Children’s, Women’s and Family Services
Children’s Therapy Services
Speech and Language
Therapy
Development of Speech Sounds in
the Early Years
Princess Royal Health Centre
Greenhead Road
Huddersfield
HD1 4EW
Broad Street Plaza
Halifax
West Yorkshire
HX1 1UB
Tel: 01484 344299
Tel: 01422 261340
Website: www.cht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapy-services
INVESTOR IN PEOPLE
The Difference between Speech and Language
This leaflet focuses on your child’s Speech sounds. Speech is the
way that a child produces the words that they know. It refers to their
clarity when talking. Language refers to your child’s knowledge of
words and how they use words with meaning
When children are little, we focus on the development of language
before we look at speech sounds. It is most important that your
child understands and attempts to use lots of words when they are
younger. Most of the time, the clarity of their speech will improve as
they use more words and get older.
In Speech and Language Therapy, we don’t usually work directly
with children on difficulties with speech sounds before they are 4
years old.
Learning to use speech sounds
All children are different and develop at different rates. Typically,
90% of children can make the following sounds in words by these
ages:
3 years
All common vowel sounds
Sounds at the ends of words
Sounds in the beginnings of words
The correct number of syllables in words
pbtdnmw
4 years
fkghy
5 years
s
6 years
l sh ch j z v
7 years
r th (thin) th (then) zh (measure)
Consonant blends
When single consonants are well established, children begin to use them in
groups (blends), first at the beginning of words, then at the end or in the
middle of words (some blends occur only at the beginnings of words, others
only at the end). It may take a further three or four years for all blends to be
used accurately. Typically, children learn the sounds as follows:
By 4 to 4 ½ years:
bl cl fl gl pl qu (kw) br cr dr fr gr pr tr
ks, ls, ms, ps, ts, vs
at the beginning of words
at the end of words
By 5 years:
sp, sm, sn, sk, sl, sw, st
at the beginning or end of words
After 5 years:
str, skr, spl, spr, thr, shr
at the beginning or middle of words
Strategies to help you to understand your child
 Encourage your child to use:
- Pointing
- Showing
- Actions
 Encourage eye contact. Get down to your child’s level to enable face
to face communication.
 Be aware if your child is distressed or frustrated about their speech.
 Build your child’s confidence by spending time listening and talking
together during play or looking at picture books.
 If your child says a word incorrectly, model the word back to them the
right way e.g. child says: “ca”, you say “yes, cat”
 Use single words or simple language when communicating with them
 Sometimes siblings or other children may be able to interpret for your
child.
 Make sure nursery staff, teachers and friends know the child’s family
details eg names of brothers, sisters and pets.
 Some parents may want to provide a list of how their child says
certain words eg “mumu” for “grandmother”
 If your child uses a dummy or a bottle after the age of 1, it can affect
the development of their speech. Try to wean your child away from
these things if they are older than this.
It doesn’t help to
 Constantly ask your child to say words after you e.g. “Say dog”, “say
car”.
 Criticise the way your child talks or try to correct them.
 Laugh if your child gets a word wrong
Activities/games
The best way to support young children in producing clearer speech is
through play. Here are some simple activities to support their awareness of
sounds:
 Experiment with making sounds when playing. E.g. sssss the snake,
brrrrum the tractor, shhhh he’s sleeping, mmmm nice food, nee-noor
fire engine etc
 Sing songs, poems or nursery rhymes. As your child becomes
familiar with them, leave a gap so that they can fill in a word or
phrase.
 Talk to the child about syllables in words i.e. some words have one
clap, some have 2/3 etc. Say the word and see if your child can help
to clap or tap out the beats in the word.
 Hide a set of instruments or things that make a sound behind
something (e.g. pan lid, bell, shaker etc) and have the same things in
front of the child. Play an instrument and ask the child to identify the
correct/ same instrument.
 Have some toys that are associated with sounds in front of your child.
Make the sound and see if your child can find the right toy. E.g. oinkpig, baaa-sheep, woof-dog, neenor- fire engine, sss-snake, beep-car.
 When out and about talk about ‘using our listening ears’ to see if your
child is able to recognise the sounds e.g. a bird, bus, plane etc. You
can also make your own sound lottos using photos and see if your
child can identify the sound.
For more information…
Speak to your health visitor or drop in at your local children’s
centre. If you have any questions about the information or strategies in
this information sheet, please contact the SALT team at:
Princess Royal Health Centre
Greenhead Road
Huddersfield
HD1 4EW
Broad Street Plaza
Halifax
West Yorkshire
HX1 1UB
Tel: 01484 344299
Tel: 01422 261340
Website: www.cht.nhs.uk/childrens-therapy-services
Please see our Children’s Therapy Services website and follow
the links to Speech and Language Therapy for information,
leaflets, advice and resources.