The Easiest Way to Help Your Child with Speech Sounds at Home!

If a child is working on a sound, or it has not quite emerged yet, then there is a very simple tip that parents / caregivers can incorporate into daily routines to help them .

The strategy is called "AUDITORY BOMARDMENT."

And essentially - all the parent / caregiver has to do is read a list of targeted words to the child before bed. There is no need to emphasize the target sound, or make the child repeat the words. All the child has to do is listen to the target sound in the words, and subconsciously take note of the sound.

And you only have to read 10 - 20 words a night. The only catch is that each word list must have the target sound in the exact same place across all the words. For example, one list can have /r/ in the beginning of the word - like rain, rust, rabbit. One can have it at the middle of the word - like arm, artist, or parrot. And finally, one can have it at the end of the word - like car, ear, or deer.

One of the reasons why auditory bombardment is such a nice tip is because it takes pressure and stress off the child. Often, if a child is not saying a sound correctly - they will become aware of it, with time. And, if they are being corrected often at home, there is a potential for them to become shy and self conscious.

Auditory bombardment is also effective because it involves just a few minutes a day. Consistency is key, and there is much more of a chance to stick with th activity. Just look up "auditory bombardment lists" on a search engine, and you can start talking!

Or, check out the "speech sound packets" on Smarter Speech TPT's store. Each packet comes with three bombardment lists- in addition to a variety of other games and activities.

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.