How to teach a child to pronounce the sound "R"

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“R” is the most difficult sound in articulation in the Russian language. In a number of languages ​​​​of the world, this sound is completely absent or there are other “options” for pronouncing it: in German and French, “p” is guttural, in English it is pronounced without vibration, and in Chinese there is no such sound at all, and when borrowing foreign words, the Chinese change it to “ l". By the way, in Japanese, exactly the opposite is true – there is a "r", but there is no "l".

In this regard, the childhood memories of many of us are associated with the difficulty of learning this sound. Many of us couldn't say the letter "r" in elementary school, and some of us still can't. Specialists are developing whole methods for teaching children the sound "p".

 

At what age should you start learning?

Take your time: a normally developed child can learn to pronounce the letter “r” before the age of five. If by this age he did not succeed, then from the age of six he should be taken to a speech therapist.

Trying to teach a child to pronounce this sound on his own, you can’t scold him, punish him, beat him on the lips, and so on. Even if he fails, you need to comfort and encourage him. From the first time, even from the tenth, rarely any of the children is able to overcome this complex sound.

 

What difficulties does the child face when pronouncing the letter "R"?

• Often he pronounces the letter "l" instead of "r". This letter does not need special study. At a very early age (2-3 years) this is typical for almost all children and is therefore considered normal.
• The kid already knows how to pronounce the letter "r", but does not pronounce it in all words where this letter is. This means that the child still needs effort to pronounce the desired sound.
• In words with this letter, the child puts the stress on the wrong syllables.
• The letter "r" he gets guttural. Such a sound is much easier to pronounce than necessary. In a French family, this would be enough, but in a Russian one, it is unlikely, so you have to continue training.

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How to teach your child to pronounce the right sound

What can parents do without resorting to the help of a specialist? First of all, you need to tell the child what he should feel when he pronounces the sound “r”: the main thing is to feel the vibration. Explain how to place the tongue in the mouth, where it should rest when pronouncing. After that, you can move on to practice. Pick up words containing this letter, and pronounce them together with the child, highlighting it especially. You can also pronounce a variety of sounds: how a tiger growls (“rrrr!”), How a gun shoots (“trrra-ta-ta!”) And so on. After individual words and sounds, you can move on to poems and tongue twisters. It is important that the child talks as much as possible; learning the right sound is possible only with the help of constant speech practice.

At the same time, it is necessary to check whether the child is doing everything correctly. Pay attention to how he positions his lips. If the vibration of the tongue stubbornly does not come out, you can slightly pull the frenulum of his tongue.

 

Articulation exercises

There are simple exercises that will help the child learn the letter "r", as well as develop the motor skills of the language in general.

1. In the first exercise, you need to touch the tubercles above the upper teeth (alveoli) with your tongue. This exercise is aimed at stretching the hyoid ligaments. The tongue should lie on the tubercles for at least twenty seconds.
2. The second exercise is to bite the tip of the tongue. At this time, the child should smile broadly. Exercise excites the muscles of the tongue.
3. The third exercise leads the child to the correct pronunciation of the desired sound. He should open his mouth wide and pronounce the letter "d", touching the tongue not to the front teeth, but to the alveoli. He must utter this sound several times in a row. You can gradually increase the speed of its pronunciation.

For another unusual exercise, cut very small pieces of paper. One piece is placed on the tip of the tongue from above, and then the child is asked to blow it off or spit it out, for which the tip of the tongue must be pressed against the alveoli and exhaled with force through the mouth. At the same time, the tongue will vibrate, in other words, the child will involuntarily pronounce the sound “r”. By repeating this exercise several times, you can ensure that the baby understands what is required of him, and begins to pronounce this sound constantly – already without a piece of paper on his tongue.

Many children successfully master the letter “r” with the help of these exercises, so a visit to a speech therapist is not required at all.