/n/ Initial Phrases
Two-to-four word phrases with word-initial /n/, 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 /n/ as the tongue tip on the ridge behind the top teeth with the sound humming through the nose; a hand on the side of the nose lets the child feel it buzz. Start with the single-target phrases, my nose and at night, then the doubled ones like nine nuts and nice and neat. Model, repeat, independent; five minutes covers two passes.
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 /n/, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the phrase with the /n/ word slightly stressed; the student repeats it.Log as cued
- Placement cueTongue tip on the bumpy ridge behind your top teeth and keep it there. Hum so the sound comes out of your nose.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to single words: the student says just the /n/ 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 /n/ 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 /n/: a nap at noon, a new net, nine nuts, nice and neat, say my name, at night, a paper napkin, bump my knee, a noisy nest, my nose. Several are doubled, so the child says the sound twice in a few syllables. Knee is spelled with a silent k, which is a useful reminder that the target is the sound, not the letter.
What to listen for
Listen for /n/ becoming /d/, so nose becomes dose, which usually means air is not going through the nose. If most /n/ words sound like /d/, including ones the child used to get right, mention it to the family; blocked noses from a cold will do it for a week. Watch whether the second /n/ in doubled phrases holds as well as the first.
Carrying it home
Point to your nose and theirs and say my nose. Count nine things, say at night at bedtime, and use a napkin at dinner. The nose is easy to touch, which makes the humming /n/ easy to feel.
What's in this activity
- a nap at noon
- a new net
- nine nuts
- nice and neat
- say my name
- at night
- a paper napkin
- bump my knee
- a noisy nest
- my nose
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 in the browser.
- Why is bump my knee here?
- Knee starts with the /n/ sound even though the spelling begins with k. The board targets sounds, so it belongs.
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.