/tʃ/ in the initial position; "ch" as in "chips," "chicken" and "cheese"

Practice /tʃ/ in the initial position with these words below.  /tʃ/ makes the "ch" sound.

"chips,"

"chicken,"

"cheese," and...

"chocolate."

To practice phrases, have your child label the chips, cheese or chocolate.  Targets may include "potato chips" and "barbecue chips;" "American cheese," and "Swiss cheese;" and "Hershey's chocolate" and "dark chocolate."  The grocery store have many different varieties of these foods, so you can get a lot of practice out of this task.

To practice sentences, ask your child what kind of chicken dishes she likes.  Targets may include, "My favorite is chicken cutlets," (this what I would have answered as a child!), "I like chicken wings," and "I like chicken drumsticks."

To practice conversation, have your child discuss why it is important to eat chocolate in small amounts.  Targets may include, "Because if you eat too much chocolate then you get a belly ache.  If you eat too much chocolate then you get cavities.  Then you get your teeth checked by the dentist."  Another idea is to have your child discuss why people are vegetarian and avoid eating chicken and other meats.

The /tʃ/ sound makes the "ch" sound.  It is really a combination of two sounds: /t/ as in "tea" and "sh" and in "shoe."  In many cases, it may be easiest to teach the sounds individually, and then make them together.  Practice making the /t/ sound, then the "sh" sound.  Then, make one after the other until they flow seamlessly together. For the /t/ sound, touch cues are helpful.  Show your child how one's tongue taps the roof of the mouth behind the teeth.  This may require some pre-teaching at home before you go to the store.  You two can practice in front of a mirror.  You can also use your finger to tap the ridge behind her teeth (known as the alveolar ridge) where her tongue should be.  A good cue is, "Tap your tongue."  An easy way to cue for the /sh/ sound is to have your child say, "Shhhhh," as if she is 'shushing' someone.  If this doesn't work, then more formal instruction may be needed.  You may even want to prolong the /sh/ sound in a word to highlight it, as in "shhhhhherbet."  For more serious instruction, explain the sound in this way: "Put your teeth together.  Round your lips.  Put your tongue behind your teeth.  Blow."  Have your child put her hand in front of her mouth so that she can feel the air coming out.  Often times the /s/ and /sh/ sounds get blurred.  If your child is making a /s/ instead of a /sh/, this means the tongue should be positioned further back in the mouth (think roof of the mouth rather than behind the teeth).  If needed, you can use a tongue depressor or a spoon to gently push your child's tongue back.  Have her blow, and she should hear the difference.

A simpler way to cue may be as follows.  Instruct her to place her tongue on the ridge behind her upper teeth, like when making the /t/ sound.  Then, let the air pressure "explode" our of her mouth, like when making the "sh" sound.  With this sound, she should not "turn on" her voice/her voice box should not vibrate.

A fun way to make the sound is also to pretend to sneeze, and practice saying "ch-ch-ch" or "choo-choo-choo."  Boys in particular may enjoy making the "choo-choo" sound of a train.  I also recommend saying "chew" before every bite of "chocolate."