S Sound Mini Course
Is your child having trouble saying the S sound? This guide provides step-by-step strategies to help children learn how to produce a clearer S sound and practice it in words.
While this resource can be helpful for children of all ages working on their S sound, it is likely to be most beneficial for children ages 3–8 years old, when many children are developing or are expected to have mastered this sound but may still need extra support and practice.
Created by a pediatric speech-language pathologist, this guide teaches you how the S sound is made, why certain errors happen, and specific techniques to help your child practice a more accurate S sound.
What's Included
Video Explanation: How the S Sound Is Made
Learn:
How the tongue, lips, and teeth work together to create the S sound
What a correct S sound should look and sound like
What is considered typical speech development for the S sound
Learn About Common S Errors
This guide explains:
Why some children have difficulty producing the S sound
Common ways children may produce S incorrectly (such as a lisp or substituting another sound)
How tongue placement impacts the sound
What to listen for when practicing
3 S Sound "Tricks" With Video Demonstrations
Try three speech therapy techniques designed to help children find the correct tongue placement and airflow for the S sound:
Hide the tongue: Helps children keep their tongue behind their teeth while using a gentle smile to produce a clear S sound.
Use a straw: Uses the tip of a straw as a visual and tactile cue to help children learn where to place their tongue for a correct S sound without lateralization
Exploding "t": Helps children learn the tongue position for producing S by using a similarly placed sound.
S Sound Practice
Practice the S sound in all word positions:
Beginning of words (ex: sun, sock, sandwich)
Middle of words (ex: dinosaur, pencil, bicycle)
End of words (ex: bus, house, face)
Who Is This For?
This resource is a great fit for children who:
✔ Have difficulty producing the S sound clearly
✔ Have a frontal or lateral lisp, or substitute another sound for S
✔ Need extra practice between speech therapy sessions
✔ Are learning or refining the S sound
Please note: This resource is designed to provide education and support for speech sound practice at home. It is not a replacement for individualized speech therapy. Every child's speech sound needs are different, and some children may benefit from evaluation and personalized support from a licensed speech-language pathologist.
