R/ is a later developing sound and is one of the harder sounds train as the tongue not only has to be in the right position, but it also has to be tight. It is also a sound that frequently occurs in our speech, so it tends to be very noticable to others that there is a speech problem.
ISOLATION
1. Open your mouth as wide as you can and say y-y-y without closing your mouth. (R exercises #1 link)
2. Act like you are curling your hair with a curling iron or driving a car while saying r-r-r.
(R exercises #2 link)
DISCRIMINATION
Practice discriminating between /w/ and /r/ word pairs. Play the matchup game (Game #1). The Speech Helper should randomly say one of the words and the Speech Learner can click on the word. If he/she identified the correct word of the pair, then the Speech Learner can click the matches and "turn over" the cards.
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WORD INITIAL R
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I. SYLLABLES
Word initial /r/ in syllables:
Get a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle. Put an R in the middle. Write the vowel sounds a, e, i, o, u around leaving space to draw in an arrow from the R circle to the vowel. Trace your finger from the /R/ to the vowel sound saying the syllable slowly. Speech Learner should say it three times after Speech Helper. Do long vowels and short vowels.
a
e
R i
o
u
R Game #2: Play these games for more R syllable practice.
II. WORDS
Now you are ready to use your good /r/ sound in words.
R Game #1: W vs. R Games
Game 1: Start with Flash Cards. Say them in pairs with the /w/ word first. Speech Helper will help you decide whether you should remove card ("Good job" sound is correct) or put it back in the pile ("close").
Game 2: W vs. R Match Up: Say a pair of words. Speech Learner should do imitatively after speech helper until they can do it with 90% accuracy, then they should say it on their own. Turn over cards if /R/ sound was correct. Speech Learner will most likely need Helper's input to make determination at first. Later on they will be able to judge for themselves accurately but will need Helper to monitor and make sure they are saying the words out loud.
Game 3: Concentration: Speech Learner must say the word he uncovers out loud and correctly or it is someone elses turn to uncover two of the cards. This helps with motivation to keep saying the words out loud. Start with the Learner repeating the word after helper, then when student is 90% correct, move to having student say words on their own.
R Game #3: Word Initial /R/ Game
R Game #4a and 4b: Word initial /R/ Blend Games
III. SENTENCES
Can the Speech Learner say initial /R/ sound in single words with 90% accuracy? If so, they are ready to move on to using their good /r/ sound in sentences. Simply have them play the word initial /R/ games making sentences instead of just the word by itself.
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WORD FINAL R
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I. SYLLABLES
Word final /r/ in syllables:
I call this the /er/ sound. There are 6 /er/ syllables: ar, air, ear, ire, or, er. Get a piece of paper and draw a circle in the middle. Put an R in the middle. Write the vowel sounds a,a, e, i, o, u around leaving space to draw in an arrow from the vowel to the R circle. Put a line above the second a, the e, and the i to show they are long vowel sounds. Speech Helper should trace finger from the vowel sound to the /R/ saying the syllable slowly. Have the Speech Learner say it three times after you. Sometimes the o sound before /R/ and /L/ sounds are difficult because it is a very unusual sound that we really only use in these contexts - it's not oh, oo, or ah. Try it for yourself!
II. WORDS
Now you are ready to use your good /er/ sound in words. Play word final /r/ and /er/, /or/, /ar/ games saying the words each time you click on a word. Speech Learner will need to imitate words first until they can do flashcards with 90% accuracy, then can start saying words on their own with no model.
III. SENTENCES
Can the Speech Learner use final /R/ sound in single words with 90% accuracy? If so, they are ready to move on to using their good /er/ sound in sentences. Simply have them play the word final /R/ games, (/er/, /ar/, /or/ are all word final /R/ sounds), making sentences instead of just saying the word by itself.
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GENERALIZATION
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Now that we can say /R/ and /ER/ in sentences, we can move on to where we really want to be - conversational speech. and not just when we are pracitcing, but also when we are out and about in our daily lives. There are many ways you can do this, but make sure to give the Speech Learner get lots of feedback - you used your good /r/ 7 out of 10 times! Play the R in Conversation Game. There are also some activities you can do in the links listed below.
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