/h/ Initial Phrases
Two-to-four word phrases with word-initial /h/, the step between words and sentences.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Show /h/ as an open mouth with a puff of breath, like fogging a window, before the vowel starts. Put a hand in front of the child's mouth so they can feel the air on hat and hug. Start with single-target phrases like in my house before the doubled ones like hop home and head and hands. Model, repeat, then have them try it on their own; five minutes covers the set twice.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentShow the card and let the student say the whole phrase on their own.Log as correct
- Visual cuePoint to your mouth, or show the mouth picture for /h/, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the phrase with the /h/ word slightly stressed; the student repeats it.Log as cued
- Placement cueMouth open, breathe out a warm, quiet puff, like fogging up a mirror.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to single words: the student says just the /h/ word from each card.
Move to sentences: the student puts the phrase into a sentence of their own.
Matching IEP goal
Given phrase cards, Student will produce /h/ in the word-initial position in phrases in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Ten short phrases with word-initial /h/: a big hat, a happy hippo, hot ham, hold the hen, give me a hug, hop home, head and hands, a hive of honey, put up my hood, in my house. Several carry two /h/ words, so a child gets repeated practice on the sound inside one phrase rather than a single attempt.
What to listen for
Listen for the /h/ being dropped, so hat becomes at, which is the usual error. Watch the doubled phrases: a child may get the first /h/ in happy hippo and lose it on the second. Also listen for too much effort, a harsh or throaty /h/, which usually means they are pushing rather than just letting air out.
Carrying it home
Hats, hugs and hands are easy to find at home. Say give me a hug before a hug, or put on your hat before going out, and wait for the child to say it back. Keep it light and let the breath do the work.
What's in this activity
- a big hat
- a happy hippo
- hot ham
- hold the hen
- give me a hug
- hop home
- head and hands
- a hive of honey
- put up my hood
- in my house
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- PreK through second grade, at the phrase level.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all ten phrases play free with no login.
- The child can say /h/ alone but not in phrases. Why?
- In a phrase the word before can run into the /h/ and swallow it, as in a hat. Pausing slightly before the /h/ word helps at first, then shorten the pause.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.