Vocal Hygiene for Teens
Hygiene guidance framed around adolescent habits, not around a poster on a nurse's wall.
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
Start with the two counter-intuitive ones. Throat clearing and whispering are both things students do believing they help, and correcting those two produces more change than any amount of advice about shouting. The party card is worth taking seriously rather than moralising about — talking over music is genuinely the loudest thing most teenagers do, and moving somewhere quieter to talk is a realistic substitution.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentRead the card and wait 5 seconds for the student's answer.Log as correct
- HintAsk 'How would your voice feel after that?'Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ExplainGive the answer and the reason; the student says it back in their own words.Log as cued
Voice work belongs after an ENT examination. If hoarseness lasts or gets worse, stop and refer back to the physician.
Adjust it
Use fewer cards and sort into just two groups.
Plan what the student will do in their own hardest voice situation this week.
Matching IEP goal
Given everyday scenarios, Student will identify the voice-healthy choice and a reason in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight pieces of vocal hygiene written for an adolescent life: water, not energy drinks, since caffeine dries the vocal folds; do not clear your throat, swallow hard or sip water instead; whispering is not resting your voice, it strains it; talking over music at a party is the loudest thing you will do all week; sleep matters, a tired body makes a tired voice; reflux at night can leave you hoarse by first period.
What to listen for
Watch for throat clearing during the session itself, which is usually habitual rather than needed and which the student may not notice at all. Notice the reflux item — a student who is hoarse in the morning and better by afternoon has a pattern worth mentioning to a physician rather than working on vocally.
Carrying it home
A water bottle where the student will actually use it does more than any instruction. Families can also notice throat clearing without commenting on it, and mention the pattern rather than each instance.
What's in this activity
- Water, not energy drinks -- caffeine dries the vocal folds.
- Yelling across a parking lot costs you more than you think.
- Don't clear your throat -- swallow hard or sip water instead.
- Whispering isn't resting your voice; it strains it.
- Vaping and smoke irritate the vocal folds directly.
- Talking over music at a party is the loudest thing you'll do all week.
- Sleep matters -- a tired body makes a tired voice.
- Reflux at night can leave you hoarse by first period.
Questions
- Why is whispering harmful?
- Because it is not rest. Whispering brings the vocal folds close without full vibration, which for many people takes more effort than speaking softly with voice — the better substitution.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all eight cards play with no account.
- What ages is this for?
- Ninth through twelfth grade, framed around adolescent habits rather than general advice.
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.