Helping Your Child Speak Clearly: Simple Speech Sound Games for Home

As a tutor who works closely with young children, I often meet parents who ask,

“Why does my child say wabbit instead of rabbit?”Or,“Should I be worried if my child says yion instead of lion?”

You’re not alone—and I want to assure you, these kinds of speech sound mix-ups are very common during early development.

Some of the most frequent sounds children struggle with include:

• /r/ – often swapped for /w/ (e.g., wabbit for rabbit)

• /l/ – sometimes becomes /y/ (e.g., yemon for lemon)

• /s/ – can come out with a lisp (e.g., thun for sun)

While many children grow out of these on their own, some need a little extra support—and I love helping families make this process fun and stress-free.

Below are some of my favorite simple speech sound games that you can do at home.

These activities are especially helpful for the /r/, /l/, and /s/ sounds—and they only take a few minutes a day!

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🪞 1. Mirror Me Game (/l/ and /s/ Sounds)

This one is always a hit in my sessions.

You’ll need:

• A mirror

• A few picture cards or objects that start with L or S (like lemon, leaf, sock, or sun)

How we play it:I sit with the child in front of a mirror and say the target word slowly, exaggerating the tongue placement.

• For /l/, I show them how the tip of my tongue touches right behind the top teeth.

• For /s/, we keep the tongue inside the mouth and let the air flow through the teeth gently.

Then the child gets a turn to copy what they see. We take turns and laugh at silly faces in between!

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🧺 2. Sound Hunt Game

This one turns your whole home into a classroom!

You’ll need:

• A basket or bag

• Everyday items (or pictures) with your target sounds

How it works:I ask children to “go hunting” for things that start with /r/, /l/, or /s/. For example:

• Rock, robot, ring for /r/

• Lemon, leaf, lamp for /l/

• Sock, soap, sun for /s/

Each time they find something, we say the word three times with big, clear voices.

🐍 3. Silly Snake Sentences (/s/ Sound)

This activity is especially fun for kids who love rhyming or storytelling.

How we do it:We make up funny sentences filled with /s/ words, like:

“The silly snake sat on the soap and sang songs.”

The goal is to have fun while getting lots of practice in a natural way. You can even write the sentences down or draw a picture together!

🦁 4. Leo the Lion Says… (/l/ Sound)

This is my version of Simon Says, perfect for /l/ practice.

How to play:We pretend Leo the Lion is giving instructions:

“Leo the Lion says lick your lips.”“Leo the Lion says laugh like a lion!”

Sometimes I let the child be Leo—it keeps them engaged and proud of their speaking.

🚗 5. Race to /r/ Words! (/r/ Sound)

If your child loves toy cars or movement, this is a must-try.

You’ll need:

• A toy car

• A “track” made of paper, tape, or a floor mat

• Picture cards with /r/ words like rocket, rain, ring

How we play it:The child drives the car down the track and stops at each card. To keep going, they say the word clearly 3 times. If they get it right, they zoom to the next one!

👂🏼 When to Keep an Eye on Speech Development

From my experience, most children go through phases of mispronunciation. But here’s when I usually advise parents to consider support from a speech-language therapist:

• If your child is over 4½ and strangers still struggle to understand them

• If they seem frustrated, withdrawn, or avoid talking

• If certain sounds haven’t developed by age 6–7

The earlier we offer support, the easier it is for them to catch up—confidently and joyfully.

📥 Free Printable: Speech Sound Cards

To make things even easier, I’ve put together a free set of printable /l/, /r/, and /s/ flashcards you can use at home. Click [HERE] to download and start playing today!

💬 A Personal Note

I created Simone’s Tutoring to help children thrive in a warm, encouraging environment—whether they’re learning to read, improving their speech, or growing their confidence.

If you’d like a personalised lesson plan or want to learn more about how I can help, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to support parents on this journey.

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