Light Contacts Practice
Cards targeting light articulatory contacts.
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
Demonstrate the contrast first. Say puppy with hard, pressed /p/ sounds and then with light ones, and let the student hear that the second is both easier and still clear. The three tongue-twister phrases at the end are the hardest and the best practice, since they stack the same stop repeatedly and expose any pressure immediately. Ten minutes covers the twelve.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses light contacts on their own. Listen without reminding.Log as correct
- Visual reminderPoint to the picture or card that stands for the technique.Log as cued
- Verbal reminderSay a short reminder, such as 'Touch lightly.'Log as cued
- ModelSay it yourself using the technique; the student copies, then tries the card again.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to shorter turns: single words or two-word phrases.
Move to longer turns, a new listener, or a little time pressure.
Matching IEP goal
Student will use light contacts in short phrases in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual reminder.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve items for practising light articulatory contact: puppy, bubble, table, kitten, goggles, popcorn, basketball, potato, telephone, and three phrases — Peter picked a pumpkin, Big brown bears, Ten tiny turtles. Every word is loaded with stops, because stops are where pressure builds and where a light contact makes the most difference.
What to listen for
Listen for the contact getting lighter without the word getting mumbled. Some students overshoot and produce a soft, unclear consonant, which is not the target — the sound should stay identifiable with less force behind it. Watch the phrases, where the first stop is usually light and the third has reverted.
Carrying it home
The tongue-twister phrases work at home as a game rather than an exercise. Saying Ten tiny turtles gently three times is something a family will actually do, and it is exactly the practice.
What's in this activity
- Touch lightly: puppy
- Touch lightly: bubble
- Touch lightly: table
- Touch lightly: kitten
- Touch lightly: goggles
- Touch lightly: popcorn
- Touch lightly: basketball
- Touch lightly: potato
- Touch lightly: telephone
- +3 more
Questions
- What is light contact?
- Making a consonant with less pressure than usual — a /p/ or a /t/ formed gently rather than pressed and released hard. It reduces the tension that turns a sound into a block.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve items play with no account.
- What grades is this for?
- Second through eighth, wherever light contact is being taught as a fluency-shaping tool.
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.