Speech Helpers Teach How
and Where Sounds Are Made

Learning about the Speech Helpers is an important first step in learning to say a new sound.

It helps children and adults follow sound placement cues and movement directions more easily and with less confusion.

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Read and talk about these ten Helpers with your children.

This will help them learn what parts of the body make speech and which ones are used to make each sound.

Locate and feel each one your body.

Then try making some of the sounds that go with each one.

*Remember when you read letters with quotations (“K”), it means to read it as “the sound it makes without a vowel.” Do NOT say it with a vowel (“kuh” as in cut) or as the letter name K (Kay).


Examples:     “F” is “ffffffffff”    not        “fuh” or “eff”       


1. LIPS

Put your lips together to make “P”, “B”, “M”, and “W” or just use your bottom lip when you make “F” and “V”.



2. TEETH

Close your teeth to make “S” and “Z” or put your top teeth on your bottom lip to make “F” and “V”. Your tongue goes between your teeth for “th” (as in thin) and “TH” (as in the).


3. NOSE

Air flows through your nose to make “N”, “M”, and “NG” (as in “sing”).



4. RIDGE

Your ridge is right behind your two front teeth. It’s the right spot for “S”, “Z”, “L”, “T”, “D”, and “N”.











7. FRONT TONGUE

The front of your tongue is used to make “T”, “D”, “S”, “Z”, “Y”, “L”, “Ch”, “J”, “SH”, “th”, “TH” and “ZH” (as in measure).


8. BACK TONGUE

The back of your tongue is used to make “K”, “G”, and “R”.



9. VOCAL CORDS

Your vocal cords vibrate to make ALL vowels and voiced sounds like “B”, “D”, “G”, “Z”, etc. They don’t vibrate for voiceless sounds like “P”, “T”, “K”, “S”, etc.


10. LUNGS

Your lungs give you air to make every sound - especially “H” because it’s all air!

Our free e-Book gives you detailed descriptions, sound examples, real, full color photos, and a color by number chart to solidify you and your child's understanding.

Speech Pathologists, adults, and parents can use this tool with children who have:

• Apraxia
  
  
• Articulation Disorders
  
  
• Cleft Palate
  
  
• Phonological Disorders
  
  
• Stuttering / Fluency Disorders
  
  
• all other areas of communication that involve using clear speech