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  • 3rd Grade
  • Speech & Language
  • About 10 minutes
  • See it all: a chart to keep

R and TH at a Glance

Two sounds at a glance. Try each one in a mirror, then say the picture words.

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R and TH at a GlanceName:Date:Two sounds at a glance. Try each one in a mirror, then say the picture words.rThe R soundthe growling tiger sound (grrr) · spelled r, rr, wrvoice onPull your tongue back.Lift the sides to your top back teeth.Tip touches nothing. Growl: rrr.After a vowel, R changes the vowel:car, bird, door, chair, deer.Practice those on the Vowel R page.rabbitrocketcarrotzebracardoorthThe TH soundthe windy tongue sound · spelled thvoice offTongue tip peeks out betweenyour teeth.Blow air slowly over it: thhh.Voice off: thumb, bath, tooth.Voice on: this, the, feather.Same tongue spot for both.thumbthreetoothbrushfeatherbathteethk5printables.com · Sheet #91424601

How to do it

  1. Point to a sound and say it.
  2. Look at the mouth picture and try it in a mirror.
  3. Say the six picture words.

Teaching tip

Hang it near the practice spot so your child can check the mouth picture any time a sound slips.

R and TH at a Glance chart for 3rd grade (sounds r and th), free printable
Printable preview

About this chart

Both sounds on one page, each with a mouth picture, a short how-to, voice on or off, the spellings and six picture words.

What kids practice

These sheets give kids short, fun practice with two speech sounds that are among the last many children learn: r (as in rabbit) and th (as in thumb). Some kids are still working on them in 3rd grade. Kids who are practicing r often say w instead (wabbit for rabbit). Kids who are practicing th often say f, t or d instead (fumb for thumb, tink for think, dis for this). Common Core doesn't cover speech sounds, so these sheets have no Common Core code.

Watch for

  • Listening to spelling instead of sound. Wr in wreath makes the r sound.
  • Rounding the lips on r so it sounds like w. A small smile helps.
  • Biting down hard on th. The tongue rests gently between the teeth, and the air flows out slowly.
  • Forgetting that r after a vowel changes the vowel (car, bird, door). Those words are practiced on the Vowel R page in the R set.
  • If your child is hard to understand or gets frustrated when talking, ask your pediatrician or a speech-language pathologist for a check.

It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full sounds r and th guide for 3rd grade.

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