About this activity
Eight words sorted by where the /s/ falls: sun, sock, seed and soap have it at the start; bus, kiss, goose and horse have it at the end. Position awareness is a small skill with a large payoff — a child who can say where a sound is in a word can be told which position they are working on, and can hear their own errors more precisely.
How to use it in a session
Say the word slowly and ask whether the sound comes at the beginning or the end. Stretch the target so its location is obvious — sssssun against busssss. Once sorting is reliable, ask for a word of the child's own for each bin, which is a generative task and much harder. Eight minutes covers the eight with the extension.
What to listen for
Watch whether the child confuses position with prominence. Initial sounds are louder and more salient, so a child may say every word starts with /s/ simply because that is where they notice it. Notice whether they can hear a final /s/ they do not produce — a child who omits the final sound but sorts correctly has the perception, which is a good position to be in.
Carrying it home
Asking whether a sound is at the start or the end of a word takes five seconds. Doing it with the child's own name is usually the most interesting place to begin.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through third grade, alongside articulation work on /s/.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all eight words play with no account.
- Why does position awareness matter?
- Because it lets a child follow instruction about their own speech. A child who can hear that the /s/ in bus is at the end can understand what you are asking them to fix.