/t/ Initial Phrases
Two-to-four word phrases with word-initial /t/, the step between words and sentences.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Model each phrase once, then have the student repeat it as one smooth unit. Cue placement as tongue tip up on the ridge behind the top teeth, then a quick release with no voice. Start with the single-target phrases, on the table and the toad hops, before the loaded ones like tie it tight and tap two times. Acting out tap two times makes it a movement as well. Five minutes covers the set.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentShow the card and let the student say the whole phrase on their own.Log as correct
- Visual cuePoint to your mouth, or show the mouth picture for /t/, before the student tries again.Log as cued
- Verbal modelSay the phrase with the /t/ word slightly stressed; the student repeats it.Log as cued
- Placement cueTongue tip up on the bumpy ridge behind your top teeth, then drop it with a quick, quiet puff. Voice off.Log as cued
Adjust it
Go back to single words: the student says just the /t/ word from each card.
Move to sentences: the student puts the phrase into a sentence of their own.
Matching IEP goal
Given phrase cards, Student will produce /t/ in the word-initial position in phrases 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
Ten short phrases with word-initial /t/, for the student who has /t/ in single words and is ready for more than one: a tiny toy, take a taco, tape the tent, ten toes, on the table, tie it tight, the toad hops, cut the tomato, a full tummy, tap two times. Several stack two or three targets together, and a couple, like on the table and cut the tomato, put the /t/ after other words.
What to listen for
Listen for the /t/ on the second and third words, not only the first. Common slips are backing to /k/, so toy sounds like coy, and voicing to /d/, so ten sounds like den. Notice whether the student holds /t/ in the middle of the phrase, as in cut the tomato, where the target comes after another word. That tells you whether the sound will hold up in sentences.
Carrying it home
Use the phrases in real moments: count ten toes at bath time, tap two times on the table, tie it tight on a shoelace. The child says the phrase while doing the action. A few real repetitions a day beat a long practice at a desk.
What's in this activity
- a tiny toy
- take a taco
- tape the tent
- ten toes
- on the table
- tie it tight
- the toad hops
- cut the tomato
- a full tummy
- tap two times
Questions
- Who is this for?
- PreK through second grade students who have /t/ in single words and are ready for phrases.
- Do I need an account?
- No. The board plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
- What if the student cannot hold /t/ across the phrase yet?
- Go back to single words taken from the phrases, like toy, ten and toad, then rebuild one phrase at a time.
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.