise is recommended especially for those children who have increased muscle tone in the articulatory apparatus. Correct execution involves keeping the tongue in a relaxed state: the mouth is open, the tongue is wide, resting on the lower lip, while the upper teeth are visible. You need to stay in this position for 5-10 seconds.
- “Pipe”: this articulation exercise is necessary to develop the correct position of the lips when pronouncing the sound Zh, it tones the weak muscles around the mouth.
- “Delicious jam”: the tip of the tongue should be wide, the child needs to lick first the lower lip, then the upper. It is advisable to have dry wipes on hand to wipe your mouth.
- “Cup”: the sides of the tongue rest against the molars. If it is difficult to hold the tongue in this position, at first you can ask him to “wrap the filling in a pancake” (the speech therapist presses the middle part of the tongue with a cotton swab or probe, which helps the baby lift its sides).
With buccal pronunciation, in order to develop proper breathing, strength and direction of the air stream, the child is offered tasks from a set of breathing exercises. For example, you can blow a cotton ball off your palm.
The sound Zh can be “put” from the sounds Sh, Z or R, provided that at least one of them is pronounced by the child correctly. In the group of hissing sounds, the main one is Ш, most often it is from him that the pairing of the Zh begins. These sounds have the same articulatory position, therefore, if both of them are violated, the Sh is placed first, then with the addition of a voice – Zh.
1. Articulatory setting from the sound R.
The speech therapist asks to pronounce the syllable “ra”. When the child speaks, using a staging probe, the teacher stops the vibrational movements characteristic of the sound R. Instead, “zh” will be heard. Then he repeats it several more times, after which the child tries to pronounce the syllable “zha” independently.
2. Setting Z from the sound Z.
The child pronounces the syllable “for” in an extended manner. At this moment, the specialist carefully changes the position of the tongue, using a probe to lift its tip to the palate by the front upper teeth.
3. Formation of the correct position of W from W.
In this case, probes and other placement devices will not be needed. The main thing is to help the child understand that it is necessary to use his voice. To do this, the speech therapist asks you to place your palms on your throat so that vibration is felt when the vocal cords are tense. Then he offers to try to pronounce the sound Sh as loudly as possible. When the ligaments work, the result will be Zh.
Finger gymnastics are widely used. Also, a speech therapist can suggest that the child wind a thread onto a ball and pronounce a syllable, a word with a sound that needs to be automated, for each skein. In group work to consolidate correct pronunciation in backward and forward syllables, you can use a ball.
Differentiation of sounds occurs when learning (reading) tongue twisters, tongue twisters, proverbs and sayings containing consonant words, for example, “fire - bazaar, sting - hall.” At the initial stage, pictures are used to accompany words.
Sound production methods
Speech therapy offers a variety of ways to produce the sound “R”. You can use one method or several at once. During a consultation with a specialist, you can accurately decide on your classes.
Imitation
This is the simplest and most effective method of how to set sound. The speech therapist or parent sits with the child in front of the mirror and shows him the correct location and movement of the speech organs while pronouncing the sound “R”.
After this, the baby just needs to repeat after the adults, controlling the process using a mirror.
You can also imitate not only people, but also animals or some things. For example, excellent methods for putting the letter “R” are the following tasks: growl like a dog “R-R-R”, imitate machine gun shots “Tra-ta-ta”, purr like a cat “Pur-r-r”. This will interest the child more than simply imitating adults. But at the same time, you also need to monitor the location of the organs of articulation.
Setting the sound “R” from the sound “D”
Speech therapists often use a method to teach a child to say the letter “R”, as a production from the sound “D”. The baby needs to imagine that his tongue is a sail and needs to be inflated with the help of the wind. To do this, you need to pronounce the sound “D”, while blowing forcefully on the speech organ.
Over time, a “Drrr” sound will be heard during this activity. As soon as it becomes noticeable, you need to automate it immediately. To do this, you should use words where there is a combination of these two letters, for example, friend, fight, tree, and so on. More details can be found in our article, automation of the “R” sound.
Setting "R" from the sound "Z"
The essence of this exercise for the sound “R” in children is that the child must pronounce the sound “Z” protractedly. In this case, it is necessary to keep the tongue in the upper position. Then you should quickly move the tip of the organ along the tubercles, which are located behind the upper jaw. As a result, the sound “Wed” will be heard.
Making the sound “R” while inhaling
Another way to make sound is to inhale. The baby needs to pronounce the sound “C” for a long time, then take a short breath, sharply press the tongue against the alveoli and try to suck the tongue inside, like a snail into a shell. In this case, it is important to touch the tubercles with your tongue, otherwise there will be no sound.
Installation by mechanical method
To carry out this exercise, you can use a cotton swab or a toothpick with cotton wool. They should be perfectly clean, the edges should not prick the tongue. The wide tongue should be on the cusps behind the upper teeth. The child will need to say “Z” or “D” for a long time. In the case of “Z”, the result will be zzh, and in the case of “D”, it will not be a clear d.
At this time, the parent should place a stick under the tongue and move it to the sides to cause vibrations. The tongue should be tense and hold a strict upward position, letting in a stream of air only at the tip. As a result, the desired sound should be heard, similar to a rumble. To make it more fun for your child, you can tell him that you are starting the engine.
All of the above methods of producing the sound “P” can produce different effects relative to time. Some children begin to pronounce this letter from the first exercise, while others achieve success only after several days or even months of regular practice.
Starting with the letter R
The letter P is considered the most difficult to pronounce. Many preschoolers can growl like animals, but not everyone makes the sound P sound clearly. There is a whole list of exercises for practicing at home and better assimilation of sound:
- exercise “motor” - you need to ask the child to growl like a little motor for a few seconds;
- hide and seek or where the sound R is hidden - pronounce the words and clap at the moment when the child hears the sound R, after which the word is pronounced together;
- “Growl” game - show a picture of predatory animals so that the child utters a corresponding growl;
- game “ringing tracks” - together with the children, come up with chants with the sound R and syllables (for example, ra-ra-ra-ra - we were driven out of the yard; ro-ro-ro-ro - we quickly found a bucket; ru-ru- ru-ru - I am a cheerful kangaroo, etc.);
- substitute the correct syllable - you need to pronounce the word, excluding syllables with the sound P, and children need to pronounce the appropriate syllable.
A speech therapy course for mastering the syllable P includes mandatory reading, frequent pronouncing of words and tongue twisters with complex sounds, and learning poems by heart.
Automation of the “R” sound in syllables
After the child has learned to pronounce isolated R correctly and clearly, the sound must be fixed (automated) first in various syllables. Automation should still take place in a relaxed playful manner, lasting no more than 15 minutes if the child is under 5 years old and no more than half an hour if the child is 5 or 6 years old.
It is most correct to consolidate a given sound from an open syllable. This is a combination of consonant + vowel. The game “Echo” is well suited for this: the speech therapist names a series of open syllables rra-rro-rru, rra-rro-rry, and the child repeats them. At first, the R should sound booming to the baby, and then you can put emphasis on a more relaxed pronunciation. In this case, you can alternate vowels in any variations, but for now without affecting “yu”, “ya”, “e” and “i”.
Another easy and useful game “Continue the word”: the child is told short sentences with words in which there is an R in the open syllable. For example - You arrived at the metro... (ro). Natasha has a sister... (ra). We bought blue and yellow balloons.. (ry), etc.
Using the same principle, after 2-3 lessons, work on closed syllables begins. During the game “Echo”, the baby repeats the syllables arr, orr, urr and err, yrr, arr. Slowly you can add the vowels “i” and “e”; Arr-orr-irr, urr-irr-err.
In the game “Continue the word” the child is asked to complete the following words: Today a strong wind is blowing... (ter). There is a new light at our intersection..(fore). Dad watches TV... (watch).
And only lastly can you move on to syllables with a combination of consonants. For repetition, you can offer your child both individual syllables and short rhyming phrases:
Open lesson on speech development in the first junior group
Dro-dro-dro - the bear dragged away the bucket.
Tra-tra-tra - we walked until the morning.
Three-three-three - squirrels are cunning and fast.
Please note that if a sound with a combination of consonants is still pronounced with difficulty and unclearly, you should not insist on pronouncing the second rhymed part of the sentence. In this case, the baby’s task will be to pronounce only the first part correctly. You can move on to automation in words, phrases and sentences only after P sounds perfect in all types of syllables.
Sound production and automation
With the help of exercises, the correct articulation of the sound “sh” is developed. But skill is a mechanical process that requires practice. It will take time to consolidate. It happens that during a lesson, pronunciation improves, but by the next session it again turns into a lisp or whistling. To prevent the opposite effect from appearing, constant supervision of the skill plays an important role:
Gently and jokingly remind the student that he needs to watch his tongue. Control your own pronunciation. Pay attention to the phonemic errors of others and ask your child to pronounce sounds correctly every time. If he is already a schoolchild, let him read aloud with the correct pronunciation. Try to use a new skill more often
Try to use a new skill more often.
For example, ask questions, the answer to which will be words or sentences with the sound “sh”, learn corrective nursery rhymes instead of regular poems. Pure twisters and tongue twisters in daily household chores starting with “sh” will help you quickly automate the sound:
- We'll knit a hat for the baby, shu-shu-shu, shu-shu-shu.
- We dress the baby, sha-sha-sha, sha-sha-sha.
- Collect your pencils, shi-shi-shi-shi-shi-shi.
- Children love fairy tales, sha-shu-shi, sha-shu-shi.
You can come up with any simple rhymes and combinations, or your own rhyme. Give one of your favorite toys a special name that will help your child master the sound: “Little Bunny”, “Wolf-Tail”.
Use this name daily in familiar situations to continually refer to the skill.
It is important that the parent himself does not feel awkward when using speech therapy techniques. Try to hiss yourself as sincerely as possible.
When activities become familiar, add similar sounds to them: “zh”, “ch”, “sch”. Teach your child to distinguish them articularly. This will help you at the same time put in all the difficult sounds and master the Russian alphabet. Pictures and instructions can now be purchased at any bookstore.
How to teach a child to pronounce the letter [Zh]
Let's consider the main ways of forming the sound Ж in children, depending on the disorder:
- Setting sound when skipped. Sound may be lost in speech. Parents do not hear sound where it should be. In this case, you can teach a child to pronounce F by imitation. Ask him to sing the “Bug song” and pronounce the sound Zh after you for a long time. If the child has intact phonemic hearing, it will not be difficult to pronounce the letter Zh.
- Sound production during replacement and mixing (parasigmatism). In this case, the sound is replaced with simpler ones in articulation: , . This defect is easily perceived by ear. Sound production should begin with articulatory gymnastics.
Invite your baby to do tongue exercises for 5-10 minutes every day. The complex for hissing sounds consists of three main exercises and will allow you to form the correct articulatory pattern:
- “Cup”. Ask your child to place the tongue behind his upper teeth and hold for five seconds. A break is taken between exercises so that the tone of the tongue muscles is restored.
- “Tube.” Show your child how to stretch out his lips with a straw. Elongated lips should be held for five seconds.
- “Painter.” A complex exercise that is carried out after successfully mastering the “cup”. The tip of the tongue strokes the hard palate, like a painter paints the ceiling with a roller.
All exercises are carried out in front of a mirror, the child must see himself
During gymnastics, you need to praise your child for the slightest result and try not to pay attention to failures. Parents should not hope for a quick positive result, because producing sounds is a long, painstaking work
It is important to remember that when pronouncing a sound, a strong air stream is necessary. Here, parents will be helped by a variety of toys: harmonicas, paper pinwheels and everything else that you can blow on
The child should be helped to learn to exhale forcefully through the mouth. As you exhale, ask the child to make the sound. Sound distortion (sigmatism) is a complex disorder. In this case, there is a distorted pronunciation of the sound: interdental, lateral, nasal. The correct sound pattern is not formed. The tongue occupies a position either between the teeth, behind the lower teeth, or near the soft palate.
To correct the defect, you must contact a specialist and attend special classes. In this case, it is recommended to carry out the complex of articulatory gymnastics presented earlier, as well as to develop the child’s phonemic hearing.
There are a number of games to develop phonemic awareness. It is necessary to start classes with simple games to distinguish non-speech sounds. Here various sounding toys will come to the rescue: boubouin, drum, bell, squeaker. Invite your baby to listen to how each toy sounds, and then choose one and, hiding it behind his back, make a sound to it.
The child must guess which toy was playing now. Jars of cereal can serve as toys, since small and large grains rustle differently in the jar. Next, you can move on to forming the perception of speech sounds. The child should be taught to distinguish sounds from similar-sounding phonemes.
The game “Catch the Sound” will help parents with this. Invite the child to clap his hands when he hears the sound among other sounds: Ш, Ж, Х, Х, ШЧ, Ж, Ф. Next, the game can be complicated and asked to find a syllable with the letter Ж: SHI, ZHA, HO, SHU, ZHE, SHA, CHI, ZHU. And also an option with words and sentences.
- After successful training, you should consolidate the result and move on to the automation stage. It is necessary to control the child’s speech and encourage correct pronunciation not only in speech therapist classes, but also at home. In the first stages, exaggerated pronunciation of the sound is possible, but this is not a problem. The articulatory apparatus gets used to the new way of life, which takes time.
Tips for parents when setting up sound:
It is necessary to monitor the baby’s speech development
Early detection of violations facilitates quick and correct correction. For complex forms of the disorder, you should seek the help of a speech therapist. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of the speech therapist, this will contribute to the success of the correction. It is important to talk with the child and stimulate the baby’s speech activity. Praise your child for the slightest progress in development.
It is important to know that love, attention and care for a child are the key to success in the development of the baby!
Preparatory exercises to prepare for the sound R
Examples of preparatory exercises (when working with preschoolers, they are usually played out):
- pull your tongue towards your nose;
- raise the tongue to the upper lip;
- raise your tongue behind your upper teeth;
- “count” the upper teeth with the tip of the tongue;
- lick your upper lip;
- massage (biting) the tip of the tongue with the front teeth;
- sucking the tip of the tongue to the palate, this exercise is good for stretching the frenulum of the tongue, other exercises for stretching the hyoid ligament are here;
- “Chatter” - vertical movement of the tongue between the lips;
- “Balalaika” - horizontal movements of the tongue between the lips with the voice;
- “Machine gun, drum, woodpecker” (one name is chosen) – the mouth is open, the work of the tongue is visible, the tip of the tongue hits the alveoli: “d-d-d.”
- “The car is slipping” - the mouth is open, the tip of the tongue is at the alveoli, try to slightly stretch the sound D.
are enough to prepare the articulatory apparatus for producing the sound R.
Exercises
- "Motor". The purpose of this exercise is to reproduce the sound of a motor, which resembles the sound of p. The child is asked to press his tongue to the upper palate and place his finger under it. You can also use a cotton swab. The baby is asked to exhale forcefully, while pronouncing a drawn-out “d”. At the same time, it is necessary to make an oscillatory movement with a cotton swab or the child’s finger from side to side. If everything is done correctly, you will hear vibration and a sound similar to r. This will indicate that the engine has been started.
- "Painter". The name of the exercises stems from the fact that the child must move his tongue along the inside of the mouth, as if painting the walls of the teeth, cheeks, and palate. This exercise needs to be done back and forth.
- "Mushroom". The tongue, holding the central position, should touch the sky and hold for 10 seconds. This exercise received this name due to the fact that the frenulum, which will currently be stretched under the tongue, is similar to a mushroom stalk.
- Invite your child to roar and let him imitate a tiger. This exercise can be done together with your baby - he will be a little tiger cub, and you will be an adult animal.
For stretching the frenulum
It is important to complete each task without haste while opening your mouth wide. Parents should understand that gymnastics for speech development puts a serious strain on the baby’s tongue, which is why it is so important to take a break from time to time
"Football". The baby should take turns touching the left and right cheeks, simulating rolling a ball in the mouth. "Swing". Ask the child to open his mouth as wide as possible, and now let him move his tongue down and up, touching his teeth. After several repetitions, you need to stop the tongue from above in the oral cavity and hold it for 15 seconds. “Reach up to the chin.” The child's task is to try to extend his tongue so that it is directed towards the chin, try to reach it. "Kitty". To perform this exercise, parents must pour some kind of treat into the container. The child's task is to lick it, copying the actions of the kitten. “We reach for the nose.” Let the little one open his mouth and smile; his task is to try to reach his nose with the wide tip of his tongue, and then lower it, touching his upper lip
It is important that the jaw remains motionless and the tongue does not narrow.
If there is insufficient air flow force
- Rolling balls. Let the baby puff out his cheeks and try to roll the accumulated air from one side to the other, from cheek to cheek.
- Inflate the ball. Let your baby try to inflate both cheeks, holding the air as long as possible.
- Groove. The child’s task is to place the straightened tongue on the lower lip, and then slightly curl the edges, which will allow the formation of a groove. Now let it blow through it.
- The following exercises are also effective:
- you can tie a piece of cotton wool to a thread, let the baby blow on it, while the mother holds the cotton wool;
- place a pencil on the table in front of the child, let the child try to move it with the force of his breathing;
- blowing soap bubbles;
- You can blow on a dandelion.
When weak tongue muscles
- To strengthen the muscular system of the tongue, exercises that allow it to move up and down are suitable.
- "Turkey". The child is asked to open his mouth slightly. Now it is necessary for the baby to gently run his tongue back and forth across his upper lip. At the same time, he should try to say “bl” five times in a row, increasing the tempo all the time.
- "Horse". The baby should imitate the clicking sound of a horse by flicking its tongue against the roof of the mouth.
Exercises to form the letter “r”
Exercises for the letter r for children should be done daily, preferably in a playful way. It would be best to conduct classes in the morning and evening and be sure to sit in front of a mirror so that the baby can see the work of his lips. First, the parent shows by example how to pronounce the letters correctly, then the child repeats. All lessons are conducted in a friendly atmosphere; no shouting or scandals are allowed in order to avoid a negative experience.
Preparation of the speech apparatus
There are many nuances when working with exercises to pronounce the letter r for children. And, of course, you should initially prepare your speech apparatus for work. The beginning of training is articulation gymnastics.
Preparing for further work on pronunciation
Note! Exercises are always done in front of a mirror with the baby. This makes it easier for him to repeat after his parents. Perform training daily, repeating each exercise 6-8 times. Remember that a child’s nervous system is formed before the age of ten, therefore, at the first signs of fatigue and irritation, it is worth taking a short break.
Gymnastics has the following goals:
- Develop tongue mobility. Various exercises are done to make the tongue wide, narrow, raise and lower it, touch the cheeks in turn.
- Develop lip mobility. Exercises “Clown”, “Piglet”, “Monkey”.
- Develop the skill of holding the lower jaw in a certain position. The child tries to push it forward and fix it and back.
The main task of speech therapy chants and rhythms
Difficulty pronouncing "r"
Why the letter causes difficulties:
- It is often found between vowels in words.
- It is difficult for a child to pronounce it correctly, he replaces it with “l”, “s”, “th”, because he does not have the correct pronunciation skill,
- The baby cannot pronounce the sound firmly enough; grazing occurs (like the French language) or strong vibration (burring).
- The pronunciation is "on the nose". This happens because the baby does not know where the tip of the tongue should be when pronouncing.
Tongue muscle training
In exercises for the sound p for children, there is always a warm-up of the tongue:
Language exercises from speech therapy
- "Swing". Open your mouth wide, raise and lower your tongue up and down, touching your teeth and holding in one position for 20 seconds.
- Lick your lips with your tongue clockwise and vice versa.
- "Painter". The mouth is closed, the tongue inside is moving along the palate, cheeks and teeth.
- "Horse". The child clicks his tongue, imitating a horse.
- "Elephant". Pull your lips forward, draw in air as if an elephant is taking in water, then release the air as you exhale.
A set of exercises for stretching the frenulum of the tongue
Speech therapy classes on the letter r are often accompanied by exercises to stretch the frenulum of the tongue, since problems with pronouncing sounds may lie precisely in the short frenulum.
Exercises are always performed slowly:
- Open your mouth wide, leaving it motionless. The tongue moves across the palate from the teeth to the throat.
- "Football". Opening his mouth, the baby touches the right and left cheeks in turn, strongly straining the tip of his tongue.
- "Kitty". This is the most favorite exercise among children. Pour your favorite treat onto a saucer and ask him to lick it off with his tongue.
- "Harmonic". Press your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth. Then open and close your mouth, while your tongue remains motionless.
Exercises to stretch the frenulum of the tongue
A set of exercises that develop the speech apparatus
When developing your speech apparatus, you should remember about breathing.
Breathing exercises:
- Inhale and then try to “blow out the candle” by exhaling lightly.
- "Birthday Cake" Inhale, and as you exhale try to blow out as many imaginary candles as possible. You can't get air.
- After inhaling, as you exhale, say: “what a fragrant flower.”
- After inhaling, as you exhale, pronounce the sound “sss”, and then switch to “rrr”.
- As you exhale, imitate the sound of the wind - the sound “vvv”.
- As you exhale, imitate a samovar - “puff-puff-puff.”
- As you exhale, say tongue twisters.
You can also use passive gymnastics to warm up. Children especially enjoy working in pairs with siblings or a parent.
Passive articulatory gymnastics
Making the sound “r” with children
The most important step in speech therapy exercises for the letter p is sound production. It is divided into three stages:
- Learn to pronounce confidently the sound separately.
- Add pronunciation of syllables, words,
- Only then start making sentences and tongue twisters.
Sound production technique
The placement of the letter “r” is divided into the placement of the letters “r” and “r”. First you need to learn how to pronounce the hard “r” successfully. For these purposes, all the exercises described above are performed.
The production of the soft “r” occurs due to the pronunciation of pure phrases. You can come up with them yourself or use the following:
- There is an oak tree on the mountain - re-re-re,
- And on the branch there are bullfinches - ri-ri-ri,
- And the mower’s scythe - rya-rya-rya,
- I tell everyone the truth - ryu-ryu-ryu.
A device that helps formulate the letter r
To complicate the task, you can use special devices or sticks that the child will hold with his lips.
Speech development of children 4-5 years old in the middle group of kindergarten by topic
Tasks for developing correct pronunciation
7 tasks for correct pronunciation of the letter “r”:
- "Cuckoo-clock". The baby with his mouth wide open stretches his tongue to the upper lip, then by the teeth to the tubercles.
- "Tremors." The baby learns to shake his tongue by releasing air as he exhales and touching his lips with his tongue.
- "Face." While smiling widely, you should bite the tip of your tongue.
- "Horse". Imitating the clicking of a horse.
- "Drummer". Open your mouth wide and try to say “d.” Then the child will touch the alveoli and understand the correct position of the tongue when pronouncing “r”.
- "Toothbrush". “Brush” your teeth with your tongue from the inside of your teeth.
- "Sucker". “Glue” your tongue to the roof of your mouth, hold it tightly, open and close your mouth without removing your tongue.
Articulation development
Articulation development should take time. It will help train exhalation, stretch the frenulum of the tongue and strengthen it in the upper position.
It is very important that the baby learns to exhale powerfully. Soap bubbles will help him with this. It's both exciting and useful at the same time. You can also use a ping-pong ball - the child should be able to drive it into the gate. This will form the correct air stream when exhaling.
Exercises for articulation are similar to those used in articulation gymnastics.
Consolidate the result
It is important not only to teach the child the correct pronunciation skill, but also to consolidate the result after fruitful work.
Audio Automation Exercises
The last stage in speech therapy classes on the sound p is considered to be automation of sound.
It includes several exercises that are carried out in a playful way:
- Using cards with words with the letter “r” written on them. If you pronounce it incorrectly, say the correct word, then remove the card. Next time, when the letter is pronounced correctly, praise the child and replace the card with a new one.
- "Remember the order." The same cards are used. 5 of them are laid out in a row, the baby remembers their sequence. Then he turns away and tries to say the words in the order in which they were written.
- Poems. It is advisable to learn them by heart immediately and pronounce them as often as possible while walking.
Tongue Twisters
In speech therapy tasks with the letter r, tongue twisters are often used:
- “Karl stole corals from Clara, and Clara stole Karl’s clarinet,”
- “There is grass in the yard, there is firewood on the grass, don’t cut wood on the grass in the yard,”
- “The crow missed the little crow.”
Additional Information! Constantly listening to and repeating tongue twisters by your child is a gentle training of his attentiveness. He acquires the skill of listening. This has a beneficial effect on the further education of the preschooler, where he will have to learn a much larger amount of information.
Mispronunciation options
You can not pronounce R in different ways:
- A common option is when the sound is simply thrown out, for example, the baby says “yba” instead of “fish”.
- P can be replaced with sounds that are easier to pronounce: L, Y, V, Y, G.
- A child may pronounce P in a way that is uncharacteristic for the Russian language, for example, by grazing (in a throaty way) or as in English. This happens especially often in bilinguals who have spoken two languages since childhood, in one of which the sound R is pronounced “not in Russian.”
- Sometimes children pronounce this sound alone normally, but have difficulty pronouncing words or syllables.
Why may a child not pronounce the sound R?
The sound R is one of the most difficult to pronounce in the Russian language. After all, for it to sound correctly and clearly, the child must have a well-trained speech apparatus and developed amplitude and vibration of the tongue. And the baby is just learning to control his tongue. That is why a two-year-old child cannot yet master this sound. Rare children master it at three years old.
The milestone age is five years. If at this time the baby does not yet pronounce R, then parents should worry: contact a speech therapist or start working with the child on their own. This is very important to do, because there are two years left before entering school: the period for the child’s speech to become correct.
If a child attends kindergarten, then in the middle group (there are children aged five) they usually undergo a routine examination by a speech therapist. At least that's what happens in our city. If a given preschool institution has a special speech therapy group, then the child is transferred there (with the consent of the parents), they may be given a referral to another speech therapy kindergarten, or they are simply recommended to take classes with a specialist.
If the child does not attend kindergarten, then the parents themselves should take him to a speech therapist at the age of five.
At the age of five, the child’s speech should be assessed by a speech therapist to identify possible violations.
The pronunciation of the sound R is incorrect in the following cases:
- The child simply misses the sound in the word, “swallows” it (ko_ova, ga_azh).
- Replaces complex R with simpler sounds - L, Y, Y (lyba, deyevo).
- The sound R is pronounced gutturally (in the French manner) or with vibration (as in English).
As the kindergarten speech therapist explained to me, the last option is the most difficult to correct. After all, relearning something is always more difficult than learning from scratch.
In general, a child may not pronounce the sound R for a number of reasons:
- Short frenulum of the tongue. The child is simply unable to reach the upper palate with his tongue. This pathology can be corrected with special exercises, but in severe cases, surgical intervention is required (the degree of underdevelopment is determined by a speech therapist).
- Insufficient mobility of the speech apparatus, especially the tongue (its weak amplitude and vibration). This often happens in silent children. The defect is also corrected with special exercises.
- Physiological breathing disorder. When air comes out in the wrong direction, sounds may not be pronounced correctly (nasal R). The cause of the pathology can be a chronic runny nose, enlarged adenoids, poor lung capacity, and heart problems. In this case, special gymnastics can help.
- Phonemic hearing disorder. The baby distorts the word he hears and confuses the sounds in it (for example, not “pajamas”, but “bizyama”, not “dudka”, but “tutka”). In this case, the sound R is most often skipped. Some adults find this touching for the time being, but frequent repetition of such words only reinforces their incorrect pronunciation.