/r/ Blend Speaking Cards
Twelve one-syllable words with initial /r/ blends (br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr), dealt one card at a time for production practice at the word level.
12 cards — tap to deal
0 / 12
How to run it
Deal one card and have the student say the word before you tap to the next. If the blend is hard, stretch the first consonant and pause: b-rush, not brush said as one smear. Model the word once, then ask for a second try. You can sort the deck by blend family (all the br words together) or shuffle for mixed practice. Mark accuracy in your session notes; the cards advance whether the production is perfect, so you judge the sound yourself.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student says the word on their turn before moving. Wait 3 seconds.Log as correct
- Visual cuePoint to your mouth, or show the mouth picture for /r/ and /r/ blends, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the word; the student says it right after you.Log as cued
- Placement cueShow the placement for the sound in a mirror and have the student copy your mouth shape.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to /r/ and /r/ blends on their own or in syllables, and use fewer cards.
Put each word in a short carrier phrase with no /r/ or /r/ in it.
Matching IEP goal
Given picture cards, Student will produce /r/ and /r/ blends in single words 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
Twelve words with initial /r/ blends: brush and bread with br, crab with cr, dress and drum with dr, frog with fr, green and grape with gr, print with pr, and train, trip and truck with tr. Each card appears one at a time so you can listen to the blend at the start of the word without rushing through a long list. It fits students who manage single /r/ words but still simplify or omit the second consonant in a cluster.
What to listen for
Listen for whether the student keeps both consonants or drops one (tush for truck, gain for train). Notice if errors cluster on one blend (only cr words) or spread across all of them. A student who can say green in a sentence but says geen on the card may be using a different strategy in connected speech. Watch lip rounding on br and fr words, which sometimes turns into a /w/ glide.
Carrying it home
Pick five cards and hide objects or pictures around the room: a toy frog, something green, a small brush. When the child finds each item, say the word together and stress the blend. At dinner, name foods that match a card (grape, bread) and let the child ask for one using the word on the card.
What's in this activity
- brush
- crab
- dress
- frog
- green
- train
- trip
- drum
- grape
- truck
- bread
Questions
- Who is this for?
- First through fifth grade students working on initial /r/ blends at the word level, including students who already produce /r/ alone but simplify clusters.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The cards play free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
- Can I add my own blend words?
- Yes. Copy the activity to your library or rebuild the list in Activity Studio as Speaking Cards. Keep one blend per word at the start for clear practice.
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.