How to Say SH
Grown-up and child: read this together. Practice in front of a mirror.
Need more than one? Tap + for extra copies (up to 10).
How to do it
- Read the steps together in front of a mirror.
- Practice the sound alone, then in syllables.
- Color a star on the ladder at each level you master.
Teaching tip
Push the lips out round and hold a long, quiet shhhhh before adding a vowel.
About this worksheet
A cue card with a mouth picture, three simple steps, syllables to practice, and a practice ladder from the sound alone to talking.
What kids practice
Articulation means making speech sounds clearly. For the SH sound, the lips push out round, the tongue lifts up a little behind the bump behind the top teeth, and a soft wind of air flows out with the voice off. Many children master SH between ages 5 and 7, so it's common to still be working on it in 2nd grade. A child who is practicing SH often says s instead (sip for ship) or makes a slushy sound with air coming out the sides. These sheets climb the same ladder speech therapists use: the sound alone, then syllables, words, phrases, sentences, reading and everyday talking. Common Core doesn't cover speech sounds, so these sheets have no Common Core code.
Watch for
- Saying s for sh (sip for ship). Push the lips out and pull the tongue back a little.
- Flat, smiley lips. SH needs round lips; a smile turns it into s.
- Moving up too fast. If SH slips in sentences, practice phrases for a few more days.
- If your child is hard to understand, frustrated when talking, or not improving, ask a speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full articulation: the SH sound guide for 2nd grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. All My SH WordsEvery SH practice word on one page, sorted by where the sound is: start, middle or end. 
3. SH Cards: Start of WordsNine picture cards with SH at the start of the word. The sheet is the same every time, so two copies make matching pairs.
4. SH Cards: Middle of WordsNine picture cards with SH in the middle of the word.
5. SH Cards: End of WordsNine picture cards with SH at the end of the word.
6. SH PhrasesNine short phrases with SH words in blue, each with a picture.
7. SH SentencesEight real-life sentences with the SH words in blue.
8. SH BingoTwo picture bingo boards packed with SH words.
9. SH Board GameA board game with SH words and star squares that add extra practice.
10. SH Roll and SaySix SH pictures, one for each side of a die, with circles to color each time you say the word. Fewer has 3 circles each and More adds a second round of 6 pictures.
11. SH Spin and SayA paper clip spinner with SH pictures and a box row for each word. Fewer, Standard or More give 6, 8 or 10 pictures.
12. SH Practice TrackerA ten-day tracker to record ten tries a day and the practice level.
13. SH Read-Aloud StoryOne of ten short stories packed with SH words in blue, with a 3-read score and a story retell.
14. SH: Talk About ItSix real conversation questions, each with SH words to try in the answer.