/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."

/l/ in the initial position

Practice the /l/ sound with these words:

"lemon" and...

 "lime."

To practice phrases, ask you child to describe the fruits.  Targets may include, "yellow lemon," "green lime," and "small lemons/limes."

To practice sentences, ask have your child to describe the fruits in full statements.  Targets may include, "Limes are green," "Lemons are yellow," and "I see stickers on the limes."  It is all right if your child isn't familiar with these fruits; it will give her a chance to explore.

To practice conversation, compare and contrast the fruits.  Targets may include, "Lemons are yellow.  Limes are green.  Some limes are yellow.  They are all small."  Another way to practice conversation would be to ask your child what foods are made with lemons and/or limes (e.g. pies, Italian ice).  Or, ask her if she thinks lemons and limes have more in common with fruits or vegetables.

To cue for the /l/ sound, remind your child to touch the tip of her tongue to the top of her mouth (specifically to touch ridge that is behind her upper teeth).  Some techniques for /l/ practice advocate dipping a Q-tip in a tasty substance, then rubbing it on the ridge; when the child makes the /l/ sound, she will taste the flavor.  Lemons might be a bit harsh for this, but lime juice may work.  She can practice saying "lime" while also tasting it.  Clever!

/j/ in the initial position; /j/ as in "yogurt," not as in "jelly"

Practice the /j/ sound with these words below.  /j/ makes the "yuh" sound.

"Yogurt" and ...

"yams."

To practice phrases, have your child look at the yogurts and tell you what varieties are for sale.  This can be done by looking at the pictures on the container or reading the labels.  Targets may include "peach yogurt," "cherry yogurt" and "Greek yogurt."  There are many varieties of yogurt, so you can get a lot of mileage out of this task.

To practice sentences, I suggest playing a game.  Every time you or your child sees something "yummy" at the store, say "Yum!  I see _____."  Targets may include, "Yum!  I see cookies," "Yum!  I see apples," and "Yum!  I see juice."  A variation on this activity is to have your child say "yuck" whenever she she sees a food she doesn't like.  Targets may include, "Yuck!  I see liver," or "Yuck!  I see broccoli."

To practice conversation, ask your child how yogurt is made, or what yams are.  If you hear any interesting answers from your child, please post below!  Targets may include, "How do you make yogurt?!  I know it has fruit in it.  Yogurt also has to be cold.  If it isn't, it tastes yucky!" or "I don't know what yams are!  They are orange.  I don't know if they are yummy or yucky.  Do you like yams?"

To cue for the /j/ sound, it takes several steps.  First, remind your child that her tongue should be against the roof of her mouth.  Second, have her round her lips.  Third, initiate the voicing (the vibration of the Adam's Apple) and cue her to push the air out of her mouth. 

If this gets confusing, you can try a "sneaky" method to produce /j/.  If we make the "e" sound and prolong it, it often sounds like "eeee-yuh."  Have your child make a prolonged "e" sound, then draw her attention to the "yuh" portion.  Finally, have her just make the /j/ sound without the "e" sound at the beginning.

Tip: If you look at the can of yams, it has "YAMS" printed clearly on the label.  Paying special attention to printed letters on product packaging can help build awareness of letters representing sounds.  Paying attention to printed words can also lead to "sight" reading, whereby a child recognizes a word by sight.  (Think how a very young child can see a McDonald's sign and recognize that it says "McDonald's.")  This is a pre-literacy skill.  What do you think are good sight words to practice at the grocery store?  Post below!

/n/ in the initial position

Practice the /n/ sound with these words:

"napkin," and ...

"nuts."

To practice phrases, ask your what nuts she sees.  Targets may include "brown nuts," "nuts in bags" and "small nuts" for novices.  For children familiar with nuts, targets may include "Brazil nut," "almond nut" and "pine nut."  For those children really familiar with nuts, you can have a "naming nuts" contest a la the movie "Best in Show."  (One of my favorite movies!)

To practice sentences, ask your child what foods she would definitely need a napkin for after eating.  Targets may include, "I would need a napkin with spaghetti," "I would need a napkin with chicken wings," and "I would need a napkin with ice cream."

To practice conversation, discuss with your child what animals like to eat nuts, and what kind of nuts they like.  Targets may include, "Monkeys like nuts.  Elephants really like nuts.  They like peanuts.  I like peanut butter!  Squirrels eat nuts.  They bury nuts."  Another conversation task may include what kinds of foods containing nuts your child likes to eat (e.g. peanut butter, walnut brownies, etc.).

To cue for the /n/ sound, instruct your child to put her tongue behind her top teeth (you may want to use your finger to show her exactly where to put it, which is the ridge behind the top teeth on the roof of one's mouth).  Then, ask her to prolong the /n/ sound.  Have her feel under her nose, where the air should be coming out.  You can also use a mirror or metal spoon under the nose to see the "fog."

/w/ in the initial position

Practice /w/ with these words:

"water" and...

"wood."

Image retrieved from http://www.mnn.com/family/protection-safety/stories/weve-been-splitting-wood-all-wrong.

To practice phrases, have your child label the different forms water comes in.  Targets may include, "bottled water," "flavored water," and "bubbly water; " ("carbonated water" for the more advanced!).

To practice sentences, ask you child what objects are made of wood.  Targets may include, "Chairs are made of wood," "Fences are made of wood," and "Toys are made of wood."

To practice conversation, ask your child where one can find water.  Answers may include, "Water is in the sea.  Water comes from the sink.  Water comes from a hose."  You can also ask your child what one can do with water (e.g. wash, drink, play, etc.).  These tasks are great for abstract reasoning, as well as attention.

/w/ is often a cinch to practice.  To cue for the /w/ sound, tell your child to round her lips while making the sound.  Have her watch round your lips and make the sound.  If that doesn't work, tell her to make her lips round, as if she were going to whistle or blow bubbles.  Another cue is to gently move her lips together into a circle with your fingers.