Many factors can contribute to difficulty in speech. Depending on the child, the cause of the problem can be either biological or environmental (or a combination of both).
Biological causes of speech problems can include structural abnormalities, cerebral palsy, cleft palate, and hearing difficulties. Environmental causes include illness, injury to the mouth or vocal cords, and poor nutrition.
If you’re concerned that your child’s speech development is behind where it should be, consult a pediatrician. The doctor will likely refer you to a speech pathologist who can work with your child on improving articulation skills.
Articulation games like Mad Libs, Apples to Apples, Scattergories, and Charades can help bring a little bit of fun into speech therapy practice. By working on articulation in a more laid back environment, your child can feel less pressure and be more willing to participate.
However, articulation games are best used as an occasional addition to speech therapy, not as a replacement for it. Your speech therapist will likely have specific goals they want your child to work towards. Use their advice and expertise when determining how often to play these games.
Articulation games are designed to help kids with speech difficulties practice a particular sound in a word or phrase, using their tongues and lips to form the correct sound and help them develop clarity of speech.
With that said, the best articulation games need to help children work on the skills they need without them feeling like they’re working. The last thing you want is for your child to think they’re going through a chore rather than having a good time. Kids should think articulation games are fun; after all, they’re designed to improve how kids feel about themselves and how others view them.
A child’s articulation is a key component of his or her ability to communicate. If you are a Speech Language Pathologist working with children, it is crucial to provide them with many opportunities to practice their speech. One effective way to do this is through articulation games, which help young children stay engaged and motivated while practicing their speech sounds.
When someone is working on their articulation skills, they’re focusing on their ability to produce certain sounds, also known as phonemes, when speaking. Articulation games are a fun way to practice specific sounds and improve pronunciation. There are a variety of free or inexpensive apps and games that you can play with your child or student to give them more opportunities to articulate words and phrases. Some games can be played alone, while others require a partner or group of players.
If your child is having difficulty producing specific sounds correctly, it could be due to a speech delay or disorder. In this case, it’s important to talk with your child’s pediatrician and seek help from a speech-language pathologist (SLP).
The good news is that you don’t have to just accept this as the status quo—you can make your speech therapy sessions fun, engaging, and productive by implementing some easy changes! At Articulate Kids, we’ve developed a line of games designed specifically for speech therapy sessions. Whether you’re looking for games that focus on articulation, phonology, or fluency (or all three), we’ve got your back. All of our games are designed by speech therapists with years of experience working with kids in real-world situations. That means that not only are they entertaining and engaging, but they’re actually scientifically proven to work—that means positive results for your patients.