What is the difference between prevocalic and vocalic /r/?

Prevocalic /r/ comes before a vowel, as in “red” or “carrot”. Vocalic /r/ follows a vowel and colours it: “ar”, “or”, “air”, “ear”, “ire” and “er”. Many students who say one well still need work on the other, which is why the vocalic flashcards are split by vowel.

Should I cue a bunched or a retroflex /r/?

Either tongue shape can produce an acceptable /r/. The boards are neutral on placement, so use whichever cue gets the student there and keep using it. The cueing ladder on each activity page lets you log a cued attempt separately from an independent one.

How do I work on /r/ in conversation?

Once sentences are steady, move to the carryover stories and the conversation starters, including a set written for teens. Choose a few target words to listen for, keep the talk going, and mark only the words you planned to count so the data stays comparable from session to session.

Free /r/ articulation activities and games

39 free activities · no sign-up

/r/ is really a family of targets. Prevocalic /r/ as in “rain”, the vocalic /r/ vowels in “car”, “bird”, “deer” and “fire”, and /r/ blends like “tree” and “frog” each ask something different of the tongue, so a student can be accurate in one context and not yet in another. The boards here are split the same way, so you can practice exactly the context a student is working on.

Every board plays in the browser with no account. Start with word-level flashcards for the context you are targeting, move to phrases and sentences once productions are consistent, and use the stories, bingo board and conversation prompts for carryover. Mark each attempt correct, cued or incorrect as you go, and the board gives you a session summary you can copy into a note.

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Play free/r/ Matching GameOpen full activity →

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All 39 activities

Word level 23

Phrase level 1

/r/ Initial PhrasesTwo-to-four word phrases with word-initial /r/, the step between words and sentences.FlashcardsGrades 1–410 cards

Sentence level 4

Conversation level 2

Games, stories and more 9

Questions

What is the difference between prevocalic and vocalic /r/?: Prevocalic /r/ comes before a vowel, as in “red” or “carrot”. Vocalic /r/ follows a vowel and colours it: “ar”, “or”, “air”, “ear”, “ire” and “er”. Many students who say one well still need work on the other, which is why the vocalic flashcards are split by vowel.
Should I cue a bunched or a retroflex /r/?: Either tongue shape can produce an acceptable /r/. The boards are neutral on placement, so use whichever cue gets the student there and keep using it. The cueing ladder on each activity page lets you log a cued attempt separately from an independent one.
How do I work on /r/ in conversation?: Once sentences are steady, move to the carryover stories and the conversation starters, including a set written for teens. Choose a few target words to listen for, keep the talk going, and mark only the words you planned to count so the data stays comparable from session to session.

Keep the data from every board

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal. Assign any board as home practice through the parent portal.

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