How to “Fix” S Sounds (Lisps) at Home€¦ · of lisp it was. There are two main ways to lisp the S sound; Frontal and Lateral. The names refer to how the sound is coming out

How to “Fix” S Sounds (Lisps) at Home

By: Ideas to Grow On www.Speech-TherapyAtHome.com

Complete Speech Therapy Guide for Parents

©2016 Ideas to Grow On – www.Speech-TherapyatHome.com. All rights reserved.

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How to “Fix” S Sounds (Lisps) at Home Thank you, for purchasing this program. These are the same ideas and materials that I use when I work with parents and children on S sounds. I hope they help.

It is common for children to have difficulty with the S sound. S typically develops between 3 and 8 years of age for both boys and girls.

I often work with children on the S sound starting at 6 years of age or sooner depending on the type of lisp they are making and especially if the trouble is causing them to be harder to understand and or if it is causing them frustration.

This guide will help parents decide if they need to work on S sounds by completing a simple assessment. Included are step-by-step ideas to help get the S sound started, Indirect Therapy, Direct Therapy, Games and 90 printable Picture Cards for working on S in all positions of words.

While all of the ideas and materials are based on my 26 years of experience working with children and families as a Speech-Language Pathologist, they are just a guide. They cannot replace therapy with or an assessment by a Speech-Language Pathologist or any other professional.

Contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments on this program. I would love to hear from you.


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Printing and Copying: Once purchased, you of course are welcome to print and to copy this product as much as you need to for your own personal use.

However, sharing any parts of, or the entire product, through paper or electronic means with others is strictly prohibited. Placing any part of this product on the Internet in any form without written consent of the publisher is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please contact me if you have any questions.

[email protected]

© 2016, Ideas to Grow On – Speech Therapy at Home. All rights reserved.

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

(Spanish) La reproducción o distribución no autorizada de una obra protegida por derechos de autor es ilegal. La infracción criminal de los derechos de autor, incluyendo la infracción sin lucro monetario, es investigada por el FBI y es castigable con multas y encarcelamiento federal.


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Table of Contents Disclaimer…………………………………………….……..……..….…………..Page 4

When to Start……………………………………………..……..….…….………Page 4

How to Assess the S Sound……….……………………....……………..……..Page 5

S Assessment………….…………………………………..……..………………Page 7

Does my Child Need to Work on the S Sound?.……...…..……...........……Page12

Where to Start………………………………………………………........……..Page 14

Indirect Speech Therapy: How to Work on S without “Practicing”…….......Page 14

Establishing the S sound………………………………..………….…..…..….Page 17

Direct Speech Therapy………………………………………..….……….……Page 20

“Rules” for Working on S and Other Sounds...…………..............……..…..Page 20

Tracking Sheet………………………………………………………………..…Page 24

Progress Chart………………………………………………….……………….Page 25

When to Stop Practicing? - Carryover -……………………….....……..……Page 26

Games to play when practicing S Sounds…………….......…….….…….…Page 28

Big S Picture …………..…………………………...…...…...…………..……..Page 33

Snake Picture…………………………………………………...……………....Page 34

S at the Start of Words…………………….………………..............…..…….Page 35

S in the Ends of Words…………...……………..…………………….............Page 40

S at the Middle of Words………..……….……………………....………....….Page 45


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Disclaimer: In no way does the advice and materials provided in this booklet take the place of an assessment or treatment by a Speech-Language Therapist / Pathologist. The materials and suggestions are based on my experience as a Speech Language Therapist but as all children and situations are different they can only be used as a general guide. He Versus She “He” is used to refer to children in this booklet as it tends to be boys that need the most help with speech sounds. Sorry boys – it’s true!

When to Start? What can go Wrong? S can start to develop as early as 3 years of age but problems with S are considered to be age appropriate by some until 7 or 8. This range is so big because there are a quite a few different things that can go wrong with the S sound. Some of the problems that can happen with S include changing it to a T sound (Stopping), leaving it off of clusters (Cluster Reduction), leaving it off of the start of words (Initial Consonant Deletion), leaving it off of the ends of words (Final Consonant Deletion), leaving it off in all positions of words (Stridency Deletion) or distorting the S (Frontal and Lateral Lisps). The ideas and materials in this booklet will focus on correcting S distortions – Lisps. I have separate materials that help with Cluster Reduction and Stopping.

As a speech therapist I will start to work on S lisps usually starting at 6 years of age. I will work with some children sooner if they are harder to understand, and especially if they are frustrated or embarrassed by their speech or if they are making the S with a lateral lisp. Lateral lisps are not considered to be a normal deviation and they often do not correct themselves.

As a parent I would work on my child’s awareness and development of all sounds as early as possible. Providing children with awareness of sounds helps the sounds to develop. Awareness of speech sounds is closely linked to good early reading and writing skills – phonological awareness. Having clear understandable speech also helps language and social communication to develop.


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Working as a Speech-Language Therapist I have found that helping children with individual sounds such as S can have a huge impact on their speech. Words become much easier to understand, children become more confident and frustration is reduced for everyone.

Tongue Thrust One important factor to consider when working on the S sound is tongue thrust. Tongue thrust is when the tongue rests against or between the front teeth and often pushes against the front teeth when you swallow. To make a good S you need to pull at least part of your tongue back away from your teeth. If your “normal” tongue position is at the very front of your mouth this makes it much harder to make a good S sound. Tongue thrust is the normal swallowing pattern that infants use. Most children change this swallow pattern as they mature. Usually by 5 years of age. For some though the pattern doesn’t change or comes back. You can work on the S sound with someone who has a tongue thrust but progress is usually much slower or limited as he will need to consciously think about pulling his tongue back each time he does the S sound.

If you think your child has a tongue thrust you may want to have him seen by a Speech Therapist and or an Orthodontist. Some Speech Therapists can help children learn to place and move their tongues in the correct way. Orthodontist can prescribe treatments and devices that also work on tongue thrust.


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How to Assess the S Sound? Have him try to say the pictures on the next 4 pages. There are 4 words for S in each of the different positions of words and an S by itself. If he doesn’t know what a picture is you can say it first. If he makes a mistake write down how he said the word. If he leaves the S off or changes it to a different sound then write down how it sounded. With the S by itself you make a nice clear S sound and ask him to copy you.

If he produces any of the Ss with a distortion / lisp try to write down what kind of lisp it was. There are two main ways to lisp the S sound; Frontal and Lateral. The names refer to how the sound is coming out of the mouth. With a frontal lisp the tongue sticks out between the teeth and the sound comes out along the middle of the tongue. With a lateral lisp the tongue is either behind the teeth or sticking out in between the teeth. The sound though is coming out the sides of the mouth. It often sounds slushy. Try making the S yourself with both a frontal and lateral lisp. This will help you to know what to listen and watch for when you do the assessment. When you hear/see a frontal lisp mark down F. When you hear/see a lateral lisp mark down L. It is important to know what type of lisp is happening.


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S Assessment

Sun: _______________ Seal: _______________

Saw: _______________ Santa: _______________


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Castle:_______________ Dinosaur:_______________

Pencil:_______________ Grasshopper:_______________


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Horse:_______________ House:_______________

Kiss:_______________ Bus:_______________


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Count the number of times he could do a good S in each of the different positions of words. A good S is one that is nice and sharp sounding, not lisped or distorted in any way.

Don’t worry about any other sounds in the word. For example if he said “Tiss” for “Kiss” or “Dinosauw” for “Dinosaur” these wouldn’t count as errors.

Now go back and have him try any words where he had trouble with the S sound again. This time you say the word first with a nice clear S sound. Say it a bit louder and longer and have him watch your face as you say it. Write down the number of words he could get right with help.

If he had trouble doing S by itself have him try this again too. Again, you say the sound first and have him watch you do it. Could he do an S sound by itself with this help?

Sound Number he could do the first time.

Number he could do the second time.

S at the Start

S in the Middle

S at the End

Could he do a good S by itself?

First time: Second time:

If he is often leaving off the S sound completely at the start or at the ends of words such as saying “un” for “Sun” or “Bu” for “Bus” this may be the indication of a different problem, Stridency Deletion, Initial Consonant Deletion or Final Consonant Deletion. If he is often changing the S to a T or D sound such as saying “Teal” for Seal” or “Bud” for “Bus” he may need to work on Stopping. In these cases, working on the S sound by itself would likely not be appropriate. You may want to look for information on these specific problems or you may want to have your child assessed by a Speech-Language Therapist.


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Does my Child Need to Work on the S Sound? Often it depends. Here are some factors to consider.

The first factor to consider is age. S can continue to develop until 7 or even 8 years of age. This means that problems with the S sound can be age appropriate until then. But as children become older it is less likely that their speech will change by itself. In general, my level of concern rises as children become older and still have a lisp.

The need to work on the S sound often depends on what sort of trouble is happening. Remember there are two main types of lisps, frontal and lateral. Frontal lisps are often less of a concern than lateral lisps. When children are learning to make an S sound they often start making an S with their tongue sticking out. They often learn to pull their tongue back to the correct position with little or no assistance. If intervention is needed with a frontal lisp, therapy usually progresses fairly well as long as there are no complications. I do not consider a lateral lisp to be a normal developmental pattern at any age. Lateral lisps often do not change without help. Therapy can take longer and be more involved than with a frontal lisp.

Some children will have trouble with sounds only in specific words. This is often because of a habit or because of the other sounds in the word. If your child is having trouble with S in only a few specific words it is much less of a concern.

S at the start of words is usually the easiest for children to say, followed by S at the ends and then in the middle of words. If he can do a good S at the start of words it is usually less of a concern. This usually means that he is still learning how to do the S sound. He should develop S in the other word positions as long as he is provided with a bit of prompting. These children should be monitored though as some will need a small amount of work to get a good S in all the word positions.

Was he able to easily make a good S sound by itself? If he could do this then he has a good start. Was he able to easily ”fix” most of the S sounds in words the second time when you said the words first? If he can easily go back and “fix” most of the S sounds then it likely means that he is still learning how to do a good S. The S sound may continue to develop, especially if he is made aware of it. My level of concerns with children who still seem to be learning a sound depends a lot on their age. I would be much less concerned


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about a 5 or 6 year old who still seems to be learning the S sound than I would with an 7 or 8 year old who is still having difficulty.

Is your child missing their front top or bottom teeth? You do not need to have your front teeth to be able to do a good S sound but they help. The front teeth are the biggest guide for your child to know where their tongue should be when making the S sound. If your child’s front teeth are coming back in you may want to wait until they are back before deciding if they need to work on the S sound.

Is he hard to understand by others? Dads and especially moms don’t count as they understand their children much better than strangers. As a general rule strangers should understand 2 year olds 50% of the time, 3 year olds 75% of the time and 4 year olds almost all of the time. If he is hard to understand for his age then working on sounds is much more important.

Is he frustrated or embarrassed by his difficulty with the S sound? Anytime children show a negative reaction to their speech it is much more important to provide help.

I’m sorry that I can’t tell you for certain if your child needs to work on the S sound or not. There are just too many factors to consider. This guide cannot take the place of an assessment by a Speech-Language Therapist / Pathologist. The materials and suggestions are based on my experience as a Speech Language Therapist but as all children and situations are different they can only be used as a general guide. If you are not sure you should consult with a Speech-Language Therapist / Pathologist or have your child assessed. Also, this short assessment only looks at the S sound and only looks at one type of difficulty with S, lisps. If he has a different problem with S, you may want to consult with a Speech Therapist or look for information on that specific problem.

It is especially important to have your child assessed by a professional if he has trouble with more than a few different speech sounds that are no longer considered to be age appropriate, if he is experiencing frustration, or if he is difficult to understand for his age. One of the best sources for information on when speech sounds typically develop is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. www.ASHA.org. Once there just search for “Developmental Norms for Speech and Language”.


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Where to Start If your child cannot easily do a good S sound by itself, or if your child is not ready to sit down and play speech games for a few minutes each day, then you will want to start with Indirect Speech Therapy. Indirect Therapy will make your child more aware of speech sounds and will give him the information he needs to get ready to learn how to say the sounds correctly.

Younger children are often not ready to sit and do “therapy”. Also some older children will be resistive to doing direct therapy – especially with mom and dad. These children need to start working on the sounds indirectly.

If your child is able to make a good S sound and is able to sit down for a few minutes each day and “practice” then you will want to start with Direct Speech Therapy. Direct speech therapy is structured activities/games where you are working directly to help your child change their speech.

Indirect Speech Therapy: How to “Work” on the S Sound without “Practicing” Indirect Speech Therapy focuses on increasing your child’s awareness of specific sounds. Awareness is what he needs to get ready to say the sounds correctly. Indirect therapy can also be used to “work” on sounds when children are resistive to more formal “practicing”.

Try the following ideas for Indirect Therapy:

Ø If he is able to correct the S sound in words fairly easily then you can encourage him to try to say the words back as much as possible. If this is still hard for him then just have him listen / watch for now.

Ø Give the sound a label. For younger children who do not understand

what S is, it often helps to call it something that they do understand. Using a label will make him more aware of the S sounds. Calling it the “Snake Sound” often works well. You can use any label that makes sense to your child. The label itself doesn’t matter as long as it has meaning to him.

Ø Give the sound an action. Pairing a physical action with a sound makes it easier to say the sound. If he practices doing the action each time he


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says the sound, the action will help him to say the sound correctly in harder words. The best action that I have found to use with a frontal lisp is to make your index finger “slither” through the air like a snake. With a lateral lisp try having him simply hold his finger out about 6 inches from his face. When he is working on making a good S, he can use his finger as a target to direct the air at. Again, the action itself is less important than doing something that your child can easily copy and that makes sense to him. Until your child is ready to try making an S sound you would just do the action and have him copy you. Practicing the action and listening to you will increase his awareness of the S sound and will get him used to doing the movement.

Ø Use a visual. Pointing to a picture as S sounds come up will increase his awareness of the S sound. Once is he ready to say the S sound you can use the picture to remind him to say his S sound correctly. Page 33 has a large picture of an S that you can use. Page 34 has a picture of a friendly snake. You can use these or use a picture of a favorite word that starts with S.

Ø Model back good speech. When he has trouble with an S sound in a word, say the word back in a very positive way placing emphasis on the S sound. Say the S sound a little louder, longer, and make your S action. When you are saying the S sound you are just stretching it out – you are not repeating it in each word. For example, if he said “Sun” with a lisp you could say, “Sun. Yes, the Sun feels nice today. I like when the Sun is shining.” Repeating the word a few times adds extra power to the modeling. Of course, you would never want to correct in a way that would make him feel bad about how he is talking. You are just increasing his awareness. If your child is working on several different sounds you may want to model back only the sounds that you are working on at that time. It is often too much to model back every sound to a child who is making lots of mistakes.

Ø Point out some of the S sounds as they come up in daily life by placing emphasis on them. Stretch out that part of the word a bit and make it a bit louder. “Wow these chips are Salty. Would you like to try a Salty


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chip?” Salty has the S sound (or whatever label you picked). Listen Salty”. You can make this more powerful by either doing your Action for the S sound or by pointing to your Visual if it is handy. This is even more powerful if he does the action too.

Ø Listening Game - Does this word have an “S” sound? - Use the pictures

in this booklet along with some others to help your child listen for S sounds. Set out a picture, say the word nice and clear and ask him if it has the “S” sound. In the beginning it may be hard for your child to get this right by listening alone. To make it easier, use your S action as you say the S sounds and really exaggerate the S sound. You can also try setting out two pictures, one with an S sound and one without. Say both words and ask him to find the one with the S. For children that are a bit older ask him if the word has the S sound in the begging, middle or end. Listening for S at the start of words will be easier than listening for S in the middles or at the ends.

Ø Stories. Point out some of the S sounds as they come up in stories and

books. “Oh look the queen lives in a big castle.” “Castle has the S sound in the middle of the word. Listen castle.” It is also good to try pointing to the S letters in the printed word as you say it. It is never too early to make your child aware of print. You could also use the picture cards in this booklet to make up your own stories that have lots of S sounds in them. The funnier the story is the better. “Once upon a time a sad sailor ate a huge sandwich while lying in the sand. A snake came up and asked him…”

Ø Word of the Day/Week. With him pick a word that has an S sound, and

a picture that goes with it. Put the picture someplace where you both will see it during the day. Try to make the word come up as often as possible. If you are going to try to have him say the word, make sure to pick a word that he can get right most of the time.

The more you use these Indirect Therapy Ideas the better but be careful to not overdo it. Sometimes it isn’t appropriate to model back or do a gesture or point out the S sound. Sometimes you just need to be a parent and listen.


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Establishing the S Sound

If your child is not able to do a good S sound by itself or in any words you will likely need to teach him how to make it. All of the Indirect Therapy Ideas will help, especially if he is watching how you make the sound, but often you will need to do more.

Some children will easily learn how to make a good S sound. Others will struggle and will need lots of help and instruction.

There are two ways to make a good S sound. Your tongue tip can either be up towards the top of your mouth and pulled back slightly away from your teeth or it can be down at the bottom of your mouth behind your bottom teeth. Both positions will make a nice sharp S sound. For both the sides of your tongue are raised up so that they are touching your back upper teeth. When your tongue is at the right place you gently blow air down your tongue and through your mouth. You will need to have your teeth slightly apart so that the sound isn’t completely blocked. If he is making the S with a frontal lisp you will want to emphasize that you make your S with your tongue back behind your teeth. You can tell him that his teeth are a cage and that his tongue needs to stay inside.

If he is making the S with a lateral lisp you will want to show and tell him how the sound comes out the middle of your mouth. Not out the sides. Show and explain to him the tongue up and the tongue down way to do the S sound. If one of these ways works, great, this is the way he should start making the S. If both ways work, then have him use whichever way feels the easiest to him. Both are perfectly normal ways to make a good S.

Simply explaining and showing how to do an S will work for some, others will need to try additional ideas. All of the ideas below can help to make a good S sound. Some of the ideas you can try with both his tongue tip up away from his top teeth and with his tongue tip down behind his bottom teeth. As a general rule the tongue tip down behind the bottom teeth often works best when trying to correct a lateral lisp. But what works for one person doesn’t always work for another so it is best to try everything until you find a way to get a good S. Explain and demonstrate each idea first.


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Give him a target. Especially with lateral lisps it helps to give him a target to “shoot” his S sound at. Have him hold his finger out about 6 inches in front of his mouth and tell him to aim the sound so it comes out the middle of his mouth towards his finger. If this works it can make a good gesture to remind him how to make the S.

Another way to give him a target is to hold a drinking straw up against the center of his almost closed teeth. The straw stays outside of his teeth. Have him shoot the S down through the opening of the straw. You should be able to hear the S echoing down the straw. If this is working try pulling away the straw as he is making the good S so he can hear the S without the straw.

Start with a stretched-out Th sound. As he is making the Th sound, have him slowly pull his tongue into his mouth until you hear the S sound.

Have him say 3 T sounds immediately followed by an S sound. This sometimes works as the end of the T sound often puts your tongue in a good place to make an S.

Try having him close his teeth and make a stretched-out H sound. As he is making the H have him raise the tip of his tongue up for the tongue up S or have him push his tongue tip into his bottom teeth more for the tongue down S.

Have him make a big stretched out I sound as in “Ice”. As he is doing the I sound have him close his mouth changing the I into an S.

Also try a big stretch out A sound as in “Ace”. Again as he is doing the A have close his mouth changing the A into an S. When you make the A and I vowels you are pulling your tongue back which can help to make a good S.

Try having him make a big stretched out i sound as in “is”. As he is doing the i have him close his mouth changing the i into an S.

Also try this with the e sound as in “each”. Both the i and e sounds will help the sides of the tongue to come up to touch the top back teeth.

If you can get a good S sound with any of these ideas, wonderful. If not don’t worry, just keep trying a few times each day. A little practice in front of the mirror before he brushes his teeth is a great time to try. Don’t pressure him; just keep providing the stimulation he needs to help the sound to develop. Sounds develop, as children are ready.


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You need to consider though is if your child is missing their front top or bottom teeth. You do not need to have your front teeth to be able to do a good S sound but they help. The front teeth are the biggest guide for your child to know where their tongue should be when making the S sound. If your child’s front teeth are coming back in soon you may want to wait until they are back before trying to work on the S sound. If for whatever reason your child’s front teeth will be gone for some time I suggest that you try the above ideas to get a good S. If they work, great, keep going. If not and especially if it seems that the lack of teeth is causing the problem you would want to proceed with caution. Keep trying the ideas for a bit of time but don’t pressure your child. If you are still not getting a good S you may want to stop for a while and try again later or consult with a Speech Therapist. The same is true if your child has a dental bite that is so out of alignment that it is interfering with the S sound. Severe over, under and cross bites can all make it challenging to produce a good S.

If your child is older than 7 or 8 and these ideas are not helping you may want to consult with or have your child assessed by a Speech-Language Therapist. This is especially important if your child has a lateral lisp or if there are significant dental issues.


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Direct Speech Therapy When your child is able to easily make a good clear S sound by itself and he can sit down and focus on a structured activity/game for a few minutes at a time, then you are ready for Direct Therapy. Direct Therapy will give him the practice and repetition that he needs to master his S sound. But try or keep doing some of the “Indirect Therapy” ideas too. These will provide him with the extra awareness and practice to make great progress. “Rules” for Working on the S Sound (& Other Sounds).

Ø Practice success. Try to have your child get the sound right at least 90 to 95% of the time. This is my Golden Rule for speech therapy. Do whatever you need to ensure success. Work towards getting the sound right most of the time. You do not want to practice errors. As he gets better at the S sound gradually make the practice harder.

To make it easier: - You say the word first and have him watch to see how you made

the sound and then repeat after you. - Work on the easy words first. Some words because of the different

sounds in the word or because of a habit are harder to say. - It is often easier to say the S sound if you break the words apart.

For example, “S…un, “Pa…s”, “Dino…s…aur”. - Say the word slowly. - Use an Action – see page 15.

To make it harder: - Have him say the word first. - Don’t use the Action. - Say the words faster. Saying the words faster will make them more

automatic. Just ensure that he is saying the sounds right. - After repeating the word 5 times have him pause for a couple of

seconds and then say the word again. The short pause will have him go back and remember how to make the sound.

- Say the words in a short phrase. Repetitive phrases such as “I see a ____” or “I found a ____” are usually good ones to start with.

- Say the words in a sentence. Phrases and Sentences with the S word at the start such as “Sand is fun” are much easier to say than ones where the S is in the middle or at the end such as “I like to play in the sand.”


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- Saying sentences with more than one S sound is even harder. “The Sad Sailor ate a Salty Sandwich.” would be a great challenge.

- Sentences that he makes up on his own are harder than ones that he just repeats.

- Make up short stories using the cards.

Ø S at the start of words is usually the easiest for children to say followed by S at the ends of words and then S in the middle of words.

Ø Breaking the S apart from the rest of the word is fine if needed, but work on gradually putting the sounds back together. If children go for too long saying the words broken apart this can become a habit. Often saying the sounds super slow will help to put them back together. When you are doing this really stretch out the sounds in the word but don’t have any breaks between the sounds. Another way to try to get the S back together with the rest of the word is to write the S at one end of a strip of paper and the rest of the word at the other. Draw a line to join the S with the rest of the word. Such as:

S------------------------------------------and Show him how to move his finger slowly from one end of the strip to the other while saying the sounds. Keep your finger and the sound moving, don’t stop.

Ø Keep it short but focused. Practice for about 10 minutes each day. But during that 10 minutes try to have him say as many good S Sounds as possible. Two shorter sessions each day are much better than one longer one. Try to make practicing a routine part of your day. Often it helps to practice the same time every day. Just before bed, before a snack, when home from school, etc.

Ø Repetition. The more times the S sound is repeated the sooner it will become automatic. Try having him say the S words at least 5 times each when practicing. Hold up your fingers and then put one down each time he says the sound correctly. This will help to get lots of repetitions and shows him when he is getting the sound right. Aim for saying at least 100 S sounds correctly each day – the more the better!


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Ø Even if he can do S sounds in phrases or sentences, have him say the word by itself 5 times first and then put the word in a sentence. Repetition teaches him to do the sounds automatically.

Ø Keeping track of how many “good” and “bad” sounds he is doing can

help you know if you are working at the right level and can help to show progress. You wouldn’t need to do this every time you practice. Once a week is usually good. You can use the Tracking Sheet on page 25 to do this. Remember ideally you want to be at about 90-95% success. Do what you can to work towards this. Tell him what you are doing and let him see where you are putting down the marks. This will increase his awareness.

Ø Try keeping track of how many good sounds he made and then encourage him to beat this the next week. Using a chart to show him how many good sounds he is making can make it very motivating for him to keep practicing. Have him set a goal for how many good sounds he is going to do. There is a blank chart on page 26 that you can use.

Ø Have him listen to himself. Ask him whether or not he heard his good S sound when practicing. If he isn’t sure that he heard his good S have him say the word again. If he can have him use the tracking sheet to mark down for himself how he did with the sounds.

Ø Don’t worry about other errors. It is best to only work on one sound at a time. If you hear him miss other sounds when trying to say the S sound just model those sounds back. For example, if he said “Swow” for “Slow” just say back “Slow” putting extra emphasis on the S sound. It is usually best to work on only one error at a time.

Ø Ask for corrections. Once he has gotten fairly good at saying S sounds ask him to go back and “fix” when mistakes happen. “Hmm, I didn’t


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hear your good S sound, can you try again” or “I saw your tongue when you said ‘Sink’ can you fix that”. Always do this in a nice positive way. You would never want to make him feel bad about his speech. Try using a secret signal such as scratching your ear, touching your lip or just giving him a “funny” look to have him go back and “fix”. Using the gesture you have been working on can be a great way to remind him to go back and “fix”.

Ø Some S sounds will be harder than others. It may be because of a certain sound combination or a habit. Do what you can to make these harder words easier to say – slow down, have him watch your mouth, use his gesture, etc. If he still can’t get these harder ones then put them aside for now and try again later. You do not want to practice errors.


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Tracking Sheet Date:___________________

Right Wrong

Total # Right: Total # Wrong:

Percentage Right:


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Progress Chart

191-200 181-190 171-180 161-170 151-160 141-150 131-140 121-130 111-120 101-110 91-100

81-90 71-80 61-70 51-60 41-50 31-40 21-30 11-20 0-10

Write the date you practiced underneath each column and mark or color in how many sounds were said right on that date.


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When to Stop Practicing? - Carryover - The goal of working on any speech sound is that your child will learn to use the sound independently in their everyday talking. This is carryover. Carryover can take a long time and be difficult for some children. Others will pick up new ways of saying sounds very quickly. Try these ideas to help with Carryover:

Ø Keep up awareness. Continue to use some of the ideas from Indirect Speech Therapy.

Ø Keep up practicing saying the sounds correctly with lots of repetition. The repetition will help him learn to say the sounds automatically.

Ø Catch good S sounds as they come up. When you are not practicing and hear him say a good S sound make a big deal out of it. Let him know that you heard him use his good sound.

Ø Word of the day/week. Once he is fairly good at saying S sounds, have him pick a word with an S sound and put its picture someplace where you will both see it. Now try to make this word come up as many times as you can through the day and let him know that he will have to say this word right each time it comes up. This will help him learn to use his good sounds all of the time, not just when practicing.

Ø Make a picture book of words that your child can say correctly with little or no help. Have him say the words to “show off” to friends and relatives. Keep adding to the book as more words become “easy”.

Ø Catch “mistakes” as they come up and have him go back and “fix” as many as possible. Be careful to balance this correction with his frustration level. Have him “fix” only the ones that you know he can say fairly easily. Give him lots of praise. Once he is able to go back and “fix” his own “mistakes” by himself he is well on the way to carryover.


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Ø In a fun way make obvious “mistakes” when you say some of the words. Have him catch and “fix” your “mistakes”. Make sure he knows that this is just a game and that you are not making fun of his speech.

Ø With children that are a bit older try sitting down and telling him that you will be listening for his S sounds. Talk to him about whatever he wants to or do something together that requires talking. Telling jokes, making a shopping list, playing eye spy, etc. As he is talking keep track of his “good” and “bad” sounds. You can do this by giving him a token / bingo chip each time he says the sound correctly or by making check marks on a piece of paper. Try giving him 5 to 10 tokens and then take one away for each mistake he makes. When you hear a mistake have him go back and fix it. You can also have tokens that he takes away when he catches you making a “mistake”. See who can get all the tokens first. You could also try using the Tracking Sheet on page 25. If you are not getting enough S words coming up try setting out some of the cards to talk about or steer the conversation towards topics that have S words. “Let’s talk about what sports you like”.

Ø Don’t rush it. For some children carryover can take a long time and lots of work. Imagine how much work it would be to change the way you talk and to do this for the rest of your life. Just keep at it. Carryover will happen.


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Games to Play when Practicing S Sounds Playing simple games makes it motivating for your child to practice R sounds. It doesn’t matter what game you play as long as you both are having fun. An easy way to play is to have your child say a certain number of words, usually 5 to 10, before he gets a turn at a favorite game such as “Pop up Pirate”, “What’s in Ned’s Head”, “Hi Ho Cherry-O” or getting another piece of “Lego” or of a puzzle. Any simple game where you need to take turns works well. Make sure to take your turn at the game too. When it’s your turn you can practice saying the words or he can say your words for you.

Below are other game ideas to try. Just be careful that the game doesn’t take away too much from practicing the words. Games can make it more fun to practice but you are making a trade-off. Some games take time to play and make it harder to get the number of repetitions that are needed. Games can also become too much fun and a distraction that makes it harder for your child to remember to say the sounds correctly.

Using Clear Contact paper or laminating the cards in some way will make them last much longer. Younger Games: Fishing. Put a paper clip or a couple of heavy duty staples in each card. Make a fishing pole with a magnet on the end of the line. Turn the cards upside down and have him "fish" for the cards. Say the cards as you catch them. Bowling. Put a card under each bowling pin. Throw the ball and then say the words under the pins that were knocked down. Mailing. Cut a slit in the top of a box or other container to make a "mailbox". Let him "mail" the cards after completing each one Flashlight Hunt. Tape the cards on the wall and turn off the lights. Use a flashlight to find the cards.


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Race. Set up a set of cards in a winding path. Put the words “Start” at one end and “Finish” at the other. Use pennies or pieces from a board game and a dice/spinner. Have a race to the end. Say each card as you land on them. Target Practice. Lean the cards up against plastic cups or put a clothes pin on the bottom of each card so it stands up. Throw/roll a ball at the “targets” saying the ones that you knock over. Or set cards out on the floor or table and drop a bean bag on them. Say the cards as you land on them. Cooking. Turn the cards face down and then use a spatula to flip them over. Stamping. Using a bingo dabber or ink stamp, say the word each time you stamp it. Cards in a Bag. Put the cards in a cloth or paper bag. Have him say the cards as he pulls them out. Road. Build a road with the cards by laying them out on the floor or table. Have him say the words as he drives over them with a car. Feed the _____. Find a picture of an animal or funny face – cookie monster is a favourite. Print it out in a large enough size so that you can glue it to a small box. Cut out a slit for the mouth. Have him say the cards as he feeds them to the ________. If you have a large hand puppet and don’t mind cutting out part of the mouth, try having your child feed the cards to the puppet. Roll the Ball. Lay the cards out on the floor or table. Have him roll a ball over the cards and say the ones that the ball rolls over. Matching. Make two copies of the cards. Turn a small set of cards upside down and then take turns looking for matches. An easier version of the game would be to only turn one half of the cards upside down or put them in a bag and pull them out. Match this card to one that is already face up. Spin the Bottle. Put a plastic bottle on the table or floor. Put cards out around the bottle. Spin the bottle and say the one that the bottle points at.


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Pirate Spy. Hide a few cards around the room and then search them out by looking though a paper towel tube. Tell him to find specific ones or describe the ones you want him to find. Older Games: Counter. Have your child use a handheld counter (one where you push a button and the counter moves) or an app to keep track of how many words they are saying. Keep track and see if he can say more the next day. You should be able to find a free app by searching “tally counter”. Kapow. Put the cards in a cloth or paper bag along with one or two that says “Kapow” or another fun word. Take turns pulling out and saying the cards. When the “Kapow” card is pulled out all of the cards have to go back into the bag. See who can pull out 10 cards first.

Snap. You need at least two of each card. Deal out all the cards. Both players turn over their top card at the same time. If the cards match the first person to say “Snap” (or a different word – one that has the target sound would be ideal) gets the pile. Play until one person has all of the cards.

Guess what it is. Set out a number of cards. Pick a card in your head and describe it until your child can guess what it is. Say “I spy a something that is…(cold, green, is in the kitchen, is loud, has long tail, etc.) What is Missing? Set out 3 to 5 cards. Take turns closing your eyes while the other person hides one of the cards under the table or behind their back. Have the person try to figure out what is missing. War. Add numbers to the cards and play “war” with them. Say the cards as you turn them over.

Zap. Write 20-30 words on the ends of Popsicle sticks. Put “Zap” or another fun word on two other sticks. Put the sticks with the words pointing down into a container. Take turns pulling out a stick. If you pull out a “Zap” you have to put all of your sticks back in.


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Making the Games More Challenging As your child gets better at saying the S sound you can make it more challenging by playing games that naturally have your child say the S word in a short sentence or ones where he is saying more than one S word for each turn. Remember though to still practice lots of repetition. Have him say the words 5 times first before setting up the game or saying the sentence. Also have him go back and say any words that he has trouble with 5 times. Here are some ideas to try. Make a Story. Set out a few cards and start a funny story. Have him use the cards to fill in the blanks as they come up. For example, “Once upon a time a _________ ate a huge _________ for breakfast. If able, have your child tell back the story. If this is too hard just have him say the S words as you say the rest of the story. I Will buy a… Go on a pretend shopping trip with your child. Using the cards have him make and add to the list of what he will buy. For example “I will buy a “Sandle, a sausage and a baseball”. See how long he can make the list before he forgets. Or with the S sound try “I went Swimming and saw…” or “I have a secret…” Silly Sentences. Set out two cards and make up a silly sentence that uses both cards. Road game. Lay down some cards to make a road and drive a car or truck over the cards. As he does this have him say “I drove over a _____” or “The car/truck ran over the ____” Red Rover. Set out some cards. Say “Red rover, red rover I’m going to send a _____ over.” as you take turns giving each other cards. You could set up a piece of cardboard or a binder to act as the wall that you are sending the cards over. Rolling Over. Lay down some cards. Roll a ball and see which card(s) it rolls over. Get those cards and say “I rolled over a ____” Bigger – Smaller. Set out two cards. Roll a dice or spin a spinner for each one. If a “Sailboat” gets a 3 and “Spaghetti” gets a 6 you could say “Sailboat is smaller than Spaghetti” or “Spaghetti is bigger than Sailboat.”


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Easter Egg Hunt. Put some of the cards in to plastic Easter eggs. Hide them around the house and go on an egg hunt. As you find them say “The rabbit left a____” or “This Easter egg has a ______ inside”. Playing games that naturally have words with S sounds is a great way to practice and can be very helpful for children who might be tired of using cards. Try games like: Spin. Play a game with a spinner. Each time you spin say “My Spin” or “I spun a …” I Spy. Saying “I spy” and “You spotted a …” as you play. Singing. Singing songs that have lots of S words is a great way to practice without using cards. Just make sure that he is singing slow enough to be getting most of the S’s right. Try the Itsy-Bitsy Spider. Battle Ship. Play the Battle Ship game putting lots of emphasis on “Sinking Ships” and “Near misses.” Dice. Playing any game that uses dice you can make sure to get the good S in “Dice” and “Pass the dice”. “Six”, “Doubles”, etc.


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Big S Picture


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Snake Picture


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S at the Start of Words

Sand

Sailor

Sun

Seal

Saw

Santa


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Sing

Sandwich

Submarine

Surfing

Seed

Soap


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Soup

Sofa

Sink

Sail

Sandal

Saddle


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Sunglasses

Sucker

Seagull

Subway

Cereal

Superhero


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Seat belt

Syrup

Celery

City

Sip

Salt


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S at the Ends of Words

Bus

Dice

Mouse

Moose

Rice

Nurse


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Cactus

Boss

Fox

Pass

Horse

Walrus


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Juice

Grass

Box

Goose

Fence

Class


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House

Fireplace

Octopus

Chase

Chess

Miss


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Mess

Dress

Christmas

Guess

Gas

Tennis (Miss)


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S in the Middle of Words

Dinosaur

Pencil

Whistle

Medicine

Grasshopper

Icing


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Baseball

Lasso

Castle

Possum

Dancer

Muscle


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Fossil

Ice Cream

Bison

Dresser

Babysitter

Ferris wheel


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Bicycle

Policeman

Principal

Glasses

Bathing suit

Basset hound


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Popsicle

Motorcycle

Faucet

Braces

Groceries

Insect

Documents

How to “Fix” S Sounds (Lisps) at Home€¦ · of lisp it was. There are two main ways to lisp the S sound; Frontal and Lateral. The names refer to how the sound is coming out