The Best Activities to Target The R Sound

Oh, the /r/ sound. If you work with speakers of non-Bostonian American English, you know that this sound can be tricky. Besides the two major production types- Retroflex and Bunched- you also have prevocalic and vocalic /r/ types. Also, as Dr Wayne Secord notes in his formative textbook Eliciting Sounds: Techniques and Strategies for Clinicians: "The articulation of /r/ is highly variable..." Understatement of the century, right there. 

I've worked with many students and clients on that pesky/r/ sound, with parents who report that others think their child is speaking in a  Boston or Southern accent, or is British. Over the years, I've compiled a list of my favorite go-to resources and elicitation techniques for /r/, since many clients work on it for quite a bit of time. 

I've divided my resources into those for younger and older clients, since their goals and interests can be so different. I've also included a list of my favorite elicitation techniques at the end. Enjoy!

​For non-readers/younger clients:

• My Minimal Pairs Smash Mats for Gliding- I've used these with all ages because everyone loves play dough!
• Webber Phonology Minimal Pairs Cards Fun Sheets: I don't have the cards that go with this but I really like the fun sheets!
• Vocalic R Minimal Pairs Sorting Activity by Kiwi Speech- these are AWESOME for the clients who can produce one or two vocalic R types but the rest all sound the same.
• Vocalic R Elicitation Webs, also by Kiwi Speech. Uses coarticulation to help shape vocalic R from prevocalic R.
• Match It Quick Vocalic R game by Courtney Gragg- This takes a lot of initial prep time (cutting out the circles) but is so fun for all ages. 
• Cut and Fold Vocalic R and R Blends by The Artsy SLP. These are good for getting the clients thinking about the words/adding a literacy aspect (they are riddles and you fold back a tab to find the answer).
• Interactive Notebook for R by Primary Punch. All of my clients really enjoyed this! 

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 For readers/older clients:

• Vocalic R Word Searches Freebie by Fun In Speech. No-frills, great for homework. 
• Artic Context Clue Cards Using Tier 2 Vocab by Nicole Allison. Really good for the older student moving toward carryover. 
• No Print Artic Trivia for R by Nicole Allison- no prep, use on the iPad! These were difficult for my lower readers but are great for language as well.
• Articulation Battle Boats by Sublime Speech. There are visuals with each word so you can use it with any age that can understand the concept. A lot of initial prep, but I saved time and lamination by just laminating each page and then using plastic folders with Velcro and switching out the boards. You can also make individual folders with each one but that takes FOREVER :). I explain how to prep plastic folders in my blog post , File Folder Activity Hack. Most games have taken at least 2, 30-minute sessions including setup
• No-Prep Artic Secret Codes by Kiwi Speech. These are so fun for kiddos who can understand the concept and have the patience to work through the codes.  
• I Can Say The R Sound: Articulation Notebook by Peachie Speechie. I really love that this explains both retroflex and bunched /r/ production, and has a lot of activities for homework and therapy. 

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For /r/ elicitation: 

• Use play dough to make a tongue and "teeth" and have the client position them like they would be in their mouth (I learned this from Natalie Synders blog post).
• Use a mouth puppet to demonstrate articulator positioning
• For older clients, I bring in Secord's Eliciting Sounds book (quoted above) and show them the page with MRI scans of 12 different /r/ productions, then talk about how everyone produces the sound differently
• Shape from /i/, drawing the tongue back along the top of the mouth to produce "eeeer" 
• Use these great flavored plastic tongue depressors. I personally can't stand the taste or texture of wooden tongue depressors, and my clients really enjoy the gluten-free, sugar-free, non-toxic Tutti Frutti flavor. Have them hold the stick sideways in their mouth (like a bit in a horse) and push the tongue against it to "bunch" up the back when working on bunched /r/.
• Use a flat lollipop and have then push it against the top of their mouth with their tongue while trying to produce /r/ (also for bunched /r/)
• Have them lie down while saying /r/. This can use gravity in your favor! It works for both retroflexed and bunched /r/.
• Lastly, don't be afraid to try eliciting both bunched and retroflex /r/! I personally produce a bunched /r/, but many of my clients have had success using the retroflex position.

Those are my favorite resources and techniques. Let me know what you think! Hopefully these will help your clients say "world", "girl", and "squirrel" in no time!