How to Say R
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
Start with a long eee, then slide the tongue back into a growl: eeee-rrrr.
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 R sound, the tongue pulls back, the sides lift to touch the top back teeth, and the tip doesn't touch anything, with the voice on. R is one of the last sounds many children learn, so some kids are still working on it in 3rd grade. A child who is practicing R often says w instead (wabbit for rabbit). R also changes the vowel in front of it (car, bird, door), so this set includes a vowel R page. 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 w for r. Smile a little so the lips don't round, and go back to a long growl.
- Letting the tongue tip touch the top teeth or the bump behind them. The tip floats.
- Moving up too fast. If R 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 r sound guide for 3rd grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. All My R WordsEvery R practice word on one page, sorted by where the sound is: start, middle or end. 
3. Vowel R WordsPicture words for the five vowel R sounds: ar (car), or (door), er ir ur (bird), air (chair) and ear (deer). The letters that make each sound are underlined.
4. R Cards: Start of WordsNine picture cards with R at the start of the word. The sheet is the same every time, so two copies make matching pairs.
5. R Cards: Middle of WordsEight picture cards with R in the middle of the word. One blank card is left for your child to draw their own R word.
6. R Cards: End of WordsNine picture cards with R at the end of the word.
7. R PhrasesNine short phrases with R words in blue, each with a picture.
8. R SentencesEight real-life sentences with the R words in blue.
9. R BingoTwo picture bingo boards packed with R words.
10. R Board GameA board game with R words and star squares that add extra practice.
11. R Roll and SaySix R 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.
12. R Spin and SayA paper clip spinner with R pictures and a box row for each word. Fewer, Standard or More give 6, 8 or 10 pictures.
13. R Practice TrackerA ten-day tracker to record ten tries a day and the practice level.
14. R Read-Aloud StoryOne of ten short stories packed with R words in blue, with a 3-read score. Every word with the sound is blue, so the stories give lots of practice.
15. R: Talk About ItSix real conversation questions, each with R words to try in the answer.