Letter of the Week: R

December 9 - 13
Letter of the Week: R
Theme: Reindeer

Are you ready for a new sound?  It is Reindeer time!

‘R’ is a consonant and one of the later developing sounds.  In fact, it is typically one of the last sounds to be mastered (often not until a child is 6 or 7).  It can also be one of the trickiest.  /r/ is a hard working sound as one of the most common sounds in English.  To complicate things, it changes slightly depending upon where in the word it appears and the vowels around it.  Have you heard the term "r-controlled vowels"?  Yup.  /r/ can be "vowel-like".  So, for our purposes here I'll talk about 'r' in general terms.  From a speech perspective, ‘r’ is a lifter sound.  It is a sound cousin to /l/, as both are made by “lifting” the tongue.  For ‘r’, the tongue is pulled back slightly and the back part of the tongue is humped up toward the roof of the mouth.  Most commonly the tip of the tongue is curled up toward the bump (alveolar ridge) behind the top front teeth, however some people do produce this sound with their tongue tip down.  Follow your child’s lead on which way is most comfortable to do it.  /r/ is a noisy sound (voice on – vocal cords vibrate – to make this sound).  Hold your hand to your throat as you say 'rrrrr'; you should feel vibration from the vocal cords. Image from the LiPS program by Lindamood-Bell Now say ‘hhhhhhh’ (a quiet sound); feel the difference?

If your child rounds his lips and produces more of a “w” sound, try gently pushing the corners of his lips back towards his ears and cue your child to make her tongue "tight".  Sometimes I talk about /r/ being a “smile sound” (versus a “round sound”) as a verbal reminder to not round the lips into a “w” sound.  

In therapy:  We will be reading 'r'/reindeer themed books, doing ‘r’/reindeer themed activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'r'.

Suggestions for home:  Sprinkle ‘r’ throughout the week.  Pick out a variety of activities that appeal to your child (and you!).  Kids learn best through active and meaningful experiences.  And multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• My “r” Book (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Rick Bunsen [read Robert L. May's original version free online here]
• The Little Reindeer by Michael Foreman
• Reindeer (A Day in the Life: Polar Animals) by Katie Marsico
• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
• Reindeer Moon by Mark Kimball Moulton
• Reindeer Christmas by Mark Kimball Moulton
• Olive, The Other Reindeer by Vivian Walsh
• Remarkable Reindeer (Science Vocabulary Readers) by Jeff Bauer
• Reindeer by Emery Bernhard
• Reindeer by Caroline Arnold
• Snip, Snap, Snurr and the Reindeer by Maj Lindman
• The Pirate Who Couldn't Say Arrr! by Angie Neal

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - R:  Consider adding some “r” foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
     ravioli     root beer     (bbq) ribs     raisins     rice     rolls

     raspberries    relish     ranch dip     rainbow sherbet    

Feeling adventurous?  Make Reindeer Poop with your child for a yummy treat!

ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt:  how many ‘r’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?

Field Trip:  

• Zoo/Aquarium:  can you find any animals with ‘r’ in their name?
• Go visit live reindeer at Swansons Nursery!  Dasher and Blitzen are hanging out there daily until Christmas Eve.
• Check out the Issaquah Reindeer Festival at the Cougar Mountain Zoo.

Be a letter detective:  hunt for the letter ‘r’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).

Movie:  watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holiday classic and then do story retell activities

Sensory Play:

• make alphabet rubbings
• practice writing letters (or drawing) in a pan of rice [for extra sensory fun, color the rice!]
• run, race and jump rope
• play Race to the Roof

APPS

• A Very Yogi Christmas - A Henry Motlies Christmas Adventure
• Henry's Christmas Adventure - How It All Began
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

If your child is working on /r/, here are a couple of speech apps focusing on this sound:

• The R App
• R Intensive SLP

Thank you for stopping by!  Do you have other ‘r’/reindeer fun ideas?  Take a moment and leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear!  I appreciate you sharing your ideas, thoughts, feedback and reaching out to make a connection!

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