When your little one is trying to speak, they may find difficulty pronouncing complex syllables. To help them with that, you may try some articulation activities for toddlers. Read on to know more.

Defining Articulation

Articulation is the ability to produce clear speech sounds with the help of the tongue, lips, teeth, jaw, and palate.

Defining Articulation Disorder

An articulation disorder is the failure to make appropriate speech sounds. It is a motor disorder and can affect people of any age. But they are quite common in children as their articulators are still in the developing phase. Articulation disorder can involve one or more of the following speech errors.

Difficulty in pronouncing certain alphabets.

Deleting certain sounds at the start or end of words.

Making sound errors such as substituting w for r, ‘th’ for ‘s’ or ‘f’ sounds.

Distorting certain sounds. The tendency to add an extra sound to a word while pronouncing it such as ‘h’ sounds.

Articulation Activities For Toddlers

It is possible to correct articulation errors in toddlers with activities that involve using different speech sounds. Here are ten articulation activities for preschoolers, to help improve his speech in a fun way.

1. The Art Wall

Create different charts using magazine cutouts or pictures from your neighborhood for each target sound. You can help your toddler practice the correct pronunciation daily by studying these pictures. Practice can make them perfect.

2. Story Time

Make use of story time to involve your toddler in some articulation practice. Use picture books your toddler loves to help him identify objects with target sounds.

3. I Spy The Word

Draw or write words that have target sounds on pieces of paper, fold them and hide them all around the house. Whoever finds the most words and articulates them correctly wins the game. It is a great articulation activity if you have more than one toddler.

4. The Snack Bowl

Take two snack bowls. Fill one with a mix of candies and healthy treats. Use the other bowl to place target words/images. Participants have to pick one paper and say the word. For every right articulation, participants can pick a choice of snack from the bowl.

5. Guess The Word

Participants draw a picture and others by turn have to identify it verbally. Award one point for each correct pronunciation. Reward the winner.

6. Errands And Words

Use errands to help your toddler with his articulation practice. For instance, in the grocery store, ask your toddler to identify things that begin with ‘s’ or ‘sh’ sounds. You can do this when shopping for clothes, toys or during other errands.

7. Games And Words

There is no better time for some articulation practice than playtime. For instance, encourage your toddlers to practice target words or syllables with each throw of the ball to each other. Or practice a new target word with each push when on the swing.

8. Word Relay

Play the game of five words for each target sound. Take up a new sound as soon as you finish the previous one.

9. Marble Tower

Place marbles in a bowl. With every correct articulation, the toddlers get a marble to place it in a thin glass vase. The winner is the one with the tallest marble tower. This will help keep them motivated.

10. Word Hour

For a specified time, say 10 to 15 minutes every day, you and your toddlers speak only words that have target sounds.