Free /th/ articulation activities and games
9 free activities · no sign-up
English has two /th/ sounds: the voiceless one in “think” and “bath”, and the voiced one in “this” and “mother”. Both are made with the tongue tip lightly between or just behind the front teeth. Common substitutions are /f/ or /v/ (“fink” for “think”) and /d/ or /t/ (“dis” for “this”).
The boards separate voiced and voiceless /th/ and each word position, so you can target exactly where the student needs practice. The sort helps a student feel the difference, with a hand on the throat for the voiced one, and the sentences and conversation starters carry the sound into connected speech.
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All 9 activities
Word level
- /th/ Final FlashcardsConventional word-final voiceless th targets at the single-word level.
- /th/ Medial FlashcardsConventional medial voiceless th targets at the single-word level.
- /th/ Voiced Final FlashcardsConventional word-final /th/ Voiced targets at the single-word level.
- /th/ Voiced Initial FlashcardsConventional word-initial /th/ Voiced targets at the single-word level.
- /th/ Voiced Medial FlashcardsConventional word-medial /th/ Voiced targets at the single-word level.
- /th/ Voiceless FlashcardsCards for voiceless /th/ (think, thank, three).
Sentence level
Conversation level
Games, stories and more
Questions
- Is the tongue between the teeth or behind them for /th/?
- Either works. Some speakers put the tongue tip between the teeth, others just behind the top teeth. Between the teeth is easier to see and copy, which makes it a good first cue.
- How do I teach voiced versus voiceless /th/?
- Have the student put a hand on their throat and feel the buzz in “this” that is missing in “think”. The voiced versus voiceless sort then gives them a reason to listen for that difference in every word.
- Should I target /th/ for a student whose dialect uses /f/ or /d/?
- Not as an error. In several dialects of English, /f/, /v/, /d/ or /t/ in place of /th/ is a regular feature of the dialect, not a speech sound disorder. Check the student’s dialect before writing a goal.
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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