Stage 3 is for practising blending sounds with a vowel (e.g. s + ee = ‘see’). A therapist will tell you which target sounds to practise and whether to practise blending before or after a vowel. Model the sounds for your child to copy. As they become more confident with the activity they may be able to have a go without a model.
If your child finds it difficult to blend the sounds together, try leaving a gap between the target sound and the vowel sound. For example; ‘m…arhh’ or ‘eee…d’.
Gradually reduce the gap between the target sound and the vowel. For example; ‘m…....ee’ to ‘m..ee’ then ‘mee’). Praise every attempt your child makes. If they produce the sounds correctly, tell them. If they make a mistake, praise them for ‘having a good try’. Find times of day when your child is most responsive to practising and work within their attention span.
You can contact the Norfolk & Waveney Speech & Language Therapy Service by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
You can speak to other Norfolk parents and carers by clicking our online community forum below.
