Speech practice at home

Choose one target — the sound your child's SLP recommended, or the one you notice most in everyday words — and keep it for several weeks. Jumping between sounds spreads practice too thin.

Attach practice to something that already happens, like after dinner or before a bedtime story. Five minutes is enough, and ending while it's still fun keeps your child willing tomorrow.

• Model the word slowly and clearly
• Invite one or two tries — "your turn!" beats "say it again"
• Praise the try, not just the result, then move on

• Correcting every word all day — keep practice to its own short slot
• Turning it into a test
• Practicing when either of you is tired or rushed

A simple record of practice days helps you stay consistent and gives an SLP useful context. SoundSprout's parent dashboard logs practice days, sessions and words practiced — a record of activity, not a pronunciation score.

SoundSprout is home practice, not an assessment. A licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) can evaluate your child and recommend what to work on. Consider reaching out if:

• People outside the family often can't understand your child
• Your child is frustrated, avoids talking, or is teased about speech
• A sound most children their age use easily still isn't there
• You're simply unsure — asking is never a mistake