speech therapy words starting with r

• WV App Login
• Site Search
• Report Templates
• Speech Helpers
• SLP Resources
• Top 10 Tips
• Getting an Eval
• Certified SLP
• How to Say the R Sound
• 0-18 Months
• 18-36 Months
• 18-30 Months
• 30-36 Months
• 10-11 Years
• Articulation
• Cleft Palate
• Phonological
• Dysphagia Causes
• Dysphagia Treatment

1000+ R Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Reading Passages Grouped by Place, Syllable, & Blend

As promised here are the words for your unlimited use .

If you know others who can use our lists ...

... please share this page using our site share buttons.

SEE ALSO:  How to Say the R Sound [VIDEO]

Buy Flashcards for R & R Blend Words for $9.99

Explore Our Goal Reaching, Client Centered Products

**NEW** Click on words for picture, audio, & extra practice content!

Br - blends, cr - blends, dr - blends, fr - blends, gr - blends, pr - blends.

prairie dog

SEE ALSO:   The Best Free App for Speech Therapy

Initial R by Syllables

wrist watch

racquet ball

rattlesnake

Rhode Island

right handed

rolling pin

wrestling match

recognition

recollection

relationship

residential

respectable

riding safety

Rocky Mountains

rationality

reciprocity

recommendation

respiratory

roasting marshmallows

Roman Catholic

Roman numeral

reconciliation

reconsideration

Republican Party

Medial R by Syllables

encouragement

interruption

maple syrup

waffle iron

irresistible

Memorial Day

necessarily

verification

voluntarily

Mediterranean

peculiarity

Final R by Syllables

falling star

millionaire

questionnaire

shooting star

conquistador

El Salvador

SEE ALSO:   The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

Initial R Phrases and Sentences

cute rabbit

raccoon tail

tennis racquet

pretty rainbow

scoop of raisins

rake leaves

reach up high

read quietly

recycle bin

old rhinoceros

bowl of rice

ride safely

diamond ring

small wrench

write it out

I see a rabbit in the grass.

The raccoon has a striped tail.

They all wanted to race together.

He hit the ball with the racquet.

I am listening to an old radio.

Use the rag to clean the floor.

The rain was pouring down.

I see more than one rainbow.

I want raisins in my cereal.

We rake leaves in the fall.

The rat was looking for some cheese.

She is trying to reach the rings.

It was fun to read about princesses.

She is showing people how to recycle.

Red is my favorite color.

The rhinoceros has big horns.

She is holding a ribbon.

We want rice for dinner.

He went on a motorcycle ride.

She had a beautiful diamond ring.

Don't rip the paper we need it.

The rock is heavy.

There is a big rug in my house.

He likes to run by himself.

He used the wrench to fix the leaky faucet.

He is holding his wrist.

She writes in her journal every week.

Medial R Phrases and Sentences

suspect arrest

charged battery

fresh blueberries

digital camera

fresh carrots

cherry on top

breakfast dairy

beaded earring

erase a mistake

fairy costume

thick forest

tall giraffe

small hearing aid

dry macaroni

married couple

peel orange

talking parrot

pirate ship

nice squirrel

number zero

The police officer made an arrest.

She is holding an arrow.

He needed a battery for his game.

He ate blueberries for breakfast.

She has a digital camera.

We pick carrots from the garden.

I would like a milkshake with a cherry on top.

Dairy is always good for breakfast.

Her earring was too heavy.

If you make a mistake, erase it.

She dressed up as a fairy.

Many trees are in the forest.

Their house has two garage doors.

The giraffe has a long neck.

He puts the hearing aid in his ear.

He dressed up like a hero.

We want macaroni and cheese for dinner.

They are a married couple.

He is going to eat the orange.

How does a parrot talk?

The pirate is looking for treasure.

The squirrel was looking for nuts.

Mom read a story to her son.

I want syrup on my pancakes.

The walrus has huge tusks.

The doctor showed her the x-ray.

Our address has a zero in it.

Final R Phrases and Sentences

hungry bear

butter popcorn

wooden chair

family dinner

clothes dryer

roaring fire

tall ladder

near the hole

white paper

nice to share

ocean shore

square block

classroom teacher

whisper softly

The bear was hunting for food. 

I put butter on my popcorn.

The car is fast.

Matthew sat down on the chair.

They did a cheer at the pep rally.

They sat down for a family dinner.

We knocked on the door three times.

She put the clothes into the dryer.

The fire kept them warm.

The wood floor made the room look great.

She will be four years old in October.

She has long, pretty hair.

Use the ladder to reach the fruit.

The ball is near the hole.

Please take out a sheet of paper.

Can I have a bite of your pear?

Can I pour you a glass of water?

She is nice to share her ice cream.

Let's go play by the sea shore.

The spider waited for flies in the web.

A square has four sides.

The star was hanging on the tree.

She is our 5th grade teacher.

Don't make me tear these papers.

She whispered into the girl's ear.

The fence had barb wire on it.

It is almost the end of the school year.

R Reading Paragraphs

Garage scientist.

Whenever I have free time, I race to my garage. I have all kinds of crazy experiments going on in there. I don't mean testing rats or anything. I mean really cool experiments. 

For example, right now I am experimenting to see if carrots can recharge batteries. I have had other experiments that have gone longer. My experiment to see if raisins will make the speakers in my radio louder has been going on for over a year now. 

There are so many more ideas that I want to experiment with - making a fireproof door, testing to see what rainbows are made of, trying to see if I can teach rats to read. 

If my brain was made of trees, it would be a forest of ideas. Science is radical!

My buddy Randy is my hero. He has won many awards, ribbons, and trophies. But he doesn't care about all of that. He does what he does to help others. Here are a few things he has done that make him such a great guy. 

First of all, he is married and is an awesome dad. He has been a teacher for 15 years and has won teacher of the year three times! He volunteers to read to students at after school programs and pick up garbage on the side of the road on the weekends. 

He recycles paper, plastic, and glass which is good for the environment. He helps people with hearing aids get them for less money. He once saved a baby giraffe from drowning at the zoo. He is writing two books. One about ways to improve classroom education and another with fun short stories for kids. 

There are hundreds of other examples I could share with you. Randy puts his heart and strength into everything he does. He is a real role model and I try to follow the example he sets.

Pirate Fanatic

My sister has a friend who thinks he is a pirate. He wears a red bandana on his head, has a pet parrot that he keeps on his shoulder, and walks around saying, "Arrr matey." 

As if this wasn't strange enough, he also has a really big collection of earrings. Not normal earrings either, weird ones.

He has earrings that look like rocks, wrenches, raccoons, cameras, walrus, and even a pair that look like rakes. I understand that some pirates wear earrings, but I thought they would be scarier like hooks, or circles, or daggers. 

I feel like I should tell my sister's friend to research the type of earrings that pirate's wear. Without the right gear, a person who is trying to look like a pirate will just look strange. If he ever met a real pirate, the pirate would probably make fun of him for how he looked. 

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial BR by Syllables

breast stroke

breathtaking

British Isles

broken down

Brooklyn Bridge

brotherhood

Brussels sprouts

Medial BR by Syllables

paint brush

white bread

gingerbread

London Bridge

paint brushes

scatterbrain

whole wheat bread

celebration

Golden Gate Bridge

Initial BR Phrases and Sentences

metal bracelet

smart brain

sliced bread

eat breakfast

long bridge

broken plate

big brother

fresh baked brownie

Her grandmother gave her the bracelet.

Her friends say she is a brain.

The bread was cut in slices.

I love bacon, eggs, and orange juice for breakfast.

The bridge connects the two cities.

The plate was broken.

He swept the area with a broom.

He loves his brother.

She had a fresh baked brownie for her treat.

Medial BR Phrases and Sentences

scary cobra

cornbread muffin

bushy eyebrow

fabric store

wood hairbrush

new paintbrush

orange toothbrush

piece of white bread

The cobra wanted to strike.

She had a cornbread muffin for dinner.

He had a bushy eyebrow.

She got her fabric at the store.

She just bought the hairbrush.

Grab a paintbrush and get started.

The dentist gave her a new toothbrush.

I bought a loaf of white bread.

We saw a zebra in the jungle.

BR Reading Paragraphs

Lucky bride.

My brother is getting married on Friday. He wants the wedding day to be perfect for his bride. He is planning to visit her house early and make her breakfast in bed. Two of her favorite things to eat are brownies and cornbread, so he is actually going to make her brownie oatmeal and cornbread muffins. 

She loves zebras and he bought her a picture of a baby zebra from a store, just east of the Brooklyn Bridge. He bought her a beautiful bracelet to wear at the wedding. 

He has other gifts that he wants to bring her, but I told him to wait until after the wedding for some of them. She is really smart so he is getting her a squishy foam brain that she can put on her desk at work. He also wants to give her a new set of paintbrushes for her studio. 

If he treats her this good all of the time, I'm sure she won't break his heart.

World Records

The Guinness Book of World Records is full of amazing facts that will raise your eyebrows. From broken bones to tiny brains, it covers the world's most interesting, fanatical, and dedicated people. 

Some records have never been broken even though many people try. There are records for people who own entire houses full of brown fabric, barns full of toothbrushes, and cars full of moldy white bread. One person holds a record for riding a broom over a thousand miles. 

Some records are held by more than one person. Like the four bread store owners who sold a bridge, or the three brothers who hold a record for having cobras on their head for the longest amount of time. 

Why would anyone wear a cobra on their head? Some might think that is brave, but I would think something was wrong with their brain. 

If you visit a city with a Guinness Book of World Records museum, I recommend getting up early, eating a big breakfast and spending all day in one. You will have fun and wild stories to bring home to your friends and family.

Initial DR by Syllables

drawing board

dressing room

dressing up

driver's seat

driving range

drummer boy

dry cleaner

dramatically

drastically

drawing table

Medial DR by Syllables

fruit drink

eye dropper

hair dresser

lemon drink

line drawing

orange drink

race driver

screwdriver

truck driver

driving safety

lemon-lime drink

overdrawing

pineapple drink

salad dressing

taxi driver

ambulance driver

hydrophobia

hypochondriac

quadrilateral

Initial DR Phrases and Sentences

chinese dragon

draw a picture

night dream

wood dresser

drink water

The statue was of a dragon.

The drain was not clogged.

He started to draw a picture.

She had a happy dream.

The dresser is made of wood.

She wanted to drink water.

The faucet started to drip.

They went for a drive on a dusty road.

The snare drum is played in a marching band.

Medial DR Phrases and Sentences

new address

tidy bedroom

playing children

cherry cough drop

one hundred

laundry basket

heavy raindrops

high snowdrift

light sundress

Every home has a unique address.

I always keep my bedroom tidy.

The children are best friends.

The cough drop made him feel better.

He is one hundred years old today.

The laundry basket is full.

Raindrops are falling on her.

The car was covered by a snowdrift.

She wore her sundress to the beach.

DR Reading Paragraphs

Snowdrift drama.

In the winter, wind blows the snow to create snowdrifts. Some storms are so drastic that snowdrifts bury cars on our street in snow. 

Snowdrifts can be anything you can dream up. The neighborhood children and I always played in snowdrifts around our houses. We would dig the snow out and pretend to drive the drifts like cars. 

I would sit in the driver's seat and my friend Drew would be co-pilot. One time we shaped the snowdrift into the shape of a dragon. Another time, we shaped the snow into a bunch of little drums. 

We would also make snowmen. We took dirty laundry and clothes we found in our dresser drawers, and dressed our snowmen head to toe. 

Once we accidentally used my sister Drea's dress. Drea got pretty mad at us and took her dress to the dry cleaners right away. If you ask me she was a little too dramatic about the whole thing. 

I dreaded that she would tell my mom and I would get in a lot of trouble. I pictured my mom dragging me all over the store to help buy Drea a new dress. Luckily, Drea and I made a deal. I promised to bring her favorite drink to her anytime of the day for one month. 

Now I'm worried I will drop the drinks I take to her.

Unique Drummers

My cousin Drake is a professional drummer. He's not the typical kind of drummer though. At his shows, he and the other drummers will drum on almost anything. 

I have seen them drum on people's drink cups, drill bits, drain pipes, a washer and dryer, and a hundred other things. His drumming group is very entertaining to watch. 

They mostly perform on stage in concert halls. They perform outside concert halls too though. They have performed at a driving range, in someone's bedroom, at a drag race, and at a drugstore. 

The drummers usually don't ask questions about where they play, as long as they get paid for their time. They have dreams to play in New York City some day. The band is saving their money to drive there, but don't have enough yet. 

Next month they are holding a special performance at the drive-in theater. It is a Halloween based concert so one of the band members is going to dress up as Dracula and drum on a mummy. The drummers hope this concert will raise the extra money they need to drive to New York. 

As a band of drummers, they are very driven to meet their goals and dreams. 

That's what it takes to be a performer. 

Initial FR by Syllables

French fries

French toast

fresh water

friendliness

frontal lobe

front runner

frostbitten

fruitfulness

fruit salad

frustrating

frustration

fraternizing

frighteningly

Medial FR by Syllables

girl friend

Good Friday

infringement

refreshments

confrontation

infrequently

refreshingly

refrigerate

San Francisco

South Africa

unfrequented

unfriendliness

unfruitfulness

refractivity

refrigeration

refrigerator

Initial FR Phrases and Sentences

picture frame

freckle face

French fries and Ketchup

delicious french toast

Friday night

best friend

pink frosting 

Her picture was in the frame.

Her freckle face is gorgeous.

Give me a lot of Ketchup for my French fries.

She had French toast for breakfast.

Our date is on Friday night.

He is my best friend.

The frog caught the fly with its tongue.

She wanted pink frosting on her cupcake.

They had their choice of fruit.

Medial FR Phrases and Sentences

kind boyfriend

ugly bullfrog

deep-fry food

cute girlfriend

cut grapefruit

play leapfrog

refresh yourself

beautiful sea front

The thunder scared me and I was afraid.

Her boyfriend is very kind and respectful.

A bullfrog is gross.

Deep-fry foods for a better taste.

I like being with my girlfriend.

I eat grapefruit in the morning.

They are playing leapfrog.

She used the water to refresh herself.

Their house was right on the sea front.

FR Reading Paragraphs

Freaky french toast.

Fran's boyfriend, Fred, enjoyed making her breakfast on Friday.

This Friday he said he would make her French toast with frosting, fruit, and whip cream. Fred's French toast recipe was amazing. It had been passed down from his great grandmother who made French toast in France.

Fred never told anyone the recipe.

All Fran knew was that he deep-fried the bread in a special mixture that had frozen grape juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in it. The French toast was so good it was freaky.

Being Fred's girlfriend was great and getting French toast every Friday was a huge perk. Fran hoped that Fred would tell her the secret French toast recipe one day.

Until then, she would just enjoy how frequently she could eat them.

Freckle Watcher

In my free time I like to freckle watch. Freckle what? I know, it sounds like a weird hobby. I tried to refrain from it, but the truth is, I can't. I think freckles are so cool.

I have seen freckles that look like frogs, French fries, and even Africa. I get different responses when I ask to see people's freckles. Unfortunately, people aren't always the most friendly when you ask if you can look at their freckles.

Sometimes I go days without looking at any. It can be frustrating. Most people are friendly and unafraid and will show theirs to me. I have made good friends with complete strangers because I asked to see their freckles.

I was introduced to my girlfriend, Francesca, by one stranger. He said Francesca was interested in art and thought freckle shapes would be a fresh idea for one of her projects.

I wouldn't give up my hobby of freckle watching for anything. 

Initial GR by Syllables

grade school

grass snake

ground floor

grandchildren

granddaughter

grandfather

grandmother

grasshopper

Great Britain

grizzle bear

Ground Hog Day

grounds keeper

ground zero

grammatical

grandfather clock

grand piano

great-grandparent

group therapy

Medial GR by Syllables

concord grapes

disgraceful

study group

underground

aggravation

agriculture

congratulate

congregation

disagreement

ingratitude

photographer

ungraciously

agricultural

bibliography

disagreeable

disintegrated

geographical

oceanographer

topographical

undergraduate

ungrammatical

Initial GR Phrases and Sentences

her grandpa

tiny grasshopper

green crayon

brown grizzly bear

cute groundhog

She loves her grandpa.

Grapes come in many colors.

I need to cut the grass.

The grasshopper has big legs.

I always color the grass green.

It is fun to grill in the summer.

The grizzly bear is hungry for fish.

The groundhog came out of its hole.

Medial GR Phrases and Sentences

Let's agree

blue-green feathers

one hundred degrees

white egret

hand engrave

flowery fragrance

hungry birds

migrate north

You shake hands when you agree.

You can see when she is angry.

The bird has blue-green feathers.

One hundred and six degrees is hot.

The egret was walking in the water.

He learned how to engrave from his father.

The perfume had a flowery fragrance.

The baby birds are hungry.

Every year they migrate north.

GR Reading Paragraphs

Hungry grizzly.

My grandpa and I ran away from a grizzly bear in the woods. We were camping near a stream. We had caught some fish and put it on the grill for dinner. When the grizzly ran toward us, grandpa said he could tell it wasn't angry. It was just hungry.

We both agree that the fragrance of the fish was strong and was all the grizzly wanted. We are grateful he wasn't hungry for us and that the fish and our other groceries were enough to gratify his hunger. We are also grateful that we parked our truck close to camp so we could get in it for protection.

It is the best camping story my grandpa and I have together and, even though it was scary, I don't regret going.

Phil the Groundhog

I grew up in a town that has a large group of people who are passionate about our town groundhog Phil.

During the year, Phil meets and greets people at our local library. He lives there in his groundhog habitat. Our town has Groundhog Phil statues all over it to show our pride for Groundhog Day - a bagpipe playing groundhog, statue of liberty groundhog, a mayor groundhog, and a firefighter groundhog to name a few. Phil even has his own official souvenir shop.

Every year on Groundhog Day, we all meet at Gobbler's Knob to see Phil predict the weather. The town officials go on the grandstand and have a ceremony where they talk to Phil and see if we will have a long or short winter.

We have a great time and look forward to it every year. 

Initial CR/KR by Syllables

cream cheese

crow's nest

cruise ship

crackerjack

craftsmanship

crop duster

cross-country

crystallize

chrysanthemum

cracker barrel

cranberry tree

creativeness

credit rating

credit union

critical mass

cross-country skis

cross reference

crossword puzzle

Medial CR/KR by Syllables

bike crossing

double-cross

handcrafted

water craft

increasingly

microscopic

railroad crossing

aircraft carrier

incriminating

micro detector

Initial CR/KR Phrases and Sentences

hard shell crab

start to crawl

box of crayons

crave chocolate

busy crosswalk

start to cry

I think a crab just pinched me.

The wall had a big crack.

The baby just started to crawl.

He shares his box of crayons.

They were acting crazy in the kitchen.

Our crib was hard to put together.

I crave a big chocolate bar.

Cross the street at the crosswalk.

The baby started to cry.

Medial CR/KR Phrases and Sentences

broke and bankrupt

gross cockroach

wet concrete

cold ice cream

messy packrat

soft pie crust

garden scarecrow

tell the secret

fluffy whip cream

The company went bankrupt last month.

Do you see that cockroach?

Sidewalks are made out of concrete.

Here is your bowl of ice cream.

He is a packrat, he keeps everything.

Wrap the pie crust around the dish.

The scarecrow keeps birds away from the garden.

She is telling her a secret.

May I have some whip cream on my pie?

CR/KR Reading Paragraphs

Ice cream cake.

The ice cream cake was melted all over the floor. Kristina's party had gone perfectly until her friend, Crystal, had forgot to put the ice cream cake in the freezer. Kristina wanted to cry! She had been craving ice cream cake for days. It was her favorite ice cream cake - mint with cookie crust, topped with whip cream and cherries.

She wanted to try and save the cake, but a cockroach had crawled into it and then hid in a crack in the wall. Cockroaches drove her crazy and it made her feel worse about losing the ice cream cake.

"I'll go buy another one," said Crystal. She ran outside, crossed the street, and went to the cake shop. She was back in minutes with a new ice cream cake - mint with cookie crust, topped with whip cream and cherries. It was exactly like the one that melted.

"How did you get another one so fast?" Kristina asked.

"I have a secret to tell you," Crystal responded, "I had two cakes made just in case something like this happened. I forget to do stuff like this all the time. I would probably go bankrupt if I bought ice cream cakes all the time. Thank goodness I don't!"

Crystal, Kristina, and their friends laughed and all enjoyed a slice of ice cream cake.

Creative Uncle Creed

People I know say my Uncle Creed is crazy. He lives across from the beach. Every day he goes to the beach and finds crabs. Then he takes them home and puts them in a crib.

Not a box, not a cage, a crib.

Then he takes crayons and colors the tops of their shells.

"When the crabs move around they create what I call 'moving art'," he says. Some call it crazy, I call it creative.

He also collects scarecrows, broken pieces of concrete, crumbs, and fake crystals. He keeps them all in crates in his front yard, but I don't know where he gets them all from. People call him a packrat, but they shouldn't criticize. We all collect "stuff."

He has done some pretty incredible things. He has given a crow a bath in a creek, fed a cricket cream cheese, and crawled on cranberries to make his own cranberry sauce.

He is amazing at crossword puzzle. It has never taken him more than two minutes to finish any crossword.

He is building his own spacecraft too - not to go to space, just to learn how to build one.

People call me crazy, but I want to be like my Uncle Creed some day.

Initial PR by Syllables

prescription

practical joke

practically

praying mantis

prehistoric

preparation

preposition

presentable

presentation

professional

proposition

prehistorical

preparatory

prepositional

probability

productivity

pronunciation

Medial PR by Syllables

sound proof

fingerprint

improvement

low pressure

mispronounce

appropriate

approximate

April Fools Day

disapproval

life preserver

vice president

word processor

appreciation

impressionable

inappropriate

interpretation

representative

uncompromising

unprecedented

Initial PR Phrases and Sentences

pray quietly

fierce predator

nice present

salty pretzel

cute princess

desk printer

win the prize

She kneeled by her bed to pray.

Predators are animals that hunt for their food. 

He has a small present.

We bought a pretzel at the store.

This coat has a high price.

She is wearing a princess crown.

Will you please fix our printer?

He won the prize.

He is proud of his paper.

Medial PR Phrases and Sentences

approved message

ripe apricot

month of April

cook's apron

architect blueprint

ink fingerprint

making a footprint

be surprised

waterproof boots

The business request was approved.

An apricot is delicious.

My birthday is in April.

The cook had an apron on to keep clean.

The architect created the blueprint.

Security clearance requires a fingerprint card.

She left a footprint in the sand.

He was surprised when he opened the gift.

His yellow boots are waterproof.

PR Reading Paragraphs

Pretzel prank.

You have heard the story of the princess who pricked her finger. This is the story of the prince who ate a pretzel.

Everyone in the kingdom loved the prince. He was proud of his kingdom. He protected the people and ruled with humility. The people gave him presents. The people in the kingdom rarely had any problems with one another.

Once when the prince was in the marketplace, he bought and ate a pretzel from one of the shops. While eating the pretzel, there was a puff of smoke, and then the people saw a prune on the ground. The people gasped and didn't know what to do. They asked the man who sold the prunes what they could do, but he didn't know.

Finally, someone stepped out of the crowd revealed the prince high up on the castle wall. "It was just a prank," he said, "The prince is not a prune. We played a magic trick on you."

The people all breathed a sigh of relief and were happy to have their prince back.

Predators and Prey

Predators are animals that hunt for their food. Prey are the animals that predators try to eat.

Typically, predators will prowl around and watch their prey to see what kind of movements they make. Even though prey are the animals being hunted, they are not dumb. Many types of prey are pretty smart.

For example, prairie dogs use a variety of pitched, warning barks to warn each other of different predators. Some birds will protect their eggs by pretending to be hurt. This lure predators away from their eggs.

Both predators and prey have their own problems. Predators don't always know if they will eat and prey don't always know if they will live. Personally, I'm glad I can go to the store to get my food. 

Initial TR by Syllables

train station

transcribing

transferring

translation

transmission

treacherous

treasure chest

treasure hunt

trustworthy

traditional

tranquility

transatlantic

transferable

transitional

transparency

transportation

tribulation

traditionally

transcontinental

triangulation

trigonometry

Medial TR by Syllables

concentrate

country club

railroad track

rainbow trout

state trooper

subtraction

catastrophe

concentration

contribution

controversy

electronics

entrepreneur

extravagant

illustrated

introduction

no trespassing

remote control

St. Patrick's Day

ventriloquist

electricity

metropolitan

pediatrician

Initial TR Phrases and Sentences

red tractor

horse trailer

hidden treasure

silver truck

loud trumpet

The tractor helps plant the crops.

They pulled the trailer into the yard.

The train was moving fast.

Take the trash out today.

The pirates found the hidden treasure.

The tree was 50 feet tall.

He rode his trike in the driveway.

A silver truck drives by.

He practiced the trumpet in the living room.

Medial TR Phrases and Sentences

stage actress

red fire truck

good orchestra

short pinetree

horse race track

down the railroad track

old remote control

subtract numbers

nice waitress

The actress rehearsed for her performance.

The fire truck was standing by in case of a fire.

The orchestra will perform tonight.

The snow had fallen on the tree.

The horses ran fast down the race track.

The railroad track turns at the mountain.

I use the remote control to fly the plane.

You need to subtract for these problems.

The waitress took her order.

TR Reading Paragraphs

Tracy's training.

Tracy was an actress and she was going to be in a movie about farms. To play her role, she had to learn to drive a tractor, clean a pig trough, take out trash, and hike on trails during short camping trips. But that was just the beginning of the things she needed to learn.

She put a lot of trust in Troy, the farmer who taught her how to do these things. She grew up in a big city and never had the type of training that Troy gave her.

In the beginning, Tracy thought living on a farm in the country, driving a truck, and living in a trailer would be a tough transition. It didn't take her long to realize how much hard work living on a farm was.

She learned how to trust others, work hard, and even jump on a trampoline. After she finished filming the movie, she had a lot of great memories and thought to herself, "I wouldn't have traded anything for this experience."

Caution! Train Tracks

Tre rode his trike all over the neighborhood. He did just what his mom asked. "Stay in control, don't do tricks, and never go near the train tracks," she said.

One day when Tre was out riding, he heard the siren on a fire truck. Tre rode his trike as fast as he could toward the sound. Just before he got to the train tracks, he saw the fire truck. Then he saw another thing that looked like a truck. It was smashed everywhere.

Tre saw someone close by and asked what had happened.

"The truck got stuck on the train tracks," the man said. "Luckily he got out before the train hit the car," he continued, "That would have been tragic."

Tre realized right then why his mom had warned him to stay away from the train tracks.

He had wanted to try and ride over the tracks just to see if he could, without getting into trouble. He was glad he had listened and not tried.

"Train tracks are dangerous," Tre said. From then on Tre watched the train go by from the tree house in his yard. That was close enough for him.

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with producing the "R" sound.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week.

This is not enough time  for your child to overcome an articulation disorder with the "R" sound. But with high caseloads...

...it's all SLPs can do.

There's  only so much time  in the day.

Every day that your child goes without practice  it becomes more and more difficult  to correct an "R" error because he/she continues to say it incorrectly. 

Freebies, Activities, and Specials, Oh My! Sign up for Terrific Therapy Activity Emails

See Past Email Examples

Your information is 100% private & never shared .

Hi! We're Luke and Hollie.

We are both MS CCC-SLPs and fell in love while studying for our degrees. Since then we have done everything together - graduated, worked, and started a family. We spend most of our time with our family and the rest making this site for you.

Top Free Resources

Word Vault Essential

# 1 Chronological Age Calculator

Popular Materials

All in one printable flashcards.

Multiple Meaning Word Mega Pack

Complete Articulation Word Search

New! 111 Articulation Stories

Teaching the Sound Books

Multi-Syllabic Words Flashcards

Apps to Save You Time & Help Your Clients

Articulation therapy + pirate adventures = awesomeness.

This App Will Get Your Kids Talking

Image Credits

Copyright © 2010 –

HomeSpeechHome.com | All Rights Reserved

This website contains affiliate links, meaning if you buy something from them we may make some money (at no cost to you). By using our affiliate links, you are helping to support our site which is a U.S.-based, family-run small business :)

Any call to action with a link here?

Teaching the R Sound in Speech Therapy

Teaching the R sound in speech therapy can be stressful for a speech therapist. Children with speech sound disorders may have difficulty with saying r words. In this blog post, I’m sharing a simple, 5-step strategy SLPs can use to teach the r sound successfully and without frustration. Many students with articulation disorders have difficulty producing the R sound. Older students who have been in speech therapy for years may be feeling frustrated. Luckily, there are many elicitation techniques that can be successfully used to treat R sound errors in speech therapy! Speech pathologists interested in teaching the R sound should make sure to bookmark this post for future reference. Trying different things can really change this game when treating this tricky sound!

This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.

Different Types of R

When Speech Pathologists are working on the “R” sound, specific errors need to be identified. There are many different positions of a word that R can occur in. R can occur in the initial position, medial position, and final positions of words. R can be influenced by vowels, and are known as “vocalic R” sounds (examples: art, orange, car). It can also occur in blends (r blend examples include princess, friend, and grape). It is helpful to figure out specifically which R the student can and cannot say. Christine Ristuccia has developed a very helpful screening form, The Entire World of R. This is a great way to gather baseline information.

Common R Sound Errors

Many students with articulation disorders have a hard time producing a correct R sound. R sound errors can occur for initial r, medial r, and final r sounds. These sound errors can occur in isolation, at the word level, in phrases, at the sentence level, and in conversation. It isn’t uncommon that R and vocalic R sounds are the last sounds left to target in speech therapy.

Perhaps that’s why the R sound has the bad reputation of being a “pesky sound”.

• Oftentimes in younger children, the w sound is substituted for the R sound. An example might be “wabbit” for “rabbit”. Minimal pairs might be useful in this situation.
• Occasionally, students might substitute l for r (for example, “light” for “right”).
• R might also be substituted by a “y” sound (an example would be “ram” vs “yam”).
• Other R speech sounds might lose their “R” quality and sound more like a vowel sound. “ER” might be placed by a neutral schwa, for example.

A licensed speech-language pathologist can listen carefully to distinguish which r sound errors a student might be making.

References: Bauman-Waengler, J.A.  Articulatory and Phonological Impairments: A Clinical Focus . Third ed., Pearson Education Limited, 2013. 

Additionally, students may have difficulty with r blends. For example, in the word “frog”, a w might be substituted for an r (fwog).

Proper Tongue Placement

There are different ways to produce R . This is why it is helpful to establish what type of R sound a student will be most successful with during articulation therapy.

When teaching tongue position, it is helpful to use a visual cue paired with a tactile cue.

The retracted r is also called the bunched r. The tip of the tongue is retracted and the tongue is “bunched” and “lifted” toward the pharynx. In simplified language, it is “bunched up” and “pulled back”.

A retroflex R involves the tip of the tongue being raised to the roof of the mouth, specifically to the alveolar region. The rest of the tongue is essentially flattened.

Research, Videos, and CEU Courses

A speech language pathologist often reviews research-based articles and takes continuing education. Here are some recommended articles, videos, and CEU courses:

• R Techniques and Intervention to Correct R- Seven Steps, From Basics to Habituation – a CEU course by Sandra Holtzman, M.S., CCC-SLP, COM, QOM
• Successful R Therapy – a CEU course by Pam Marshalla
• How To Treat R – this is a youtube video I created to share my favorite tips and tricks!

Recommended R Materials for SLPs

There are some materials I like to have on hand when teaching the R sound. Here is a short list:

• Tongue depressor : a tongue depressor is a wonderful way to assist with tongue placement and positioning.
• A mirror : the use of a mirror allows my students to make sure they are not moving their jaw too much while producing the R sound.
• Comprehensive R Program

Some SLPs have found success using speech buddies . These include placement guides for producing sounds like R and S.

5 Simple Steps for Teaching the R Sound in Speech Therapy

Teaching the R sound in  speech therapy  doesn’t need to be so frustrating! Following this 5-step strategic process, which utilizes the foundational skills of orofacial myology, has been an absolute game-changer for me. I know it will be for you, too.

I always explain to my students the importance of being able to move the tongue without moving the jaw (or lips). These are orofacial myology basics. We need precise, controlled motor movements of the articulators. One thing I have noticed time and time again with my R students is the lateral shifting of the jaw when they try to say “er” in isolation. Others tend to jut the chin forward. Use a mirror and bite blocks to draw awareness to this. With a bite block or stacked tongue depressors , we work on tasks such as moving the tongue tip from one corner of the lips to the other, while focusing on only moving the tongue.

The first place I start is establishing the “er” sound in isolation . This is based off of  Sandra’s Holtzman’s R: Techniques and Interventions  ceu course, which was a game-changer for me. If you’re looking to take an amazing CEU course for treating R, look no further. You can establish “er” using either a  bunched r or a retroflexed r  tongue shape. How To Teach Bunched R (Retracted R): For a bunched R,  I like to use my arms to explain the spread and lift of the tongue . When my student says “uh” instead of “er”, I say, “Try that again. You dropped the sides of the tongue.” I hold my arms out in front of me (hands clasped together), and visually show them “raised sides” vs “flat sides” using my elbows. You can also use a tongue depressor to facilitate tongue movement and gently lift the tongue up and back. It may take a few tries, but this can also help elicit the correct production of er. Finally, I will also use my hand as a reminder to lift and pull the back of the tongue for the bunched R. How to Teach The Retroflex R I like to use my hand as a visual cue to teach the retroflex R, with the palm flat and upward, and the tips of my fingers pointing up. An older approach you might try is starting from the L sound, then having the student trace the tongue back along the roof of their mouth. This can assist with sound production for ER.

After your student can successfully say ER in isolation, you can move on to the next step! This involves practicing the “er” sound in lots of sounds and blend combinations (in both real and nonsense words). This step ensures that your student understands how to control, shape, and place the tongue, in a variety of contexts . For example, you would pair “er” with bilabial sounds (erber) in nonsense word combinations. Later, you would cycle back and practice bilabials again in the final position of words (Decem…ber).

You can use a strong foundation in “ER” to shape the other vocalic r sounds when working on R in speech therapy. You will slowly blend “er” into the other vowels or sounds, then try it again at a faster pace. For example, to say “RL” as in “girl”, we say “ER + L” (errrrrr…..L). To say “AR” as in art, we say “AH + ER”. ER is the foundation for all other R sounds.

And finally, to elicit the initial R, we can use our “ER” sound (“ERrrrrain…. rain). If you would like a great resource with ready-to-go worksheets and words that utilize this approach for treating R in your speech therapy sessions, be sure to check out my  Correct that R  resource on TpT.

Other things to consider when treating R in speech therapy

There are some other considerations to keep in mind when working on R.

Some of your students may have been in speech therapy for a long time. Trying a fresh new approach might be just what your student needs to see success. This R program incorporates foundational orofacial myology techniques and has allowed me to be highly successful with correcting R sound errors in speech therapy.

A speech pathologist can try wording things differently to describe how the parts of the tongue move and position while producing the target sound.

Also, remember that patience is key . When working on R in speech, I have spent up to two months trying to get “ER” in isolation. It takes focus and a lot of hard work!

Remind your students that their tongue is a muscle . That means they can control it, shape it, and move it.

Try using auditory discrimination. Read R word lists that target a specific sound to your R kids! It can help a little bit to learn to not only say the difference but also to hear the difference.

Some students need to consider lip placement . Sometimes retracting the lips (smiling!) while saying R can help eliminate W in the initial position of words (i.e. “wabbit” for “rabbit”).

Go-To Resources to Teach the R Sound in Speech Therapy

Need a go-to resource that will help you teach the R sound?

Although R can make SLPs feel frustrated to teach, there is good news. Hundreds of speech-language pathologists have trusted this R program, which is based on research, and have seen huge results. It involves a systematic, comprehensive approach that ensures success. It provides several visual supports, and ready-to-go worksheets and activities.

Jessica G, SLP, said, “I’m so grateful for this resource !!!! Targeting “r” was like my worst nightmare and when students weren’t making progress I felt so discouraged and did not know what else I could do to improve accuracy. Thanks to Karen and this amazing resource, I actually get excited to treat “r” now. The approach used actually works and my students finally seem to understand tongue positioning better (and maybe I do too!). This is definitely worth buying! Thank you!”

Watch this youtube video to learn even more about how to use this resource and approach to treating R.

In summary, it is very possible to successfully teach the R sound in speech therapy! You- and your student- can have great success with this sound! SLPs can teach either the bunched R or retroflex R in therapy. Starting with vocalic ER in isolation is useful before attempting to try to teach other vocalic R sounds.

• My go-to resource for teaching the R sound
• Try a new way of treat R- check out my favorite CEU course
• Here are my favorite tools for helping to teach the R sound: tongue depressors and a mirror

Similar Posts

How to do speech therapy with 4th and 5th graders (slp guide).

Are you a speech pathologist that works with 4th and 5th graders? Do you need tips on how to work best with your upper elementary students? This is the ultimate SLP Guide for working with 4th and 5th grade in a school setting! In this blog post, I’m going to share some of my favorite…

Need 8+ Simple, Compound-Complex, and Complex and Compound Sentences (Examples)?

Speech-language pathologists and other educators know how important it is to teach complex and compound sentences. Research has indicated how important comprehension of complex sentences is for reading comprehension. In addition to enhancing comprehension, knowing how to use compound and complex sentence structures can increase overall expressive language abilities, as well as written expression. This blog…

5 Speech Therapy Articulation Activities for Older Students

Speech therapy articulation activities that will engage older students can be a little more difficult to find. If you’re on the hunt for articulation activities that won’t have your older speech therapy students rolling their eyes, keep on reading! Some Older Students Feel Like They’ve Been in Speech Therapy for… forever When you’re working with…

15 Best Speech Therapy Board Games for Younger Students

Looking for a list of fun games and activities to try in speech and language therapy? In this blog post, I’m sharing my absolute favorite games that speech-language pathologists can use in speech therapy! These include board games, card games, and other hands-on activities to use across your caseload. Speech therapists know how important it…

Halloween Speech Language Therapy Ideas

Speech and Language Therapy  If you’re looking for some Halloween Speech and Language Therapy Ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I’m excited to share some of my favorite Halloween speech therapy activities and ideas with you.  Halloween Speech Language Therapy Activities  Whether you’re looking for some “easy to create” speech therapy activities, or some…

TH Words for Speech Therapy (Word Lists and Activities)

Need th word lists for speech therapy? Speech pathologists looking for a quick list of initial th words and final th target words to practice during speech therapy, make sure to bookmark this post. You’ll also find some great ideas for making therapy more fun with a variety of engaging games, articulation worksheets, and speech…

• Special Education Needs
• Specialists & Therapists
• School Children
• University Students
• Professionals
• Speech Difficulties
• Discover Forbrain
• Try our Demo
• Speech Therapy for Kids
• Autism and Learning
• Dyslexia in Children
• ADHD and Learning
• Starter Guide

Comprehensive Vocalic R Words List for Speech Therapy

While one of the most common sounds in the English language, the vocalic /r/ can be challenging to pronounce. 

This can be because it’s hard to understand what is happening with the mouth when it’s pronounced, it requires better muscle control and appears alongside vowels, requiring additional articulation skills. 

If your child struggles with this sound, they may substitute the /r/ sound with /w/, saying ‘fair-wee’ instead of ‘fairy’ or ‘here-wo’ instead of ‘hero’. As a result, they can appear younger than their peers and struggle to communicate effectively. 

In this article, we’ll be focusing on the /vocalic /r/ sound and sharing a list of /r/ words, phrases, and sentences that you can use in home speech therapy or as a resource to support your professional speech therapy practice. 

You’ll also learn which fun games and activities can provide extra practice, discover how to pronounce the sound effectively, and how the patented Forbrain headset can help. 

Word list: Vocalic /r/ word list 

Improving your child’s pronunciation of the vocalic /r/ sound at home can feel like a daunting task because of the many variations of this sound. 

However, if you can help them understand where this sound appears in real-life language and give them plenty of varied practice, you will soon see a difference. 

To help you out, we’ve created a comprehensive list of the most common vocalic /r/ sounds used in English. This includes words where this sound appears in the middle (medial vocalic /r/) or end (final vocalic /r/) of the word. 

Use this list as an easy reference or encourage your child to read through them for extra practice. 

What is the vocalic /r/ sound?

Before we introduce the list of words, let’s take a quick look at what this sound is. 

The vocalic /r/ sound is a type of /r/ that happens when the letter appears after one of the vowels; a, e, i, o, and u. 

For example, the /r/ at the beginning of the word ‘ripe’ is pronounced differently from the /r/ that appears at the end of the word ‘pour’. 

There are six of these combinations in English:

• [-ar] as in the word STAR
• [-er] as in the word GIRL
• [-air] as in the word FAIRY
• [-ear] as in the word FEAR 
• [-or] as in the word SWORD
• [-ire] as in the word FIRE 

Further vocalic /r/ sound practice using short phrases and sentences

Your child should now be able to pronounce the vocalic /r/ sound in isolation, even if it does take a certain amount of effort and focus. The key to actually mastering this sound is to provide them with plenty of practice, using the word lists we provided above and then moving on to short phrases and eventually sentences. 

By doing so, their fluency will significantly improve, they’ll grow in confidence and they’ll also learn how to use their new skills to communicate effectively in a variety of contexts. 

Here’s a short home speech therapy program to help you do exactly this, recommended by the team of experts at Forbrain. 

• Check that your child is articulating the vocalic /r/ sound correctly by working through the wordlist we shared earlier. If not, repeat the articulation exercises until they are reasonably comfortable. 
• Next, use carrier phrases to encourage them to use these words in real-life contexts. 
• Practice using short phrases and sentences for the vocalic /r/ sound. 
• Play child-friendly games and activities and read with your child
• Perfect their skills using our easy-to-use, scientifically proven Forbrain headset.

Carrier phrases

If you want to help your child use these vocalic /r/ words in everyday contexts and get plenty of practice, carrier phrases should be your go-to- speech therapy tool. Just choose a phrase, insert a vocalic /r/ word then practice saying it aloud. 

Considering that there are six variations of the vocalic /r/ sound, we recommend that you practice with at least three words from each category in the word list. 

Here are some of our favorite carrier phrases: 

• “I found a…”
• “I want a…”
• “He found a…”
• “She found a…”
• “I have a…”
• “He has a…”
• “She has a…”
• “I like to…”
• “He likes to…”

Put into practice, it looks like this:

• “I want POPCORN”
• “I like VAMPIRES
• “She has a SPIDER”
• “I see a MARBLE”
• “I found a STAR” 
• “He has CEREAL” 

Short phrases for the vocalic /r/ sound

Keep reading to find useful short phrases that include the vocalic /r/ sound in the middle or the end of the word. 

Use these with your child for extra practice and you’ll help them further improve their pronunciation of the /r/ sound. 

Short sentences for the vocalic /r/ sound

Let’s now take it up a level and start practicing those longer sentences that help further boost confidence, and fluency, and help your child use this sound comfortably in real-world contexts. 

As before, these include the vocalic /r/ sound in the middle and the end of the word. 

Games & Activities with Vocalic /r/ Sound Words 

The best way to learn anything is to make it fun! That’s why playing games and activities with your child is an excellent way to master those tricky speech sounds. 

By doing so, they’ll also grow in confidence and be more likely to want to keep practicing the vocalic /r/ sound. 

Below are some excellent vocalic /r/ sound games and activities that are sure to tick all the boxes and are ideal for use with the patented Forbrain headset.

Play the Roar! Game

The easiest way to practice that vocalic /r/ sound is to encourage your child to roar like a lion.  If you can, find a fun picture of a lion and together, produce an exaggerated /r/ sound then repeat as many times as you like. 

Play the Pretty Parrot Game

This game encourages your child to repeat the sound that they hear. Find a picture of a parrot or even a stuffed toy then place it in front of you. Next, print the list of vocalic /r/ words and cut them out so they become flashcards. 

Hold the cards in your hand and ask your child to pull one from the stack. If your child can’t read the word yet, read it for them and then encourage them to repeat it after you. Every time they get the word right, give them a small reward. 

Play the Lucky Dip Game

If you have the resources available, playing the Lucky Dip game can be a fun way to reinforce their learning and encourage accurate pronunciation. 

Find a box or basket and fill it with items that include the vocalic /r/ sound (check the word list above for ideas), or find free images online and print them out. 

Then cover the box or basket and encourage your child to put their hand inside and pull out an item or picture. When they pull an item or image, encourage them to name it, using the carrier phrase, “ I found a [insert word] ”. 

There’s perhaps no better way to improve overall language skills, spark your child’s imagination and strengthen your parent-child bond than reading a good book with your child. 

Find books that include the vocalic /r/ sound and you’ll reinforce the home speech therapy you’ve been doing and have fun at the same time. 

Read the books in our recommended vocalic /r/ sound list and encourage your child to repeat every /r/ word you come across for the best effect. 

• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
• We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
• Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman
• Clark The Shark by Bruce Hale
• Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

How to Pronounce the Vocalic /r/ Sounds

Understanding the difference between the ‘normal’ /r/ sound and the vocalic /r/ sound can be tricky because they often appear to be the same sound. 

However, to teach others how to articulate this sound correctly, we need to start by checking what happens with our mouth, airflow, tongue position, teeth alignment, and vocal cords beforehand. 

The vocalic /r/ sound is a voiced sound made primarily by lifting your tongue back and up allowing it to move towards the roof of your mouth. Then the air should pass from your lungs, and over your tongue while you allow your vocal cords to vibrate. 

Here is more specific guidance. 

Pronouncing the vocalic /r/ sound 

Let’s choose one of the words we shared in the /r/ word list above such as ‘dark’ then practice saying it aloud, repeating it several times. 

As you do so, pay close attention to the shape of your mouth and lips, where your tongue is positioned, how the air flows from your lungs, and whether your vocal cords are vibrating or not.

You’ll see that your vocal cords are indeed vibrating, your tongue is pulled back and towards the roof of your mouth, your lips are slightly rounded and the air passes through your mouth and lightly over your tongue. 

Additionally, you’ll see just why it can be so hard for children to articulate this sound. Not only do they need to have excellent control over their tongue position, lips, and airflow but it’s very difficult to see how the sound is made from the outside. 

Despite this fact, most children can master this sound anywhere between three and nine years of age after they have mastered the ‘normal’ /r/ sound. If problems do occur, it’s usually because it’s difficult to transition from these vowel sounds to the /r/, and with practice, it can soon be fixed. 

Work through the vocalic /r/ sound list, phrases, sentences, games, and activities, read together, and use the patented Forbrain headset and your child will get the practice they need and have fun doing it. 

How to help your child produce the vocalic /r/ sound correctly

Ready to help your child get to grips with the vocalic /r/ sound? Follow these steps:

1) Ask your child to relax their tongue. You can encourage them to stick it out as far as they can and wiggle it around like a snake, ask them to blow a whistle, or try touching their nose with their tongue. 

2) Then ask them to find the back of their tongue and ask them to lift it to the roof of their mouth. You can tell them to imagine they are catching a fairy with their tongue if they need extra encouragement. 

3) Finally, ask them to push air from their lungs and use their vocal cords to say the word ‘fairy’. 

If they still find this difficult, keep practicing until they master how to articulate the sound. You can also watch this excellent video by The Speech Scoop for extra speech therapy help.

Using Forbrain to Upgrade Sound Practice

Enhance your child’s learning and mastery of the tricky vocalic /r/ sound by using our patented Forbrain headset. 

Used for just 10 minutes per day, your child will learn how to distinguish the sound, get instant feedback from the enhanced auditory feedback loop, and get the targeted practice they need to overcome speech challenges and grow in confidence. 

Scientifically proven and widely used by professional speech therapists, it uses cutting-edge technology and an innovative design to optimize learning, stimulate neural pathways, finely tune pronunciation, and sharpen articulation for effective, natural communication. 

Unlock your child’s potential with Forbrain today. 

Final Words

If your child is struggling to pronounce the vocalic /r/ word, don’t worry. Use the list of vocalic /r/ words, phrases, and sentences alongside the patented Forbrain headset and you’ll soon see a huge improvement. 

Reinforce their learning and make it fun by using games, activities, and books to help your child can improve their articulation, grow in confidence, and effortlessly use this tricky sound in everyday spoken language. 

Charlotte Witts

More Activities

How to tackle the trickiest sound of all! Brilliant tricks for articulation – r sound

• May 15, 2022

Articulation – R sound, why is it so dang tricky?  Don’t let articulation for R get you down, I got your back! Getting precise articulation of R in therapy can be so difficult, and frustrating – for you and your client!  Keep reading for all of my favorite tricks and tips for articulation – r sound.

To gain access to all my freebies related to speech-sound disorders, enter your email below:

Articulation for R

Articulation for R therapy can be one of the most difficult things to treat in speech therapy. But it can also be a lot of fun!

As school SLPs, we usually end up seeing a lot of students for /r/, and at times, this can seem daunting.  There’s worry about qualifying too early or starting therapy too late or have students who are life-long speechies.  But it doesn’t have to be this way, I promise!

For more on my background as a school-based SLP, check out my bio here .

Articulation R Sound

Let’s start by talking about that tricky /r/ sound.  For years, it has been assumed that /r/ is a much later developing sound and shouldn’t be addressed until age 8 or 9.  But what if I told you that was way off base and you could have much more success starting earlier?  The truth is, while /r/ may very well be  a “later developing sound,” most children have developed 90-100% of speech sounds by age 5, with initial and vocalic /r/ sounds developing by age 5-6.

What can we learn from this?  Sometimes it IS appropriate to pick up that kinder or first grader to work on /r/ AND you may just get better, quicker results.  Which leads to fewer life-longers in speech! Win for everyone.

Teaching /r/

There are two different ways to make the /r/ sound and I know plenty of people who make it each way.  Some of us even switch back and forth between the two depending on the type or position of /r/ in the word.

The first is retroflex – this is the way I usually start with teaching it just because I usually say my /r/s this way and I think it is easier to explain and understand.  I teach my students to lift the tip of their tongue up and pull it back, scraping the top of their mouth if they need to.  If the student has a good /l/ sound, you can use that as starting point since the tongue is already lifted.  Then have them pull it back across the top of their mouth.

The second is a bunched /r/ – I will usually introduce this if a student is struggling with retroflex after lots and lots of practice, or if the student is unable to lift their tongue due to a structural difference.  To teach it this way, I explain that they keep their tongue flat, spread it wide like butterfly wings, keep the tip down, and pull it straight back.  It can be helpful to start with a long “ee” sound and tell them to keep everything about their mouth the same (lips pulled back, tongue flat, voice on) and just slowly pull the tongue back until it is bunched.  You will hear it change from an “ee” to an “earrr.”

Check out my printable sound cue cards (for /r/ and other sounds) in my store here .  These include visual, tactile, and auditory cues for each sound.

Articulation R Words

After starting with /r/ syllables, I move on to working on articulation – R words in therapy.  I start with simple initial /r/ words (e.g., read, write, rock) with a variety of different vowel sounds to follow the /r/.  I also start working on initial /er/ words (e.g., Earth, earn) to start developing that vocalic /r/ sound.  If the child has a strong prevocalic /r/, then I will use that my advantage and try some coarticulation strategies (or hooking words together – as I will often refer to it as with my kiddos).  

This strategy uses the /r/ in an initial position of a word to help the child get the correct tongue position and start to develop that vocalic /r/ sound.  For example, “er-red” – use the /r/ in “red” to help them correctly produce the /r/ in the /er/ sound.  Then slowly take away the -ed, and then the whole word -red, so that they are just left with /er/.

Articulation R Blends

When starting to work on /r/ blends in therapy, I like to start with /kr/ and /gr/ words.  For these sound positions (k and g) the tongue is already positioned in the back of the mouth, so it’s a little easier for them to produce that correct /r/ with it.

For word, phrase, and sentence levels, I use an app on my phone for word lists ( Word Vault – free version) but you can use any articulation decks, printed word lists, or apps you have.

Articulation R Worksheets

My kids on my caseload this year love to color and I have quite a few working on /r/, so this activity was inspired by them.  I have a few articulation color by code activities in my store (you can check them out here ).  But check out my freebie library to download some free /r/ color by code sheets that your students are sure to love!

I also have some printable worksheets for /l/ and /r/ in all positions, as well as blends, that can be found here .

This r, l, and l, r blend worksheet packet has everything you need to work on L and R in all positions of words, l and r blends in words, and target sounds in sentences and answering questions.

The packet includes:

• initial, medial, and final l worksheets
• l blend worksheets
• initial and medial r worksheets
• initial, medial, and final vocalic r worksheets
• r blend worksheets

These l, r, r blends, and l blends worksheets speech therapy tasks are great for in therapy activities and at-home practice.

Articulation R Stories

When my students get to the level where we are working on carryover a bit more (past words, phrases, sentences), I like to have some fun, structured speaking task activities ready for them.  I use story dice (the real things or the free apps available), story retell tasks, and fun silly jokes and tongue twisters.  These are great for in between sentence level and conversation because they are still a bit structured but they have to think about other ideas as well.

Articulation R Reading Passages

For articulation R reading passages, I like to use the ones on the free version of the Word Vault app ( Word Vault – free version) .  There are a few different stories, at least one for each type of /r/ (initial, blends, and each vocalic /r/ sound).  

You can also use just about any reading passages, as /r/ is a commonly occurring sound and frequently found in English language.  This can also be a great opportunity to incorporate classroom and grade-level work.  Students can bring work or books from class to therapy or work on passages on their grade/reading-level.

Articulation of R Progress

As with any of our therapy, it’s important to monitor and keep track of their progress.  With the /r/ sound it is particularly important to keep track of progress as there are so many variations of this sound.

You may have to track data on 15 sounds, even if /r/ is the only target in therapy.

• Initial pre-vocalic /r/
• Medial pre-vocalic /r/
• /r/ blends – gr, kr, dr, tr, fr, pr, br
• Vocalic /r/ – air, ar, ear, er, ire, or

Data collection

I use these speech therapy data collection forms and screening/progress monitoring tool to keep track of progress throughout the year.  This is perfect for semester progress monitoring when progress report time rolls around.

Speech Therapy Data Sheets for R

For the most part, I am still old school and I like to write things down on paper.  I am trying to branch out and use more technology, but I still love my paper.  (I still use a paper planner too!)

If you’re interested in trying out the speech therapy data sheets that worked for me, I have some in my store .  This is a collection of data sheets that I use most often for my different groups and individual therapy.  I have a lot of different types of groups and sizes of groups.  It is important to take into account the various service delivery models you will be utilizing for your caseload. 

I usually have a lot of groups that are seen twice a week for 30 minutes each and that makes up most of my schedule.  But I also see kids in a “5-minute kid” model for articulation daily. I have some groups that come 3 or 4 days because of higher needs or the need for more frequent services. I also have some students that are seen just once a week (e.g., in a fluency or social skills group) and I also push-in to our full-time ESE classroom.

For more information on my different service delivery models and how I schedule them, click here.

Some more of my favorite materials and resources

One of my favorite therapy materials for working on the /r/ sound, is the Step Up to R Workbook from ProEd by Leslie Sparkuhl. You can check it out here.   I use this product every single day in therapy with multiple kiddos on my caseload.

These are some great videos from Peachie Speechie that can be used for teaching the /r/ sound in therapy. Go follow her for some more of her awesome content!

More R Therapy Ideas:

R Sound Speech Therapy: Tips to Make an R Sound from Connected Speech Pathology

TECHNIQUES FOR ELICITING THE R SOUND from Speechy Things

How to Teach the /r/ Sound with Christine Ristuccia

Don’t forget to sign up with your email address here to get access to my free library full of some of my goodies made exclusively for my followers.

I hope you found these articulation for R ideas helpful and can use one or more in your therapy room this year.  Please leave a comment or shoot me an email if you want to share some of your favorite articulation R therapy tips.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

hi, I'm Kendall!

I help SLPs like you with planning, resources, research, and materials so that you can spend more time enjoying your therapy time and less time stressing about planning and materials. 

Learn more about me and how I can help you here .

Let's Connect!

Access to the freebie library.

A website dedicated to helping SLPs use PLAY-BASED speech and language therapy so they can save time and have fun!   

Activities for speech therapy for r words.

There are so many fun speech therapy activities that you can use to target r in articulation therapy. All of these activities are full of the r sound! This makes it so easy to get a tonne of trials during play.

I have listed some of of my favorite games, toys, songs, and books that you can use in your speech sound therapy sessions. I have even included an r word lists that you can use with a huge variety of therapy activities!

All of these games have a bunch of naturally occurring r words!

Beware of Bear: Beware, Bear, Careful, Grumpy, Danger, Dare

Racoon Rumpus: Ready, Racoon, Dress, Shirt, Turn, Roll, Green, Purple, Rainbow, Underwear, Remember

Greedy Granny: Granny, Treats, Greedy, Pretzel, Cracker, Arrow

Too Many Carrots: Carrot, Rabbit, Carry, Problem, Proud, Burrow, Crowded, Tortoise, Tree, Squirrel

Roar: Roar, Dear, Right, Rabbit, Squirrel, Playground, Terrible, Ran

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Hungry, Caterpillar, Butterfly

Little Red Riding Hood: Red, Riding, Grandma, Forest, Treats

The Gruffalo: Gruffalo, Forest, Terrible, Clever, Brown, Favorite,

Bear Wants More: Bear, More, Roots, Fresh, Grass, Hungry, Crunch, Gopher, Surprise, Raven, Party, Snore

SENSORY BINS

Mermaid Theme Sensory Bin : Mermaid, Rock, Starfish, Coral, Water

Arctic Theme Sensory Bin: Green. Artic Fox, Fur, Tree, Reindeer, Polar Bear, Feather, Warm

Dinosaur Sensory Bin : Dinosaur, Roar, Green, Run, Rock, T- Rex

Monster Sensory Bin: Monster, Green, Arm, Scary

All of these sensory bins are included in my Thematic Sensory Bin Product!

Counting Surprise Party: Present, Green, Robot, Guitar, Dinosaur, Purple

Transformers: Transform, Megatron, Optimums Prime, Red, Car, Truck, Drive

Barbies: Barbie, Girl, Dress, Friend, Hair, Skipper, Brush

Toy Farm: Tractor, Barn, Red, Farm, Horse, Farmer, Rooster

Dinosaurs and Tape: Tape Dinosaurs to a cookie sheet and Rescue them: Rescue, Dinosaur, Roar, Ready, Four, Rip

MOVEMENT GAME

Race - Don’t Drop: Place a bean bag (RED ideal!) on a spoon. Make sure each PLAYER has one. RACE to the finish line but make sure not to DROP your RED bean bag

CARD ACTIVITY

Hide Cards: Hide your CARDS in the DARK. Use a flashlight to find them! Make sure to GRAB them when you find them!

Memory: Can you REMEMBER WHERE your CARD is?

Need some articulation cards? Check these out!

PLAY ACTIVITIES

Flower Shop: Set up a pretend flower shop. Use dollar store FLOWERS, pretend DOLLARS, and a cash REGISTER. Don't forget RIBBON and WATERING CAN!

ONLINE LEARNING:

Use this Sound Loaded Scene of a Flower Shop that allows CUSTOMERS to go the FLOWER STORE and PURCHASE all kinds of beautiful flowers. (There resource includes a scene for each English Consonant sound! )

Here is a list of functional words that you can incorporate into any of your speech therapy activities to target r.

Ready, Red, Race, Rip, Run, Roll, Sorry, Rain, Read, Fork, Shirt, Cereal, Carry, Story, Car, More, Share, Wear, Before, Super, Teacher, Care, Far, Hair, Player, Here, Door

I hope you are able to incorporate some of these activities into your preschool and school speech therapy sessions. Your students will love practicing in these fun and natural activities!

Interested in more play based articulation therapy ideas? Make sure to download this free K Unit from the Play Based Articulation Handbook!

Includes the K unit word list, low prep activity ideas with detailed instructions, dramatic play ideas, gross motor ideas, fine motor ideas, and game/toy/books/songs suggestions!

Also includes a cheat sheet for Play Based Articulation using a Toy Farm! 

• Play Based Speech Therapy Ideas

Related Posts

Castle Theme in Speech Therapy

The Ultimate List of the Best Toys for Speech Therapy

How to use Movement Cards in Speech Therapy

Comentários

910-264-9317 [email protected] Fax: 910-442-8372

R Words: How Speech Therapy Helps with Articulation

Speech problems can be a frustrating experience, especially when it comes to pronouncing certain sounds like R. R is one of the more challenging sounds to articulate, and it can take a lot of practice and effort to get it right. The good news is that with the help of speech therapy, people who struggle with R pronunciation can develop better articulation skills and start speaking with more confidence. This blog post will discuss how speech therapy helps with R-word articulation and what you can expect when working with a speech therapist.

What is speech therapy?

Speech therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on helping individuals improve their speech, language, and communication abilities. Speech therapists use various methods such as modeling correct pronunciation, utilizing activities to reinforce correct sounds, providing feedback about progress, and using visual aids to help patients learn new skills. The goal of speech therapy is to improve the patient’s overall communication skills and help them gain confidence in their ability to speak.

Who most likely needs speech therapy for R-word articulation?

Children are the primary target of speech therapy when it comes to R-words. As young kids learn how to form words, they may struggle with certain sounds like R and may find it difficult to pronounce them correctly. Also, some children may have difficulty producing certain speech movements or accessing their articulators (e.g., lips, tongue, etc).

Benefits of speech therapy for R-word articulation

When it comes to getting better with your R-word pronunciation, speech therapy can provide an effective solution and articulation practice. Speech therapists are trained professionals who work in the field of communication disorders and have a strong understanding of how language is used and understood. Through specialized techniques, they help people learn proper tongue movements and placement for the correct pronunciation of R-words. This includes practicing different positions, shapes, and movements with the tongue to produce the sound correctly.

How speech therapy can help with articulation

1. identifying the problem.

One of the many skills that can be targeted by speech language pathologists is speech sound acquisition. As our children grow, they acquire different sounds that they can use to produce target words while communicating. One of the most difficult sounds to produce is the /r/ sound. The /r/ sound is generally acquired between the ages of 3 and 6 years old. 

The first step in correcting R word articulation is identifying the root problem and understanding how it affects your speech. Speech therapists will administer assessments and tests to determine the type of speech disorder you have, which could be a combination of phonological, articulation, or motor-based disorders. After the assessment, the therapist will develop a personalized plan that addresses your specific needs.

2. Repetition and Targeted Exercises

Once the root problem is identified, the speech therapist develops activities and exercises that target specific areas, including repetition. Speech therapists use several articulation exercises to improve the pronunciation of R sounds. One popular exercise is tongue strength training, which involves using a tongue depressor to press down the tongue, helping to increase muscle strength. Other exercises may include tongue twisters, lip trills, and minimal pair exercises, where you pronounce two similar words that differ only by the sound of R.

Articulation Word Lists uses  to practice R-words

Speech therapists use articulation word lists to help you practice pronouncing specific words and phrases. These lists consist of words with the same target sound for you to practice, including words beginning with R, in the middle of a word, or at the end of a word. It also helps you become better aware of how the sound is produced and how to correctly articulate it.

3. Record and Practice

Recording yourself speaking can be an effective tool for tracking your progress. The speech therapist can use these recordings to identify areas you need to improve on and give you targeted practice exercises based on your recordings. By practicing regularly, you reinforce the muscle memory necessary to produce the correct R sound.

4. Use Visualization

To help with articulation, speech therapists may also use visualization techniques, encouraging the client to imagine the sound they are trying to produce. Visualization techniques like watching someone say the word correctly or looking at pictures of the tongue or mouth position can help the client understand how to position the tongue, lips, and jaw to make the correct sound.

5. Practice makes perfect

Consistent practice is key to perfecting R word articulation. The speech therapist can offer tips and guidance for practicing at home, and they will continue to monitor progress during scheduled therapy sessions. Many speech therapy sessions can be conducted virtually, allowing for flexibility in scheduling therapy sessions.

Speech therapy is an effective way to improve R word articulation and develop better communication skills. It requires dedication and effort to perfect your articulation skills and speak with confidence. When you work with a speech therapist, you will receive personalized instruction and exercises aimed at improving your R-word articulation. By using targeting exercises, visualization techniques, repetition, and consistency, you can begin to see significant improvements in your R word pronunciation. So, book your first speech therapy appointment today and get started on your journey to better articulation skills!

Your cart is currently empty.

Total: $0.00

R Word List

Activities you may like....

BUNDLE Executive Function

✨ As seen on Boom Cards Featured Bundles!

This BUNDLE of executive function cards includes problem solving stories, social stories, predicting stories, sequencing stories, and flexible thinking stories.

Multiple types of wh- questions, why and how questions, labeling exercises, multiple choice, and drag and drop categorizations   are included throughout this bundle to encourage an in depth understanding of each executive functioning skill.

⭐️ 80 Problem Solving

• Multiple choice question
• 2 labeling exercises

⭐️   52 Social Stories

• Topics of social skills to choose from (feelings, manners, listening, sharing & turns, making friends, being kind)
• Sorting exercise
• 2 wh- questions

⭐️   50 Predicting (✨ as seen on Top Premium Boom Cards ✨)

• What questions
• How questions

⭐️   50 Sequencing

• 3 different what questions per story

⭐️   40 Flexible Thinking (✨ as seen on Top Premium Boom Cards ✨)

• Why questions
• Labeling exercise

Each deck includes a teaching slide and visual to help your students better understand executive function skills before practicing! 

CLICK HERE for Boom Cards Preview.

To use Boom Cards, you must be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for modern Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (a form of play that gives instant feedback to students for self-grading Boom Cards). For assignment options that report student progress back to you, you will need to purchase a premium account.If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account.Read here for details: http://bit.ly/BoomTrial .

Wh- Questions & Short Stories

15 short stories to target wh- questions, auditory comprehension, reading comprehension, recall, and more!

Multiple levels of difficulty, including both shorter and longer paragraphs for a variety of length and detail in the stories.

✨ As featured on Boom Cards Top Premium Decks ✨

⭐ Wh- Questions in Short Stories

• 15 Paragraph Short Stories
• 6 Wh- Questions for every story
• Stories are 4-9 sentences in length
• What, where, who, when, why, and how questions for every story

BUNDLE for Wh- Questions also available in Shine Speech Activities shop , which includes short stories and sentences!

CLICK HERE for Boom Cards Preview .

*This product contains the same activities as the PDF version. If you would like the PDF version, view   Wh- Questions & Short Stories, Auditory Comprehension .

To use Boom Cards, you   must   be connected to the Internet. Boom Cards play on modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge). Apps are available for modern Android, iPads, iPhones, and Kindle Fires. For security and privacy, adults must have a Boom Learning account to use and assign Boom Cards. You will be able to assign the Boom Cards you are buying with "Fast Pins," (a form of play that gives instant feedback to students for self-grading Boom Cards). For assignment options that report student progress back to you, you will need to purchase a premium account.   If you are new to Boom Learning, you will be offered a free trial of our premium account.   Read here for details:   http://bit.ly/BoomTrial .

Sentence Comprehension & Language Comprehension

Improve sentence comprehension, language and reading comprehension, and picture comprehension with 4 activities and over 125 prompts for speech therapy or classrooms! Target comprehending, receptive language, and more.

This resource includes   4 different ways to practice sentence comprehension , including wh questions, pictures, fill in the blanks, and more. Real photos are included in this resource.

⭐️ Sentence Comprehension:

• 40 sentence comprehension task cards with 3 questions each
• 30 real photo sentence comprehension prompts
• 30 multiple choice reading comprehension activities
• 30 fill in the blank language comprehension prompts

⭐️   Targeted Skills:

• Improve sentence comprehension skills
• Increase receptive and expressive language abilities
• Expand skills for understanding sentences and pictures

Story Builders & Create A Story

Improve creative writing with these narrative and short story prompts! This set of   70 short story builders   comes with character, location, event and time learning targets.

Help your students improve their stories and increase their creative narrative skills. There is space for students to type or write their stories, as well as an organizing task for story parts. 

Your students will have all the tools they need to create unique and imaginative stories!

⭐️ Includes:

• 70 story builders
• 3 practice levels
• A combination of who (character), where (location), what (event) and when (time) story part targets
• 36 story builders that include 2 story parts
• 20 story builders that include 3 story parts
• 14 story builders that include 4 story parts
• Story parts organizing task with pictures
• Space for creative writing and narrative generation
• Instructions on each page 

⭐️ Teaching slides:

• In depth information about the 4 included story parts
• Descriptions
• Picture matching activities 

Save your time and energy, this set is NO PREP! Includes everything you need to elicit creative, engaging stories from your students.

Perfect for SLPs, teachers, or parents looking to expand language or writing in a fun and creative way!

Made with love in Austin, Texas

© 2020 Shine Speech Activities

Product Added To Your Cart

There are 0 Items In Your Cart

Total Price: $0.00

Compare Product

The Best Facilitating Context for Eliciting the R Sound

Have you heard of “facilitating contexts?” They have the power to truly revolutionize your treatment of the R sound. That sounds dramatic. Well, it is dramatic… but I promise you it’s warranted.

WHAT ARE FACILITATING CONTEXTS?

First, let’s give a brief overview of what this mouthful means. A facilitating context essentially means that the target phoneme is next to other phonemes that share similar properties. In our case, we’re discussing phonemes that overlap with R tongue placement , typically in terms of tongue root retraction, tongue side elevation, or tongue tip elevation.

Translation: the surrounding phonemes set the articulators up for success to say the R

OKAY BUT REALLY… WHO IS KARLA?

More like what is Karla! Karla (or Carla) is my absolute favorite “first word” for the R sound. It’s one of those magical words that seem to really make it easier for people to produce a beautiful R. Why? It’s a stellar facilitating context. Let’s break it down:

/k/= tongue side elevation

/a/= (tongue root retraction, low tongue body)

/ɹ/= target phoneme: tongue tip elevation, root retraction, side elevation

/l/= tongue tip elevation

/ə/= well… the schwa isn’t the best for R necessarily but /l/ is a good buffer

I promise you it’s worth a try. There’s no need to focus on R in isolation first. It’s more than okay to start at syllables or words. Any way that you can get an accurate R (the staRt app is so helpful to make sure it is in fact accurate) is a-okay. Follow your student’s/client’s strengths always .

Give Karla a try and let me know how it goes! For more help with the R sound you can find me on Instagram or sign up for my VIP emails . You’ve got this!

Share this:

Comments are closed.

Hi! I'm Lindsey!

I’m a pediatric SLP who specializes in the R sound. Fun fact- I actually used to dread the R but after dedicating a lot (like…  a lot a lot ) of time to researching and troubleshooting… I now love it! So much, in fact, that I currently spend my days treating “R kids” via my private practice and creating R resources and continuing education for SLPs via Speechy Things. I’m so glad you found me! Let’s “Rock the R” together!

• Shop SpeechTreeCo.com

Ultimate R Minis

© Copyright Speechy Things, LLC. 2023 | All Right Reserved Privacy Po licy | Terms of Use

Search SpeechyThings.com

Looking for something specific, or click a category to get started, free resource library, r goal bank, r sound cue database, consultations, therapy services, contact & faqs.

Speech Blubs

by Blub Blub

Browse topics

All blog posts 404

Popular topics

100+ fun activities for kids that will keep them entertained for hours! Target speech development through play and games. They won’t even know they are learning!

Learn about your baby and toddler developmental milestones! Check if you are on track, when to worry, and how to work on skills like language, potty training, and feeding!

Every child is different! Here are speech and language tips and tools for kids with learning differences, alongside information for parents provided by speech therapists.

Parenting starts with your well-being! Here is some advice on how to teach life skills, work from home, distance learning, along with tips for developing parenting coping skills.

We help kids speak no matter their speech challenges! Speech therapists advise parents about late talkers, speech delay, stuttering, apraxia, articulation, and other speech impediments.

From your first worry to your first appointment, and your last speech therapy session – find the information you need to help your child thrive and gain necessary speech skills.

Parent's Academy › Speech Disorders › Speech Sound Disorders › R Sound Articulation Therapy: A Guide for Parents

R Sound Articulation Therapy: A Guide for Parents

Natalie barnes.

Speech Therapist and Audiologist , Cape Town , South Africa

Jan 20, 2022 The R sound is a very unusual sound that has multiple variations. There are as many as 32 different sounding types of the R sound. Yikes!

This article focuses on the R consonant sound and how your child can use our app to practice saying it correctly. Download the app and start your at-home practice today.

As a speech therapist, I can tell you that though the R sound is commonly used in the English language, it is also one of the trickiest. In fact, the R sound is one of the last sounds to be mastered by children. And though it begins to emerge at 3-years-of-age, it often only matures at the ages of 6 or 7.

What is the /R/ Sound?

As already mentioned, the /r/ sound is one of the hardest sounds to master. Children usually master it by the ages of 6-7. Whether a child struggles with the pre-vocalic /r/ (where the R is produced at the beginning of a word) or the vocalic /r/ (when the R sound is produced after a vowel), many speech therapists agree that it can be one of the most challenging sounds to teach. With that being said, there are many tips we can use to help a child practice their /r/ sound.

The key to helping your child correctly say the /r/ sound is to look at three important oral structures used in speech: the lips, the tongue, and the throat.

When producing the /r/ sound, we want to make sure to have our lips more in a neutral position or more of a square shape. Some SLPs may also have a child smile.

We can produce the /r/ sound using two tongue positions: 

• the retroflex position , where the tip of the tongue is raised or curled at the roof of the mouth;
• the bunched position , where we move our tongue towards the back of our teeth while the tongue tip points a bit down.

The upper part of the throat right behind the tongue, also known as the pharynx, must constrict or tighten in order for the correct R sound to be produced. The vocal cords need to vibrate to produce the sound correctly.

Check out the following video:

After watching the video, open our app and practice the words that include the R consonant in them.

Let’s make the R-sound easy!

Take this quiz and get a report on your child’s milestones and a personalized learning plan to start progressing with Speech Blubs!

Teaching the R Consonant Sound to Your Child

Explain to your child that you are going to practice saying the R sound, like in the word “rabbit.”

Tell your child that when they say the R sound in “rabbit” you’d like to see their lips make an “O” shape . Make sure you show them how if they don’t understand.

Next, to get your child’s tongue in the correct placement position, tell them that their tongue needs to create a hump in the middle of their mouth like a little hill.

This is so that when they say the R sound in “rabbit,” they can pretend that there is a little rabbit hopping over the hill in their mouth to get outside. If there’s no hill, then there’s no correct R sound and the rabbit can’t get out.

Lastly, explain to your child that they need to tighten the back part of their throat so that they can push enough air up into their mouth and along their tongue in order to help the rabbit jump over the hill.

Once they can correctly say the R consonant sound in isolation, follow the articulation error hierarchy which you can read about in this article , or watch in this video.

Some Mo/r/e T/r/icks

Tell your child to make a “fish face” to help them achieve the correct “O” lip placement. This can become a game to see who can make the funniest face while moving their lips into the correct position.

If this doesn’t work, exaggerate sticking your lips out and telling them to copy you or use a mirror so they can see their own progress. Once they can do this you can refine the positioning of their lips into the correct “O” shape.

Visual cueing and modeling are powerful learning aids that can be used in where you say the correct R consonant sound while your child imitates what your lips are doing. Our app is a wonderful imitation tool, as it develops your child’s articulation skills and other desirable behaviors by promoting learning through watching video demonstrations given by real kids. Download the app for iOS or Android devices.

You can read more about video modeling and imitation by reading the following article: Mirror Neurons, Video Modeling, and Your Child’s Speech .

Physically showing your child where to place their tongue is very effective. Most children who experience difficulty with the R sound are unable to position their tongue correctly because it all happens behind the visual barrier of the front teeth. This can also make it quite frustrating for them.

Once you have reached the word level and are practicing words that start with the R consonant sound, touch the tip of your child’s tongue with your finger or a tongue depressor and tell them that you want them to lift that part up as far as they can without touching the roof of their mouth.

Once you have reached the word level and are practicing words that have the R consonant sound in other places, touch the middle of your child’s tongue with your finger or a tongue depressor and tell them that you want them to lift that part up to create an arch without touching the roof of their mouth.

Have your child gargle with water to help them learn how to tighten their throat muscles the way they would when correctly saying the R consonant sound.

You can also draw their attention to this kind of throat tightening by having them drink through a straw and explaining how the muscles work.

When your child says the R sound, place their hand on their neck to feel the vibration made by their vocal cords. If they have trouble creating this vibration, then place their hand on your throat to show them how it’s done. Pretend that the vibration is the “rabbit” hopping. If there’s no vibration, then the “rabbit” isn’t hopping and he can’t get out.

To assist with the voicing and correct articulation of the R consonant sound, tell your child to pretend that they are growling like an angry dog. You can also turn this into game by seeing who can come up with the scariest or funniest growl.

More tips and tricks

• Have your child try and think of their own words that contain the R consonant sound.
• Make up silly phrases or sentences and even imitate appropriate phrases and sentences that you see in more than 1000 bonus video stories anywhere within Speech Blubs 2 or elsewhere.
• Give your child an R consonant word and ask them to make up silly phrases or sentences – this is great language practice!
• Use a mirror within the app at all levels of the hierarchy so that your child can see what they are doing and learn the skill of self-monitoring.
• Put objects or toys that start with or contain a letter R in their name in a bag. Ask your child to draw one by one, and say the name of the object out loud to you.
• When you are outside playing, play a game where you have to name the objects that have the letter R. For example, Road, Bricks, Tree, Branch, Mary-go-round, Water, Stream, River, Car, Truck, Train . . . try to spot as many as you can!
• Play a game called “Rabbit Runs to . . .” Tell your child that they are a rabbit that has to run to a certain place in the house. Each time they reach the place you name, they have to answer the question: “Where did the rabbit run to?” “Rabbit Runs to the Rug.” “Rabbit Runs to the Refrigerator.” “Rabbit Runs to the Door.”
• Make a dictionary of R words. You can use the store free advertisements of products they send to your house. Cut out all the things they sell that have a letter R: broccoli, rice, bread . . . and paste them in a special book. You can write down the names of the objects, and look at them every day to name the objects.

How to Play Articulation Bingo?

• Use the button below to download our Articulation Bingo Board
• Print out the board and give it to your child or cut out the pictures and put them into a bag
• Let your child pick a word from the board/bag
• Find the word in Speech Blubs App and practice it, play with fun filters, and watch educational videos
• Your child is a winner when he practices three pictures in a row (across, down, or horizontally) or the entire board.

Use Speech Blubs app every day for at least 5-10 minutes to achieve the best results.

If you’re worried about your child’s ability to say the R consonant sound or have any other concerns about their pragmatics, comprehension, or talking, use our free screener within the app. Our speech and language pathologist-developed tool will even give you a personalized report with actionable advice with the results.

For more information about the app visit our FAQ section or write to us . Know that you have an ally in Speech Blubs and that our biggest success is seeing your child achieve their greatest potential.

If your child has difficulties with other sounds, here are the articles that can help you with speech therapy, speech exercises, and articulation activities ideas:

• Articulation Therapy: An All-in-One Guide for Parents
• B Sound Articulation Therapy
• H Sound Articulation Therapy
• JJ and CH Sounds Articulation Therapy
• L Sound Articulation Therapy
• Lisp Articulation Therapy
• M Sound Articulation Therapy
• N Sound Articulation Therapy
• NG Sound Articulation Therapy
• S Sound Articulation Therapy
• SH Sound Articulation Therapy
• T and D Sounds Articulation Therapy
• W Sound Articulation Therapy

Have a question for our Speech Therapists?

The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Related articles

Help your child combine words to make sentences.

In order for this communication to develop, your child needs to be able to say individual words to build up their vocabulary. It’s only once...

5 Kids Games for Articulation Therapy

If your child is getting articulation therapy in the school setting, this means they are working on specific sounds that are not coming out clear...

Get started with Speech Blubs

Cancel anytime, hassle-free!

Initial R Activities for Speech Therapy (Tic Tac Toe Game!)

Initial r activities: tic tac toe activity.

Welcome to our hub of Initial R Activities for speech therapy! If you are a teacher, therapist or caregiver looking for new resource types to add to your therapy sessions, then you have come to the right place. 

In this blog post, we will cover some quick tips for practicing the Initial R sound with your student, review the classic game of tic tac toe and why it is one of our favorite speech therapy games, and also provide a list of 40 free resources for you to start working on the articulation skills for Initial R today! 

To help make your next Initial R therapy sessions a little easier, we have also included a free preview of our highly rated articulation tic tac toe boards for Initial R! Enter your name and email in the info box at the bottom of this blog post to have our Initial R tic-tac-toe game emailed right to you! 

Key Takeaways

• The Initial R sound requires the correct tongue position
• Incorporating R articulation practice into Tic Tac Toe aids speech development because it encourages frequent use of the R sound.
• Use our list of over 40 Initial R activities to make your therapy sessions effective and fun.

Correct Production

In the English language the r sound is one of the most difficult sounds as well as one of the last sounds to develop. There are two different ways a speech-language pathologist can teach tongue placement for r remediation. 

First, let’s review the two different variations for tongue movements for producing the r sound:

• Retroflexed R

The two different tongue positions are very similar and vary in mid-tongue and tongue tip placements:

• Teeth: The /r/ sound is made by having a slight gap between the teeth.
• Lips: Lips should be in a neutral position and not rounded. (A rounded lip shape might lead to a /w/ in place of an /r/ sound, such as “wed” for the word “red”.
• Sides of the Tongue: Be sure to place the sides of the tongue against the upper side of your teeth to allow for the passage of air to go down the center of the tongue.
• Retroflexed Tongue Position: Have the mid-tongue somewhat tense but not bunched up. Then place the tip of the tongue pointing up just past the alveolar ridge.
• Bunched Tongue Position: Have the mid-tongue bunched up near the roof of the mouth. Then place the tip of the tongue pointing down or straight.
• Air: Then blow a skinny stream of air over the center of your tongue (you do not want the air to come out the sides of the tongue).
• Voice: The r sound is also a voiced sound so your voice box or vocal cords should vibrate. You can tell that their voice is turned on by touching your voice box on your neck and feeling it vibrate.

R Speech Sounds

• Prevocalic R – is when the r sound comes before a vowel sound, such as an initial r word “red”. 
• Vocalic R – s when the r sound comes after a vowel sound, such as: or, ar, er, ear, ire, air.

For You! Here is our list of 43+ R Speech Activities! This list has ideas for practicing r articulation in all positions and are some of the highest rated freebies to practice your students articulation skills.

Target Word List – List of Functional Words

If you are in need of a master list of R words at initial, medial and final position then we have you covered! See full list of 1220+ R words at the word level, phrase level, and sentence level here. To practice R words in all positions and track student progress, download our interactive activity! The interactive version of our R words Freebie has students practice 20 R words with pictures at word, phrase and sentence level. 

Correct Production – Effective R Therapy

Do you have any r kids who are struggling with the incorrect production of the r sound? 

If so, here are a handful of new strategies that therapists have had great success with helping their speech students produce the tricky sound of R. 

Start with one simple program below and if that doesn’t work you can keep working through the different strategies until you find one that your student finds success with.

You can even grab a tongue depressor to use as a tactile cue to help correct speech errors.

• Teach Tongue and Mouth Anatomy: The first step you can start with is by teaching the parts of the tongue and mouth that will help with cueing for articulation placement. Grab the R Sound Freebie – Anatomy of Tongue and Mouth for Speech Therapy by Speechy Things.
• Phonemic Awareness, Auditory Discrimination, & Articulation: Practice targeting all three skills with this free trial of Locate! Discriminate! Articulate! – /r/: FREE TRIAL VERSION by OTTeR Speech.
• Phonemic Awareness: Have your students start by identifying where they hear the r sound in a word. Use this Phonemic Awareness – R Freebie by michjco to get started.
• Perception Training: Start with R Perception Training by having the student identify the difference between the correct R sound and the incorrect R sound. Grab the R Sound Perception Training FREEBIE: Early R Speech Therapy Activities from Speechy Things.
• Vocalic R Visual Cue: Have students working on the vocalic R? Grad this free Vocalic R Visual Support- Free / English Only worksheet from The Spanish Speechie.
• Minimal Pairs: Use minimal pairs to work on the r sound. Have your students identify the /r/ vs. the /w/ sound with the Free r/w Minimal Pairs Hide & Seek Speech – School Theme – Boom Cards & PPT by Little Speech Shop.

Articulation Tic Tac Toe Game for Speech Therapy 

Tic Tac Toe is not just a classic game for young learners; it’s a versatile tool that we can adapt to various educational and therapeutic contexts. Let’s explore how we can use a tic tac toe board to support speech, occupational, and physical therapy objectives!

In our speech therapy sessions, Articulation Tic Tac Toe can be an engaging way to practice speech sounds. We design the game with a focus on specific articulation goals, involving speech sounds that the learner is working to master. Each square on the Tic Tac Toe grid features a word that includes the target sound, and every time a player claims a square, they articulate that word. For example:

During the game, we can provide immediate feedback, which reinforces correct pronunciation and supports the learner’s development. This method can be applied effectively both in professional therapy sessions and as an interactive home activity, promoting continuous learning and practice.

We are excited for you to check out our free preview of our Articulation Tic Tac Toe (All Sounds!) Game Boards ! The Initial R Tic-Tac-Toe boards are engaging and provide fun practice for articulation.  

Occupational and Physical Therapy

Tic Tac Toe seamlessly integrates into occupational therapy and physical therapy sessions. We can use the game to improve fine motor skills by having learners engage in physical actions to mark their spots on the grid, such as:

• Picking up and placing small objects
• Drawing Xs or Os with correct pencil grip
• Using stamps or stickers to claim squares
• Practicing turn taking between the first player and the second

Each action can be adapted to the current therapeutic goals of the individual, ensuring a personalized session that targets their specific needs. As an interactive activity, it can also foster social skills and turn-taking in a group therapy session or a playful home-learning scenario.

For physical therapy purposes, we can increase the scale of the game, creating a life-size board where patients need to walk or perform particular movements to claim their spot, furthering their range of motion and physical capabilities. By gamifying therapy objectives, Tic Tac Toe makes the process more enjoyable and less strenuous for participants.

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy

Initial r activities.

Tic Tac Toe is a great game to play to practice Initial R articulation, but we know that there are so many other ways to provide fun practice for the Initial position of R. 

To help take some of the planning off your shoulders for your therapy sessions, we have collected a list of 40 Initial R Activities! Just hit the direct link to grab these resources!

Articulation Games

Articulation games have always been a favorite in our speech therapy sessions. They make the learning process engaging and fun! 

• Speech Battle Game – NO PREP Articulation Activity Initial R Older Students FREE by The Speech Boat is an arctic attack themed game! Move game pieces around the game mats and practice initial r.
• Robot Race: Articulation Game for Initial /r/ by Alissa Backburn is a great option for easy game – play! Print out this games sheets and move objects forward as you practice initial r articulation with a fun robot theme!
• FREEBIE: ARTIC BOXES game for initial and vocalic R Articulation Therapy by LyndaSLP123 is a highly rated game! Students get their own board game mat. This has a print option!
• I SPY Initial R Worksheets by Speech Therapy Store is a compilation of r articulation resources for you as well as a bundle of engaging and clear I SPY Worksheets that we created for you! Click the link and then scroll to the bottom of the blog post for your download!

PRO TIP! We love original and creative articulation games, but there is also something to be said about the classics! At our Speech Therapy Store Shop , you will find articulation bundles to go with classic games such as our  Articulation Apple to Apple Game , Articulation Connect Four , and Articulation Bingo! Check them out!

​Flash Cards

By using an Initial R articulation flashcard, you can provide plenty of drill practice or get creative with some flash card games!

• Articulation Labels R-Blend Initial Position – for craftivities & flashcards by Thumb Bunny Speech is a clear and engaging set of flashcards with craft ideas associated!
• Initial R/W Minimal Pair Flashcards by Karina Janiaro is a pdf of initial r/w minimal pair flashcards.
• Initial R Flashcards – Basketball Themed by SLP in SF is a fun set of r articulation and language flashcards with a basketball/NBA theme! 

BONUS! Here is a direct link to our digital R Flashcards! These flashcards practice R in all positions with a picture, word, phrase, sentence and a WH Question! Use the links at the top of the blog post to help navigate this extension R Words post. 

Interactive Games

If you are looking for interactive material to practice Initial R, then check out these resources! Many of them use google slides. We suggest downloading the latest version of google chrome or make sure you are using modern browsers so that these digital activities work efficiently for you!

• Articulation Memory Games- Initial R by Dick and Jane Go Digital is a highly rated interactive memory style game! This game provides instant feedback and includes r blends – br, gr, kr etc!
• FREE Interactive Fidget Popper R Sound Initial Medley Articulation Game by Cytryn Speech is a virtual fidget popper that prompts students to practice their initial r articulation!
• Web Wars! Internet Game for Articulation of Initial /r/ by Sudde-tely SLP is a highly rated internet game that prompts initial r with articulation target pictures with a fun form of play game!

SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

​Put your boom learning account to good use with these highly rated boom cards! 

• Articulation /R/ Boom Cards Game for Speech Therapy | Freebie by Busy Bee Studio is a highly rated set of self-grading boom cards that will be engaging and fun for your students!
• Flashlight Search I Spy Articulation Boom Cards™ R Initial FREE Sample by In Unison Speech Therapy is a set of boom cards for in person or virtual practice. Students love the flashlight and space theme!
• R Articulation (initial) – Chase the Cheese Boom Cards™ by Cat got your Tongue is a popular initial r boom card game that is funny and engaging for elementary aged students.

Word Lists 

Word lists often provide articulation practice for a comprehensive k-12 caseload. Check out these initial r targeted words to practice articulation.

• Initial/Beginning /R/ Words by Syllables – Phoneme Word List by Spectacular Speech is a clear set of initial r words divided by syllables. 
• Spanish Speech Therapy – Articulation Word Lists for Speech Therapy by Speech Therapy is Beautiful is a list of Spanish words for initial r practice!
• Summer Themed Articulation Word Lists by Coming up Roses is a set of initial r articulation and language flash card with a summer theme!

BONUS: Visit our blog for an extensive list of articulation word lists and flashcards , as well as articulation freebies! Here are the highly rated R Word Blog Posts!

​Younger Students

​Early intervention and a correct first exposure to initial r articulation will build a solid foundation for your students. Here are some of our favorite resources for younger students!

• /r/ Articulation BINGO game/coloring – prevocalic/initial – Speech Therapy by Taylor Baron is a set of clear and engaging bingo game mats for your younger students to color than play on!
• Speech Therapy Craft: Pop Up Dragons and Princesses (Mini R Blends Unit) by Texas Speech Mom is an engaging and fun craft! Students create a pop up story craft as they practice initial r blends including vocalic r – ar.
• Monster Speech and Language Bracelets FREEBIE by Fun in Speech is a fun printable for students to color and wear as a bracelet as they practice their target initial r sounds! This includes the whole alphabet so it is a large thumbnail, but will be used often!

Older Students

If you are looking for assignment options for middle school and high school, then check out these resources! 

• SPEECH-ZEE An Articulation Dice Game FREEBIE (game companion) by Panda Speech is a companion to a popular dice game for older students to practice initial r articulation!
• Initial /r/ Word Search – Free by The Simple Speecher is an initial r word search created for high school students!
• [Freebie] Initial & Vocalic R Boom Cards for Older Students by Fun and Functional is a boom card set with real life pictures created with older students in mind. 
• Prevocalic R Dot to Dot Game by Speech Therapy Store is a highly rated printable! Have students work in pairs or play one on one with with them! This post has a list of over 400 prevocalic r words at word, phrase and sentence level and a free download of the game at the bottom.

Sentence and Conversational Level

Moving from word to sentence levels is an important step in articulation progress. Here are a few resources we like to use when practicing Initial R at sentence or conversational levels!

• Free Initial /R/ Scene for Sentences and Phrases – Articulation by Cat Says Meow is a picture scene that prompts practice of initial r at sentence and phrase levels! 
• SPRING INITIAL R SENTENCE LEVEL ACTIVITY FOR SPEECH THERAPY by Honey Bee Speech Therapy is an engaging activity with clear pictures that prompt students to practice initial r at sentence level. 
• R Articulation Cards for Speech Therapy Activities & Drill Sheets – FREE! by Ashley Rossi is a great freebie to download and put on a ring set. Each card prompts the student to practice initial r from word to sentence level.

For You! Grab our Articulation Reading Passages to practice your articulation goals with your students! This is a bundle of 266 reading passages with 6 stories per sound, and 20 articulation words per passage. 

Ready to Go Worksheets

If you are on a time crunch, we got you! Here are some digital files to download, print and go for your speech sessions! 

• Freebie! R Sound Articulation Game: Hexagon Tile Connect for Speech Therapy by HarreSLP is a great print and go game that has lots of target r words! 
• Prevocalic /r/ Battleship by The Styled Speechie is a quick worksheet to print out and use in conjunction with a battleship game!
• R Articulation Word Searches by Speech Therapy Store is a comprehensive review of R articulation and a free printable of word searches that are easy to download, print and go! Print in color or black and white!
• Articulation Quick Packs FREEBIE: Initial R   is a bundle in initial r activities that are easy to print and play! This is great for group work and younger students!

Seasonal Activities

Incorporating seasonal activities into our therapy sessions helps the student engage and we love using them! Here are some highly rated seasonal activities to practice initial r articulation. Also, check out all the seasonal activities we have prepared for you on our Speech Therapy Store Shop! 

• Spring Articulation Pack /S,R,L/- Speech Therapy by Shelley SLP is a packet of to practice initial r with a spring theme!
• Batty About Speech – R sound Free Sample by Peachie Speechie is a fall/Halloween themed craft for the r sound!
• FREE Summer Articulation Cards: Prevocalic R & Initial R Blends by The Speech Spot Creations is a highly rated set of flashcards with a summer theme!

SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials

Reinforcement games.

​Here are some of our favorite reinforcement games for initial R!

• Hungry Hungry Hippos Articulation-/R/ Initial by Kaitlyn Swegar is an engaging and fun set of cards that prompt high frequency production of initial r. 
• Articulation Cards for Speech Therapy BOOM CARDS™ R Initial FREEBIE by Stacey Crouse is a boom card set that hits multiple productions of initial r but is always super engaging and fun for your students! 
• Jurassic Speech™ Dinosaur Articulation Worksheet by Peachie Speechie is an articulation and language activity that is highly rated and is really fun for your elementary aged students!

Independent Work/Send Home

Here are some highly rated resources to use either as send home activities or just as independent work!

• Initial R and S Blends Word Searches | Speech Therapy Homework, Group Activities by Encouraging Communication is a set of simple word searches for students to practice r articulation at home!
• R Initial Words – Articulation Therapy FREEBIE (Print & Go) by slpsmartdotcom- Eli Lowham is a clear and easy to print pdf to send home with students to practice high frequency initial r words at home!
• Articulation Homework for Initial /r/-Holiday Theme by Melanie Cave is a holiday themed worksheet that would be great to send home with your students over break to help them continue practice of initial R! 

Just For You! We spent way too much time looking for engaging but effective articulation materials to send home for practice without it feeling like ‘home work’ for our students. So we made these homework bundles! Check out our Summer Homework Bundle for Articulation, Homework and Language Skills! We have been so happy to have something that checks off all 3 of those categories! We also created a bundle of 10 Months of Articulation Homework. Best Part?? It’s interactive for distance learning too!

In our therapy practice, over 50% of our caseload was working on R articulation in some form, so we want to make sure we are providing effective, fun and accessible information and resources for our Speech Therapy Store Community! Speech therapy planning doesn’t have to be so extensive or take so long when you have us in your corner cheering you on! 

Don’t forget to grab our free preview of our tic tac toe boards below! This preview includes boards to play initial r tic tac toe as well as an interactive blank tic tac toe board for you to fill in the word. Use our Initial R Word List for more word ideas, then have your student draw the target Initial R words on the game board for extra practice, then begin your game!

The free preview of the Initial R Tic Tac Toe Board is part of an Articulation Tic Tac Toe ALL SOUNDS Bundle for sale on our Shop Site! Included in the full bundle are the sounds /B/, /P/, /T/, /D/, /F/, /V/, /K/, /G/, /J/, /M/, /N/, /H/, /W/, /Y/, /R/, /L/, /S/, /Z/, /SH/, /CH/, /TH/, /R-BLENDS/, /S-BLENDS/ and /L-BLENDS/. The total bundle is only $8 and is filled with engaging pictures and and is ready to print and go! Grab it here!  

<< Fill out the form below to grab your free Tic Tac Toe Game Preview and Interactive Game Board! >>

Grab your initial r tic tac toe game, frequently asked questions.

In this section, we cover common inquiries about utilizing tic-tac-toe for initial R articulation practice. Our goal is to provide useful information and resources for speech therapists, educators, and parents.

How can a tic-tac-toe game be implemented for initial R articulation practice?

We implement a tic-tac-toe game by replacing the standard Xs and Os with words that start with the letter R. During the game, players must say the word they choose out loud as they mark their spot on the board, which encourages repetition and practice of the initial R sound.

What printable resources are there for a tic-tac-toe game focusing on initial R sounds?

Printable resources for such tic-tac-toe games are available online. They typically come as PDFs with pre-made tic-tac-toe grids filled with initial R words. These can often be downloaded from websites that specialize in speech therapy materials.

Where can I find an online version of tic-tac-toe suitable for speech therapy activities?

Online versions of tic-tac-toe suitable for speech therapy can be found on educational and speech therapy websites. These platforms sometimes offer interactive games that are designed to target specific speech sounds, including the initial R.

Is there a free tic-tac-toe game designed to reinforce initial R articulation?

Yes, many websites provide free tic-tac-toe games specifically designed for speech therapy. These games may be downloadable or playable directly on the website, providing an accessible tool for practicing R articulation.

Are there any variations of tic-tac-toe that support language development for initial R practice?

Variations of tic-tac-toe can include using pictures with initial R sounds, multisyllabic R words, or phrases instead of single words. These variations can accommodate different levels of language development and target more specific articulation goals.

What rules should be followed when introducing tic-tac-toe as a speech therapy tool?

When we introduce tic-tac-toe as a speech therapy tool, we should ensure that players clearly pronounce the R words before placing their mark. Reinforce correct pronunciation and provide feedback for incorrect articulations. The objective is to practice the sound within a fun, low-pressure setting.

Want Even More Lesson Plans for Speech Therapy?

• Free SLP Planner [Updated Yearly]
• 917+ Best Free Boom Cards for Speech Therapy
• 31 Best Wordless Videos to Teach Problem Solving
• 133+ Categories List for Speech Therapy
• The Best Handout for Phonological Processing Disorder Therapy

Want the Best of the Bests?

Be sure to check out our most popular posts below!

• 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy / Teletherapy
• Best IEP Resources
• 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios
• 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle
• 432+ Free Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives Bank
• 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials
• 179+ Free Speech Therapy Wh-Questions Printable

• Online ASHA CEUs
• Therapy Materials
• Online Courses

Group Rates

Online course group options:, buy codes for your group.  purchase codes, register your group now.  enroll now , get a group quote.  request quote , submit a purchase order.  purchase order .

How To Register Your Group:

Large groups: 11+ save 25% - 35%, this option is for groups of 11+ individuals and/or if purchasing multiple courses. , buy codes for your group. purchase codes, visa, mastercard, discover, and american express are accepted on our website., purchase orders are accepted here: submit po, click here for more information, group rate applies to regular-priced courses only and cannot be combined with other sales, add-ons, bundles, or discount codes. offer excludes courses: #e01, #e95, #e128, & #e273., this option is for registering each of your small group members for the same course using a credit card through our website., first, gather each individual's first and last name and nss account number. all information must match exactly with their account at northernspeech.com., then, click here to register each group member*:   enroll & pay now  , *credit card payments are accepted individually or with one (1) card., group rate applies to regular-priced courses only and cannot be combined with other sales, add-ons, bundles, or discount codes. offer excludes courses: #e95, #e128, & #e273..

|  Contact Us | Online Course FAQ  |

Sale thru 5/31/24

0.15  asha ceus, r: techniques and interventions to correct /r/ — seven steps, from basics to habituation #e172.

Presenter: Sandra R. Holtzman, MS, CCC-SLP, COM, QOM

Description

Learn seven steps necessary to move clients onward toward habituation..

– C.S., prior course participant

Read more comments about this course!

The /r/ sound is one of the most difficult sounds for a clinician to target. Where do we start? The R that initiates a syllable is very different from the R that is vowelized, and the R that is stressed within a word is different from the unstressed R at the end of words... or are they?

Covered will be seven basic steps that are necessary to move clients onward toward habituation. Learn the secrets of taking the correct steps in the correct order. You will no longer be left in limbo, unsure whether to begin with the initial sound in isolation, or in the final position, or with clusters.

Certain structural and functional complications that interfere with the treatment process are described and ruled out. Basic lingual skills necessary for success are introduced early in the treatment program. Participants will progress – much as their clients will – through small, critical steps along a smooth and sensible pathway leading to the final goal of habituation.

Course is offered for 0.15 ASHA CEUs – 1.5 Contact Hours.

Course Overview & Run Time

Course Overview – Run Time: 1:30:18

• Ruling out various etiologies prior to initiating a /r/ therapy program.
• Basic lingual skills to be maximized before initiating a program of articulation.
• The seven stages of therapy from "basics to habituation."
• Benefits of presenting ER in the final position of words instead of the initial position.

– K.B., prior course participant

Content Disclosures

While the content of this online CE course does not focus exclusively on any specific proprietary product or service, the methods in this course are derived from the text, Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation. Course presenter, Sandra Holtzman, is the author of this text and receives royalties on its sale. Additional financial and non-financial disclosures may be found by clicking on the Presenter & Disclosures tab.

Course Format

Video PowerPoint presentation with author narration & downloadable handout. Stop and re-start the course at any point. Learners retain access to course content after completion for ongoing reference and review.

Comments From Prior Course Participants

"The stages were helpful to discuss. I liked everything in this course." K.W. (Apr. 2024)

"I have a lot of students working on /r/ so I found everything very beneficial for my daily practice. The course was easy to digest and implement." M.W. (Apr. 2024)

"The exact plan of how to progress was helpful to discuss. Thank you! So practical." S.Q. (Apr. 2024)

"The sequence in which to target variations of /r/ was beneficial." A.M. (Apr. 2024)

"I appreciated the systematic approach for "R" intervention. I liked the video examples and practical visuals." K.G. (Mar. 2024)

"Tongue tie information was beneficial. I liked pictures and examples of words/sentences for each /r/ variation." K.B. (Mar. 2024)

"I enjoyed the myofunctional perspective prior to articulation therapy." D.L. (Mar. 2024)

"I liked the idea that all R sounds can be broken down into "er" and that all other R sounds come from "er". Great presentation with a lot of examples and videos." M.Z. (Mar. 2024)

"Targeting /er/ before everything else was beneficial to discuss. I liked the examples." K.N. (Mar. 2024)

"I liked the pictures, examples, and OMEs before eliciting sound." M.S. (Mar. 2024)

"Discussing the principle of -er was helpful. I liked the info." M.D. (Feb. 2024)

"All was beneficial, great practical information." P.G. (Feb. 2024)

"Moving to natural-sounding speech rather than robotic. I liked all of the provided word lists." M.P. (Feb. 2024)

"The base of /r/ production (oral structure) and the 7 steps, especially the establishment of /r/ were beneficial to discuss. I enjoyed all of the examples with actual students." C.P. (Feb. 2024)

"The outlined steps and the research backing the steps were helpful." E.T. (Jan. 2024)

"I loved how the course outlined a method that was easy to follow. It was a very practical method with great examples that I can implement into my practice." B.A. (Jan. 2024)

"Moving through to natural-sounding speech was beneficial. I liked the visual representation/examples." A.P. (Jan. 2024)

"Discussing the tongue movements needed prior to beginning the stages was helpful. I enjoyed the knowledge of the presenter and the ease of access to the course. It's helpful to be able to watch at my leisure." M.O. (Jan. 2024)

"This course gave real-life therapy considerations and examples. I liked the myofunctional considerations for /r/." T.P. (Jan. 2024)

"I will use all of these steps when a student has difficulty habituating the /r/. Step-by-step process to implementation into practice." A.R. (Jan. 2024)

"Identifying barriers and moving through a logical sequence of progression for success with inclusion of habituation. Sequential outline to move through logically. Love that Sandra always includes “make it fun!”." A.B. (Jan. 2024)

"Discussing habituation was beneficial. Very organized course; specific steps with examples." A.C. (Jan. 2024)

"The sequence to present each /r/ family group of sounds was beneficial. The course was clear and systematic." M.S. (Jan. 2024)

"It was awesome that all of this was in line with how I teach r, including the use of nonsense syllables. Great reasoning to help explain WHY this method works. I liked the clarity and organization." D.W. (Jan. 2024)

"Everything about this course was incredibly useful. My practice was reinforced when discovering many things that I already do; however, I was missing a most important component of the sequence of introducing sounds and sound productions. I cannot wait to adapt my practice using this critical information." J.B. (Jan. 2024)

"I work with a lot of students with /r/ goals. I'm going to be implementing these techniques into my sessions. I liked how easy course was to follow." E.S. (Jan. 2024)

"The hierarchy of er production starting with bilabials was beneficial to discuss. It's helpful for me to know where to start with many of my students still struggling with the r sound and to have a hierarchy to follow." T.W. (Jan. 2024)

"Identifying and practicing basic lingual movements was beneficial. I didn't think about how these are a precursor to formulating a pure R sound. I enjoyed how the treatment was broken down into steps, making it easy to follow." A.S. (Jan. 2024)

"Starting ER in words with a consonant or cluster before the ER. A good amount of videos, clear presentation." C.H. (Dec. 2023)

"I liked the different videos to show how to elicit the /r/ sound. A good course." E.C. (Dec. 2023)

"The word list examples were beneficial. I liked the videos of clients." L.G. (Dec. 2023)

"Specific treatment of /r/. I liked the step-by-step approach." C.H. (Dec. 2023)

"Use of the /er/ sound was helpful. I liked that the steps were broken down clearly." A.R. (Dec. 2023)

"Discussing how to get to habituation. Easy to follow course with lots of video examples." T.D. (Dec. 2023)

"The information was precise, and the speaker was knowledgeable on the topic. I realize now that some of my "habitual poor /r/" students that I have inherited need to go back to the beginning and start with oral motor." K.W. (Dec. 2023)

"All of the content was beneficial to my daily practice. I enjoyed learning what to look for and how to best produce /r/." K.H. (Nov. 2023)

"I appreciate the breaking down of each stage in that hierarchical fashion. I liked that I could stop and start as I needed due to schedule constraints." L.M. (Nov. 2023)

"I learned that I need to spend more time on the "base" during evaluation and the lingual basics at the beginning of therapy. I have always recognized that all Rs are actually "er," but this presentation broke it down more systematically for me. I enjoyed the hierarchy of skills to achieve habituation of R."  D.K. (Nov. 2023)

"Eliciting /er/ with a tongue depressor was beneficial. I liked that there are solid phases to cover prior to moving on." J.C. (Nov. 2023)

"Starting a student out with /er/ and why was really helpful for me. Moving through steps helped me think about what I'm currently doing and what I can do to change to help a student/client to habituation." J.C. (Nov. 2023)

"I liked how systematically the ER was paired with a combination of another consonant and how these combinations were systematically introduced. I liked the video examples and specific word lists." M.R. (Nov. 2023)

"Quick and easy to understand. The different steps and what to focus on were helpful." S.H. (Nov. 2023)

"I liked breaking down the R into manageable parts and the videos of actual clients." S.B. (Nov. 2023)

"I appreciate the step-by-step approach that gives a practical way to go through /r/ treatment without getting overwhelmed. I liked the clear examples and steps." L.S. (Nov. 2023)

"Using the smile position as a starting point after checking oral structures to achieve ER was beneficial. Great examples all along the way." L.F. (Oct. 2023)

"I GREATLY appreciated the step-by-step nature of teaching the clinician how to shape the "er" or /r/ production. I appreciate the emphasis on ruling out the contributing orofacial issues (e.g. tongue tie, breathing issues, maladaptive oral habits, etc.) before actually targeting the /r/ production. I am so glad that I now have this wonderful resource to use in my clinical practice "toolkit" moving forward." A.W. (Oct. 2023)

"The sequential steps taken to ensure habituation were beneficial. I liked the videos and handouts." K.P. (Oct. 2023)

"I really liked that the course instructor provided step-by-step instructions that I could easily follow. I can modify as I see fit, and this helps me to build my confidence and skills." A.W. (Oct. 2023)

"The progression from easy to hard phonemes for coarticulation was beneficial. I liked all the examples of phrases and sentences." E.G. (Oct. 2023)

"The complete seven steps was great. I liked how thorough the presenter was." T.P. (Oct. 2023)

"I loved seeing the hierarchy broken down into each individual step. Step by step instructions with examples of real clients." L.S. (Oct. 2023)

"I would never have guessed that starting with "er" would be the best example of /r/. This will be really helpful for me to know what path to take in therapy with some of my students who have been receiving speech for several years! The video examples were very helpful to understand what the presenter was talking about and see it in practice with real clients." R.M. (Oct. 2023)

"Very concise course with lots of information, useful therapy suggestions, and informational video clips. Most beneficial was the discussion in reference to ruling out structural barriers to the correct formation of the /r/ development." K.Q. (Oct. 2023)

"Discrete breakdown of the skills needed for ER across coarticulation settings and how to systematically build up to consistent accuracy was beneficial. I liked the specific examples of what, when, and how to practice." L.N. (Oct. 2023)

"The illustrations and videos were helpful." D.P. (Oct. 2023)

"I will be able to immediately utilize this information with my clients. The information regarding what to check prior to beginning work on the /r/ sound was very helpful. The specific information about how to work on the progression of the sound was beneficial." B.K. (Oct. 2023)

"The speaker was knowledgeable and provided information in a well-organized and well-explained manner. She provided good clinical information that could be readily utilized by the SLP with clients." B.K. (Oct. 2023)

"I have an older child on my schedule with an /R/ that just won't get better! I think this program is going to get him there! I liked the step-by-step instructions for the program....great examples, and therapy techniques and suggestions." S.S. (Sep. 2023)

"I will implement the seven steps into my therapy. I liked the course pause and resume video feature." A.J. (Sep. 2023)

"Things you need to accomplish with success before even starting an R program! I liked the video examples and the word/sound list examples. I enjoyed listening to the speaker." J.D. (Sep. 2023)

"I liked the 7 concrete steps including orofacial myology concepts." L.L. (Sep. 2023)

"The progression at each stage was most beneficial. I liked the video examples of the clients demonstrating the skills." J.S. (Sep. 2023)

"Practical stimuli and activity examples. Course was informative and quick." H.R. (Sep. 2023)

"Eliminating the use of lip rounding for /r/ production, and breaking the sound production in words into stages based on the letter and production area in the oral cavity were beneficial topics. I liked the examples given and the breaking out of stages for each sound in words where /r/ was embedded." S.D. (Aug. 2023)

"The 7 basic steps and how to transition through each stage successfully was helpful." C.G. (Aug. 2023)

"I liked the speaker's step-by-step approach to intervention. Incorporating pre-learning strategies and evaluating oral functioning prior to therapy was beneficial. I will utilize her approach along with others I've accumulated over the years." K.C. (Aug. 2023)

"Very organized hierarchy of treatment. Lots of examples." M.S. (Aug. 2023)

"I'm returning to providing therapy after a long hiatus in management and was looking for a good R refresher. This course actually had some techniques I hadn't heard before. I loved that it came from an orofacial myologist." L.N. (Aug. 2023)

"This course was quick and provided good techniques and information. I liked the practical tips and example word and sentence lists." A.B. (Aug. 2023)

"I loved the sequential features of habituating /r/. And going at my own pace." C.S. (Aug. 2023)

"Vowel combinations and word lists with hierarchy. It was beneficial breaking down the steps and giving word lists and Family Groups of sounds that should go in order." K.A. (Aug. 2023)

"Specific examples of sounds easiest to hardest. I liked the order of acquisition." A.A. (Aug. 2023)

"I liked all of the steps for therapy." G.M. (Aug. 2023)

"This systematic approach to /r/ therapy is beneficial. I liked the client videos and pace of presenter." J.L. (Jul. 2023)

"I really appreciated focusing on the /er/ before moving to the more challenging sounds. It makes sense and will help the child become successful. The content was presented clearly with a knowledge base and experience that will, when implemented effectively, will afford success." C.P. (Jul. 2023)

"I liked the examples and hierarchy. The presenter was knowledgeable." S.P. (Jul. 2023)

"The hierarchy of how and when to work on different ER sounds was very helpful. I liked having video examples." N.B. (Jul. 2023)

"I liked the /r/ strategies. Course was very clear, and can be accessed multiple times as necessary for review." P.S. (Jun. 2023)

"ER at different rates and pitch as a transition to the next skill level was beneficial along with more practice at ER with h, then moving to bilabial, labiodental etc. I had not thought of breaking it down like that. The video examples were helpful." C.M. (Jun. 2023)

"Information about oral structures and their impact was beneficial. The information confirmed the practices and beliefs I possess." A.Q. (Jun. 2023)

"I liked this perspective program. And the information and research that was provided." R.S. (Jun. 2023)

"The systematic sequence and starting with a pure ER was beneficial." N.H. (May 2023)

"Love the breakdown. Simple to follow and implement immediately." W.N. (May 2023)

"I liked the systematic approach from beginning to end. The video examples were beneficial." L.P. (May 2023)

"Step by step process when initiating therapy for the /r/ production. I liked the examples and clarity of this therapeutic approach." K.W. (Apr. 2023)

"Informational course, I enjoyed the included videos. The discussion of the breakdown of R to ER before moving forward was beneficial." D.G. (Apr. 2023)

"I liked the demonstrations, and the co-articulation method was beneficial." S.H. (Apr. 2023)

"The elicitation techniques, as well as the live examples, were very helpful." R.R. (Apr. 2023)

"Sequence of therapy was beneficial. I liked the written and video examples." J.S. (Apr. 2023)

"I appreciated the progression of this program. This was a clearly articulated and easy-to-follow course. The visual supports were helpful." T.E. (Apr. 2023)

"Great approach to R. Made treating R less intimidating." T.P. (Apr. 2023)

"Assessing the lingual movement prior to therapy and why the sequence used for stabilizing the ER with consonants was beneficial. The course was easy to access. Liked that I can view recording again so video examples can be reviewed. Good handouts with examples." J.F. (Apr. 2023)

"I was literally able to start using this in sessions immediately! I loved the steps and working on multiple sound combinations in each step with directions to move to the next most appropriate sounds." K.F. (Mar. 2023)

"I liked the video examples. Tongue tie and the production of /er/ to start and working into final position was beneficial." J.F. (Mar. 2023)

"I liked the presentations and the videos. The topic of having the student "teach" the clinician was beneficial." A.H. (Mar. 2023)

"Loved the myofunctional tips. Good ideas for therapy and the development of proficiency." P.R. (Mar. 2023)

"The initial section on what could be barriers to all articulation success was beneficial. I liked the section about tongue tie, breathing issues, etc." J.H. (Mar. 2023)

"All of the stages were beneficial. I did appreciate the factors you need to consider for the base of articulation therapy. I always appreciate how I can follow along and make notes on my printed handouts. The handouts are great to have for reference and for the examples." H.O. (Mar. 2023)

"Stages of treating /r/ in a more efficient way. I liked the logical thinking about /r/." C.S. (Mar. 2023)

"The entire presentation will be beneficial for my daily practice. The presenter was very knowledgeable about the steps involved in achieving correct production of the /r/ sound." M.H. (Feb. 2023)

"Made "R" seem much less intimidating. This course moved thoroughly through all stages of therapy and provided much needed word lists. It provided useful videos and talked about normal speech production. The word lists will make planning therapy sessions a breeze. None of this was discussed in my graduate classes EVER." A.W. (Feb. 2023)

"Course was very well organized and very relevant with specific treatment ideas. Specific examples of sequential and systematic /r/ content (syllables, words, sentences)." T.M. (Feb. 2023)

"I liked that it was explained step by step and that the information in the handouts was exactly what she talked about in the video presentation. This way I can go back and do the steps by following the handouts." L.C. (Feb. 2023)

"The first few stages were beneficial. It gave me a starting point. Liked the way the program was laid out." A.D. (Feb. 2023)

"The idea that "ER" is really the basic sound has been very helpful. I especially liked the video examples." D.W. (Feb. 2023)

"OME's to help with correct productions. OME's, step-by-step guidelines to achieve goals." J.B. (Feb. 2023)

"Being mindful of the selection of words we use with students. I liked the level of information, no extraneous info. Everything was to the point." I.R. (Feb. 2023)

"The transition process from where to start was beneficial because starting articulation therapy for R has been difficult. I liked the video examples that showed therapy with the clients." J.L. (Feb. 2023)

"The step-by-step "how to" and "where to start guide" towards habituation is exactly what I needed. I liked the step-by-step instruction with video and real-life examples." M.G. (Jan. 2023)

"Lingual basics. The understanding and application of myofunctional techniques were beneficial." C.S. (Jan. 2023)

"Mastery of intra oral skills before beginning any articulation programming. I liked that course was taught by Sandra. She is just the best." J.P. (Jan. 2023)

"Understanding basics before undertaking /r/ therapy. Liked step-by-step style. SMART goals provided." J.C. (Jan. 2023)

"Establishing the base and practicing ER was beneficial. This course went through the 7 steps in an organized manner." K.T. (Dec. 2022)

"Learning how to begin and complete r therapy correctly. Each stage of therapy was presented in a timely and correct manner." E.S. (Dec. 2022)

"The entire presentation was essential to R instruction and can readily be applied to therapy practice. The video examples were excellent in demonstrating application." J.S. (Dec. 2022)

"The course was clear and easy to follow. I liked the specific ways presented to treat /r/." H.C. (Dec. 2022)

"Practical applications. Videos were excellent. Presenter had great ideas and was VERY clear and knowledgeable. I learned about the two and three way mouth props. Just bought them and cannot wait to use them in therapy." B.P. (Dec. 2022)

"The examples of activities and words/sentences to use in therapy were good. I liked that I could take course at my own pace." M.H. (Dec. 2022)

"Liked the ideas for making habituation sound natural instead of robotic. And the video and audio examples that helped illustrate points." L.H. (Dec. 2022)

"I liked the general structure and order of working through the /r/ sound." M.L. (Dec. 2022)

 "I liked the way the presenter simplified the information into stages from basics to habituation." B.M. (Nov. 2022)

"Clear, precise instructions for each stage." J.A. (Nov. 2022)

"I found the stages of /r/ most beneficial. I am looking forward to trying them with my articulation students. I liked the examples and real-life videos to help the viewers understand what each stage looks like." M.C. (Nov. 2022)

"I liked the exercises to do at the beginning, not rounding lips to produce /r/, and starting with "ER". Word Lists provided were good." A.W. (Nov. 2022)

"I liked the step-by-step approach and how specifically broken down by how each surrounding sound affects production." C.O. (Nov. 2022)

"Since taking this course, I have tried to incorporate some of the major points into my therapy sessions, doing my best to apply what I've learned, especially discouraging children from rounding their lips! I was always taught how challenging the "R" sound is to learn and teach." A.H. (Nov. 2022)

"Stage 1 - Lingual basics was all new information for me. The videos were very helpful." L.A. (Nov. 2022)

"I appreciate the fact that you have to work on and stay at the level of oral motor skills before being able to move on to the production of the sounds. Also, how organized and laid out the information was. The word lists and how they advance from easiest to hardest is so helpful." M.M. (Oct. 2022)

"I liked how the process was broken down into steps and the examples of target words." M.S. (Oct. 2022)

"The course was clear and step-by-step." D.T. (Oct. 2022)

"The videos of kids and lists of words to use for therapy were good." J.S. (Oct. 2022)

"Very thorough and loved the videos." M.G. (Oct. 2022)

"The speaker was very interesting, and videos added to the presentation." N.S. (Oct. 2022)

"Sandra Holtzman! Wonderful at what she does for speech therapy." J.G. (Sept. 2022)

"The course was to the point!" A.B. (Sept. 2022)

"The detailed description of every step in the habituation of the /R/ sound, as well as the many examples provided in each step, were informative." A.P. (Sept. 2022)

"The courses organization (and delivery) and the amount of time devoted to watching the videos which allowed us to observe the progress of the various children was good." E.B. (Sept. 2022)

"I like the videos with clients, the sample sentences." R.M. (Aug. 2022)

"The entire presentation was helpful. I like that it was broken down into 7 steps that were clearly presented. I also thought the video examples were great in helping explain the concepts." R.K. (Aug. 2022)

"I thought using stages to work through correct /r/ production was very helpful." C.H. (Aug. 2022)

"The course taught me how to break down therapy into easy, manageable steps that maximize success. I like that it was easily accessible, self-paced." L.B. (Aug. 2022)

"The course was easy to follow and understand." K.H. (Aug. 2022)

"I liked the video examples of how to elicit the /-er/ and gradually shape it for other vocalic /r/'s." F.F. (Aug. 2022)

"Lots of examples of what to use with the client. Lots of video examples." C.E. (Aug. 2022)

"I am excited to try the tongue depressor trick. The printed handouts made it easier to follow along, and will be helpful for refreshing my knowledge later." A.C. (Aug. 2022)

"I liked the practical information and activities she provided. I also thought her explanations were very easy to understand and grasp." K.H. (Aug. 2022)

"I learned about a systematic progression for /r/ therapy and why it is critical not to omit steps within the program. Ms. Holtzman provided plenty of examples and logical explanations for the progression of the program steps." E.A. (July 2022)

"It provided an easy to understand and systematic way of working on a very daunting and difficult speech sound. The discussion about what to rule out prior to initiating the r sound, the order of how to present the /r/ in context for therapy, as well as the sample words and videos were all helpful in my understanding and use for therapy. " A.M. (June 2022)

"I liked the exercises before initiating /r/ and the videos and direct therapy." B.B. (June 2022)

"I liked the example word lists and the videos were helpful too. Very practical information - I had never considered starting with a vowelized /r/." A.P. (June 2022)

"The liked the entire course. And how detailed all the steps were and with examples." J.M. (June 2022)

"The liked how the speaker broke down each step." A.S. (June 2022)

"I like that it actually told me what to do and how to do it. The videos were very helpful as are the word lists." J.G. (May 2022)

"The breakdown in how to remediate and which sound categories to start with was good. The use of the tongue depressor was good, in place of some of the other more expensive tools on the market." A.P. (May 2022)

"I liked the simplicity and following the 7 stages." A.S. (May 2022)

"The whole lecture is beneficial. It easily explained how to implement the techniques into therapy." E.A. (Apr. 2022)

"The hierarchy for approaching /r/, specifically addressing lingual basics is beneficial. I like the sentence examples to share with students." A.M. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked how I could immediately begin using these techniques with my students!" J.E. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked the steps, especially the Stages 4 and 5. The videos helped comprehension. The course was easy to follow and the steps make sense." T.D. (Apr. 2022)

"Oral motor exercises, detailed steps for elicitation. Liked detailed breakdown of steps with examples." R.B. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked the tips for /r/ production and real-life videos of techniques." C.O. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked the order of sounds to work on, and images of structural differences." V.F. (Apr. 2022)

"I liked the specific examples of the process when working with er, then final word position, then to phrases etc to increase naturalness. I thought it was very actionable in therapy. Good use of video examples at each stage. Good start of word lists." M.E. (Mar. 2022)

"Rigorous, systematic program - very straightforward, excellent examples to illustrate." M.D. (Mar. 2022)

" Starting with Phase 1 (improving the student's ability to produce isolated movements of the tongue) before you introduce the articulation therapy will be very helpful for me moving forward. It was well-organized with lots of examples provided at each step." C.D. (Feb. 2022)

"It was clear and well thought out." C.A. (Jan. 2022)

" Each step/technique was very informative and I will definitely use this in my daily practice. The course was easy to follow and understand; handouts were helpful; videos were especially helpful." K.B. (Nov. 2021)

" It was practical and right to the point - very efficient use of time." N.M. (Nov. 2021)

" Strengthening and coordination of the articulators is so over looked because of misinformation in the field. For so long we have been taught NOT to address the strength and coordination of the muscles in the mouth. This research shows evidence to the contrary.  The course was very easy to listen to. Good practice advice." E.F. (Nov. 2021)

" How to work on moving tongue and lips independently from the mandible was beneficial for my daily practice. I liked the video examples."   H.E. (Oct. 2021)

" The practical application of the pyramid will be most beneficial to my application of what I've learned in this course. For example, understanding the progression of sounds to introduce in syllables from easiest to most difficult will be helpful in assisting patients to produce /r/ correctly.  The course was easy to understand, engaging, and helpful in practical application of the knowledge to the therapy setting." S.H. (Oct. 2021)

“I really appreciated this content taking me back to the basics of the oral cavity and lingual movements. I tend to rush /r/ therapy, and it helped me understand I am missing steps and need to start from the beginning.” C.S. (Oct. 2021)

" It gives a step-by-step and addressed complications with oral-motor and structural issues." M.T. (Oct. 2021)

" I liked the reasoning for the progression-sound families, and working on the stressed /er/. I liked the scope and sequence. I'm glad I have learned new strategies for working with the /r/ sound." J.A. (Oct. 2021)

" The recommended sequence in which to teach -er and the lists is beneficial for my daily practice." J.J. (Sept. 2021)

" I found the mixture of video and audio examples to be very helpful." A.C. (Sept. 2021)

" Discussion of systematically establishing the basics of production was beneficial for my daily practice.  I liked the systematic presentation and examples used." D.M. (Sept. 2021)

" I thought the explanations of the 7 steps to habituation was very informative. I love the examples given and the videos provided. Easy to read and follow handouts. Step by step guide of each step." N.R. (Sept. 2021)

" I liked all the videos. I learned that you don't move on to the next step until you get proper tongue placement...even though it's boring!" L.M. (Sept. 2021)

"The speaker provided video examples and detailed outline of how to produce the /r/ sound." K.C. (Sept. 2021)

" How to make 'er' the initial goal, then to carry it over and the specific steps to how to break down /r/ were good." M.P. (Sept. 2021)

" The steps that I can follow for correction of the /r/ sound were beneficial." E.S. (Sept. 2021)

" This was the best /r/ training I have ever watched! The step-by-step approach is one I can implement immediately. I really liked the video demonstrations." C.S. (Aug. 2021)

" I liked that it covered a good bit of information in a short period of time." H.G. (Aug. 2021)

" Each of the seven steps was important in order for me to incorporate the program into my daily practice.  I liked the example videos, voice recordings, and example words and sentences." K.S. (Aug. 2021)

" The hierarchy of consonants to incorporate with vocalic "r" and the examples of words used to target "r" production will help my with my daily practice." C.S. (Jul. 2021)

" The ruling out basic factors and the lingual basics were very helpful.  I liked the clarity of the 7 Stages, word examples, and video samples of clients." M.C. (Jul. 2021)

" The 7 steps for teaching /er/ production and for it to become more natural in conversational speech were beneficial.  I enjoyed the client videos and real-life examples of how the treatment techniques should be implemented in practice." K.S. (Jul. 2021)

" The presenter was excellent and handouts were fantastic!" R.H. (Jul. 2021)

"Very informative, easy to listen to speaker." R.P. (May 2021)

“I liked that this course provided clear precise examples with words in order of proven treatment method.” S.P. (Mar. 2021)

Course Objectives

• Rule out various etiologies prior to initiating a program of /r/ therapy.
• Understand the basic lingual skills to be maximized before initiating a program of articulation.
• Name and describe the seven stages of therapy from "basics to habituation."
• Give at least two examples of methods to obtain a pure, stable and consistent ER in isolation.
• Explain the benefits of presenting ER in the final position of words instead of the initial position.

Presenter & Disclosures

Sandra R. Holtzman, MS, CCC-SLP, COM, QOM , is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist who has specialized in orofacial myology for most of her career. She is director of Neo-Health Services, Inc., an organization that provides continuing education training and supplies related to orofacial myology. Sandra and her team developed the Qualification in Orofacial Myology (QOM) to provide this highly respected and recognized credential to professionals in speech pathology and dentistry/orthodontics. She is author of Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation (aka the “ Myo Manual ”) as well as programs for elimination of oral habits.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial — Sandra Holtzman is a presenter of online CE courses sponsored by Northern Speech Services; receives royalties.

Financial — Sandra Holtzman is the author of the text "Orofacial Myology: From Basics to Habituation"; receives royalties.

Financial — Sandra Holtzman is the owner of Neo-Health Services, Inc; ownership interests.

Nonfinancial — Sandra Holtzman has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Intended Audience / Accreditation

This program is offered for 0.15 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area).

Intended Audience

• Speech-Language Pathologists

ASHA CEUs: NSS online courses are registered with ASHA and are offered for ASHA CEUs. The number of ASHA CEUs is noted above. Note that 0.1 ASHA CEU = 1 contact hour = equals 1 CEE.

ASHA CE Registry: During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

ASHA CEUs: Attendees must meet at least one of the following conditions in order to be eligible to earn ASHA CEUs:

• Current ASHA Member.
• ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) Holder.
• Licensed by a state or provincial regulatory agency to practice speech-language pathology (SLP) or audiology.
• Credentialed by a state regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
• Credentialed by a national regulatory agency to practice SLP or audiology.
• Engaged in a Clinical Fellowship under the supervision of an individual with their ASHA CCC.
• Currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in SLP or audiology.

If an attendee is not an ASHA member or CCC holder but meets any of the above criteria, they may inform the ASHA CE Registry of their eligibility by visiting this site .

Licensing Boards: Most state licensing boards DO accept CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some state boards do, however, place a limit to the number of credits that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any credit limits related to home-study courses prior to registering for this course.

Additional accrediting agencies by which Northern Speech is an approved CE provider:

• California: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board. Provider #PDP4. Online CEU limits may apply; please contact SLPAHADB for current online CEU acceptance policies.
• Iowa: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Iowa Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology Examiners. Provider #169.
• Kansas: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Provider #LTS-S0005.
• Florida: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the Florida Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board. Provider #SPA-026.
• New Jersey: NSS is approved as a provider of continuing education by the New Jersey Department of Education. Provider #1654.

Frequently Asked Questions

Online course faq — click here, customer support: please phone 888.337.3866 or email [email protected] ..

Course Completion Timeframe:

You have unlimited time to complete our online courses. You may log off and log on as often as you’d like to in order to complete all sections of a course.

However, completion dates are based on Eastern Standard Time. Therefore, if you need your CEUs by a certain date, be sure to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on that date. For example, if you need CEUs before January 1st, you will need to complete the course test before 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Content Access:

Access to course materials and content does not expire, even after completing the post test. You may continue to review course material by logging into your NSS account, clicking the My Online Courses tab, and then viewing your desired course.

Certificate of Completion:

On successful completion of the post test (80%), a certificate will be immediately available for download and/or printing. This certificate will include your name, date of completion (based on Eastern Time Zone, USA/Canada), and number of contact hours (CEUs / CEEs). Please note that CEUs are awarded on the date of successful test completion, not the date of course enrollment. Please ensure that you successfully complete the post test prior to any licensure renewal dates.

ASHA CE Registry Submission:

During the enrollment process, if you select to receive ASHA credit for this course and if you provide your ASHA number, NSS will automatically submit your CEU information to the ASHA CE Registry after successful course completion (80% on post test). This submission happens once per month, during the first week of the month. For example, if you complete your course on November 7th, NSS will submit all November online course CEUs to ASHA during the first week of December. When ASHA inputs the information into their database, they will mark the course as completed on the last day of the month in which it was completed, so November 30th using this example. The certificate of completion available for you to print immediately, however, will reflect the actual completion date, November 7th in this example. Due to ASHA processing procedures please allow 2-3 weeks, from the submission date, for the course to appear on your ASHA transcript.

Purchase Orders:

Purchase orders are currently not accepted for online orders, if you wish to submit a purchase order please do so at [email protected]  or fax to 888-696-9655.

What is an Online Course?

Our Online Courses consist of video, audio, and/or text content and are offered for ASHA CEUs. Unlike a webinar, which requires participants to be logged on and at a computer at specific times, our Online Courses are available to you at any time, from any device, via your NorthernSpeech.com online account. You may work at your own pace and start and stop your course as you wish. Your course will conclude with a short post test. On successful completion of the post test (>80%), a printable certificate of completion is presented to you.

Receiving CEUs:

Northern Speech is an ASHA CE Provider and our online courses are registered with ASHA and offered for ASHA CEUs. Please note that successful completion of the online post test is required prior to the awarding of CEUs. Please contact your state licensing board for acceptance policies related to CEUs earned online. Please note that courses offered for university students are not applicable for CEUs.

Registering for an online course:

You may browse all online courses by clicking the Continuing Education tab above, then Online Courses. Once you find a course, click Enroll Now, and you will be asked to either log into your existing Northern Speech account or create a new online account. Once you’ve entered your account information and provided your credit card payment, your course will be immediately available to you.

Accessing your purchased course or returning to a purchased course:

You will be able to access your online course by logging into your Northern Speech account and then clicking the My Online Courses tab on your profile screen. Click the course you would like to start or to resume. From there, proceed through the course sections until you are ready to complete the post test. You do not have to complete your course all at once. You may log on and off as you wish.

Testing requirements:

Each online course concludes with a post test consisting of multiple choice or true & false questions. Scores of 80% or greater are required for successful course completion and awarding of CEUs. You may revisit course materials and retest as needed to achieve a passing score.

Number of CEUs offered:

We offer courses from 1 to 21 contact hours. Each course will note the number of CEUs offered. Please note that 0.1 CEU = 1 contact hour = 1 CEE.

State licensing boards and online CEUs:

NSS is an ASHA CE Provider and most state licensing boards DO accept ASHA CEUs earned online (usually classified as home-study credits). Some boards do, however, place a limit to the number of CEUs that can be earned via home study/online courses. For the most current information, we suggest that you contact your licensing board or agency to verify acceptance policies and/or any CEU limits related to home-study courses prior to enrolling in an online course.

Course formats:

Our course formats include: text, audio, video, and PowerPoint with author narration. Each course will note the format on the course description page. Most courses include closed captioning.

Course handouts:

Most of our online courses provide a link to download the accompanying handout as a PDF file. 

Group discounts:

Groups of 3 or more are eligible for a 20% discount on each registration on most of our online courses. To receive this discount, registrations need to be processed together via the "Group Rates" tab on the Online Course of your choice.

Computer requirements:

For our online courses to function best, we recommend that you update your computer to include the newest version of your Internet browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, etc.) and newest version of your computer's operating system. Also a high-speed Internet connection is recommended (cable or DSL). Speakers or headphones will be required for many of our courses as many contain audio components.

Course Cancellation Policy:

A purchased online course can be exchanged, refunded, or transferred to another individual if contact is made with NSS (via phone or email) within 30 days of purchase and the course materials have not been viewed or downloaded. 

Special Needs:

Please click here for any special needs requests, and we will do our best to accommodate them. 

|  Contact Us  |

More Offerings by: Sandra R. Holtzman

#e94 tongue tie 101 for slps: what is our role.

Ankyloglossia and the SLP – To ignore it, or not? To refer it, or not? In this course, learn information critical in advising parents regarding infant feeding issues, dental concerns, emotional and social aspects, swallowing considerations, and most importantly the speech connection. Participants will be introduced to assessments and various techniques used to release the lingual frenum.

Add to Cart --> More Info

#e190 Orofacial Myology/Tongue Thrust: An Introduction With Assessment Applications

This course presents an overview of the specialty area of Orofacial Myology and its relationship to the field of Speech-language Pathology. Discussed are the procedures involved in examining various orofacial structures and functions. Learn which barriers interfere with successful treatment, and receive instruction for improving your client's lingual, labial and mandibular coordination skills.

Become a Peer Reviewer to take Courses for FREE!

Nss email alerts.

Northern Speech Services 325 Meecher Rd. Gaylord, MI 49735

888-337-3866 or 989-732-3866 888-696-9655 or 989-732-6164 Our Office Hours: Mon–Fri 9am - 5pm Eastern Time USA