Free /sh/ articulation activities and games
9 free activities · no sign-up
/sh/ is made with the lips rounded and pushed forward, the tongue a little further back than for /s/, and a broad stream of air. Students often swap it with /s/ (“sip” for “ship”) or with /ch/ (“chop” for “shop”), and each of those contrasts has its own board here.
The word-position flashcards and mixed sentences are the core drill. The beach scene hunt suits younger students, the auditory bombardment list is for listening before speaking, and the conversation starters carry the sound into talk once sentences are steady.
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All 9 activities
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Games, stories and more
- /sh/ Auditory Bombardment List14 words that start with /sh/, read aloud one card at a time for listening: the student hears the sound many times and does not have to say it.
- /sh/ vs. /s/ SortDiscriminate /sh/ from /s/ by sorting pictures.
- Find the /sh/ Things at the BeachA beach picture scene. Find and say the 5 word-initial /sh/ pictures: ship, shark, shirt, shell, shoe.
- Minimal Pairs — /sh/ vs. /ch/Discrimination practice for /sh/ and /ch/.
Questions
- What cue helps with /sh/?
- The “quiet” cue works well: finger to the lips, lips rounded, “shhh”. Lip rounding is easy to see, so a mirror helps the student copy it. Mark the trial cued while you are modelling.
- Why practice /sh/ against /s/?
- If a student says /s/ for /sh/, “sea” and “she” sound the same. The /sh/ versus /s/ sort asks the student to listen for which sound a word starts with, and hearing the difference first makes the production practice easier to correct.
- What is auditory bombardment?
- Listening, not speaking: you read a list of words with the target sound while the student just listens, usually at the start of a session. It gives the student many clear examples of the sound before they are asked to say it.
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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