Speech

🗣️ Common Speech Sound Errors in Kindergarten & Grade 1

As children learn to speak, it's normal for them to make sound substitutions. Some are typical and resolve on their own, while others may need attention from a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Here's what to watch for:

🚫 Sound Substitutions to Watch

🔄 Stopping

Children may replace sounds like s, f, and sh with p or t:

• f → p → “fish” becomes “pish”

• s → t → “sock” becomes “tock”

• sh → t → “shoe” becomes “too”

🔄 Fronting

Back-of-the-mouth sounds like k and g may be replaced with front sounds like t and d:

• k → t → “car” becomes “tar”

• g → d → “game” becomes “dame”

🧩 Other Common Patterns

🔻 Blend Reductions

One sound in a consonant blend is dropped:

• “spoon” becomes “poon”

❌ Missing Sounds

Sounds may be left out at the beginning, middle, or end of words:

• “dog” → “-og”

• “cookie” → “co-ee”

• “cat” → “ca-”

💧 Lateral /s/

A “slushy” or distorted s sound can occur at any age and may need attention.

👂 Quick Check: Listen for These Sound Substitutions

Have your child count from 1 to 10 and say the alphabet. Listen closely for these substitutions:

🔢 Numbers

• 4 → “pour”

• 7 → “teben”

🔤 Alphabet Letters

• C → “tee”

• F → “ep”

• J → “day”

• K → “tay”

• S → “et”

• Z → “ded”

These substitutions may signal a need for further evaluation.

🧘‍♀️ What’s Normal at This Age?

Some sound substitutions are developmentally appropriate and not a cause for concern:

• /r/ → /w/ → “rabbit” becomes “wabbit”

• /th/ → /d/ or /f/ → “thumb” becomes “dum” or “fum”

• Interdental Lisp → “sun” becomes “thun”, “seven” becomes “theven”, “zipper” becomes “thipper”

🗨️ When to Get Support

If your child shows sound substitutions not listed above, or if you're unsure whether a pattern is typical, speak to your school’s Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for guidance and support.

It’s normal to feel stuck sometimes when your child is trying to tell you something and you just can’t figure it out. Here are some gentle and effective ways to support your child and keep communication flowing:

• Ask Them to Repeat (Kindly): If you didn’t catch what they said, ask them to say it again—but take the blame yourself to avoid frustration. Try: “I wasn’t listening very well. Can you tell me again?”
  
  

• Repeat What You Heard: Echo back the words or phrases you did understand. This shows you’re trying and helps your child build on their message.
  
  

• Use Yes/No Questions: Narrow things down with simple questions like “Are you talking about school?” or “Is it something in your room?”
  
  

• Ask Clarifying Questions: Get more context by asking who, where, or when. This often helps the full message come together.
  
  

• Offer Choices: Instead of open-ended questions, give options. For example, “Do you want grapes or strawberries?” is easier than “What do you want for snack?”
  
  

• Let Them Show You: If words aren’t working, ask your child to point or take you to what they’re talking about.
  
  

• Teach Them to Clarify: Encourage your child to try again in a different way—slower, with more detail, or using gestures.
  
  

• Celebrate Success: When your child helps you understand, praise them! “Thanks for showing me your toy—that helped me know why you were upset.”
  
  

• Be Honest: If you still don’t understand, it’s okay to say so. Pretending can make kids feel unheard.
  
  

These strategies help build trust and confidence while making communication easier for everyone. Remember: every effort counts, and your child will feel supported knowing you’re trying to understand.

1. Emphasize Target Sounds
   Say them louder and longer. While reading aloud, point out and emphasize the sounds.
   
   

2. Correct Through Meaningful Repetition
   If a child makes an error, repeat the word back with correct pronunciation in context.
   Example:
   Liam: “The efen is big”
   You: “Yes, the elephant is a big animal.”
   
   

3. Highlight Sounds During Reading
   Use a transparency over the student’s page. Have them highlight their sound to anticipate and pronounce it correctly. 

4. Integrate Target Sounds into Thematic Activities
   Use classroom themes (e.g., STEM) to brainstorm words with the target sound.
   Extend to writing:

• Create sentences using 3+ target words

• Write a passage with 10 target words

• Read aloud for practice

5. Scavenger Hunt with Target Sounds
   Have a scavenger hunt with real objects or pictures of items with the target sound.
   Extend by discussing similarities and differences.

6. Morning Message Sound Boost
   Load your morning message with the target sound. Have the students read the message aloud as a group and as individuals. 

Treat it like a tongue twister and have everyone exaggerate the sound!!  

7. Play Word Games
   Example:  “Tomorrow we are going on a picnic and I will bring…”
   Each student adds a word with the target sound and recalls previous items.

8. Let Students Correct You
   Tell your students that you sometimes say words incorrectly and that you don’t always notice. While giving instructions, commenting, discussing, etc., make some sound errors and tell them it’s their job to help you.
   Example:
   You: “I need a poon for my nack.”
   Student: “I need a sssspoon for my snack!”
   You: “Oh! Right! I need a sssspoon for my ssssnack.”

9. Offer Correct Alternatives Together. Echo the student's mispronounced or incorrect word along with the correct version

Example:
Liam: “I need my tock.”
You: “Oh, did you need your tock or ssssock?”

10. Teach Sound Discrimination with Minimal Pairs
    Use pairs of words that differ by one phoneme.

Example:
You: “Do the words cat and pat start with the same sound?”