TH sound practice for kids

For TH the tongue tip rests gently between (or just behind) the top and bottom front teeth, and air flows over it. English has a quiet TH (think, bath) and a voiced TH (this, mother).

This is a sound where being a little silly helps — stick the tongue out just a tiny bit and blow softly, like cooling soup.

F or D for TH is very common ("fumb" for thumb, "dis" for this). Children learning English whose first language has no TH often use T, D, S or Z.

TH is one of the latest English sounds; many U.S. children don't produce it reliably until around age 6 or later.

Every child is different, and age ranges from research are guides, not deadlines. If your child is frustrated, hard to understand, or you're unsure, ask a speech-language pathologist.

Start with words your child already knows and likes. Mix positions once the start of the word feels easy.

• Say the word clearly and a little slowly — let your child hear it first
• Invite one or two tries; no more than that per word
• Praise the effort ("great try!"), not only the perfect ones
• Ten words is a full session — stop while it's still fun
• Same time most days beats a long session once a week

Sit together at a mirror. Each TH word, you both let the tongue tip peek out — whoever makes the other laugh wins the round.

In SoundSprout, TH is the world of Dewdrop Den, guided by Dot the Deer. Pick it as your child's practice sound and they get a new ten-word mission every day, with each word modeled by a warm narrator. SoundSprout is not speech therapy. It does not diagnose, evaluate or treat speech disorders, and it does not replace a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). It supports home practice.