When Speech Sounds Are Tricky: Helping Kids Master Pronunciation

Understanding the sounds children find hardest and how to make practice fun.

💬 Why Some Sounds Take Longer to Master

If your child says “wabbit” for rabbit or “thun” for sun, you’re not alone — tricky sounds are a normal part of speech development.

Children learn sounds gradually, often over several years. Each sound depends on how the tongue, lips, teeth, and airflow work together — so it takes time, coordination, and lots of play!

👂 Good to know:
Most children master all speech sounds by around age 7 or 8, but the timeline varies for every child — especially for neurodivergent learners.

At Speakable, we focus on progress, not perfection.
Let’s look at the sounds that usually take the longest — and what you can do to help at home.

🔠 5 Commonly Tricky Speech Sounds

Sound	Example Words	When It Usually Develops	Common Substitution
/r/	red, car, rabbit	6–7 years	“wed”, “cah”
/s/	sun, snake, bus	5–6 years	“thun”, “nake”
/l/	look, lion, play	4–5 years	“yook”, “wion”
/sh/	shoe, brush, fish	5–6 years	“soo”, “brus”
/th/	thumb, bath, mouth	6–8 years	“fum”, “baf”, “mouf”

💬 Every sound follows its own developmental path — and some kids just need a little extra time and support.

💡 Simple Practice Ideas at Home

1️⃣ Listen first, then try

Before practicing, help your child hear the difference between sounds.
👉 “Do you hear the /s/ in sun?”
Listening games strengthen auditory discrimination — the foundation for clear speech.

2️⃣ Make it visible

Use a mirror so your child can see how their mouth moves.
Practice together: “Watch how my tongue stays behind my teeth when I say /s/.”

3️⃣ Turn practice into play

Speech muscles love movement!
Blow bubbles, use straws, or make silly faces — all of these build control and awareness.

4️⃣ Use sound hunts

Pick a “sound of the day” and find it around the house.
🔍 “Let’s find three things that start with /l/!”
This builds generalisation (using sounds in real life).

5️⃣ Celebrate small wins

Every clear sound deserves praise.
Avoid perfection talk — focus on effort, confidence, and fun.
💛 Progress grows fastest when kids feel proud.

🎲 Playful Practice Ideas: Turning Speech into Play

Speech practice doesn’t have to mean sitting still and repeating words — in fact, the best results happen when kids are having fun and moving.

Here are some easy ways to weave sound practice into everyday playtime 👇

Goal	Activity	Example
🎯 Listening	“Sound Detectives” — find objects around the house with your target sound	“Let’s look for things that start with /s/ — snake, spoon, socks!”
🪞 Mirror Play	Practice in front of a mirror to see how lips and tongue move	“Watch how my tongue stays behind my teeth when I say /s/.”
🧸 Silly Voices Game	Say the same word in a whisper, robot voice, or monster tone	“Lion… LION… Liiiioooon!”
🎶 Songs & Rhymes	Choose songs rich in tricky sounds	“Sally sells seashells” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
📚 Story Hunt	Read a story and listen for your sound	“How many /r/ words can we find in this book?”
🗣️ Bubble & Straw Play	Blow bubbles, sip through straws, or use cotton balls to train airflow	Great for /f/, /s/, and /th/ control

💛 Therapist Tip:
Keep sessions short (3–5 minutes) and end with success — even one clear word is a win!
Children learn best when speech feels like connection, not correction.

💛 Final Thoughts

When speech sounds are tricky, the best thing we can do is keep practice light, playful, and consistent.
It’s not about drilling — it’s about connection and repetition.

Every sound your child learns builds confidence in communication — one “snake”, “rabbit”, and “shoe” at a time. 🐍🐰👟

And remember:

💬 Speech progress is a journey , celebrate every word along the way.