How to Teach the L Sound!
I have had several requests on how to teach the /l/ sound so I put some thoughts together and wanted to share them with you!
Three Steps for Teaching the /l/ Sound
1. To teach the /l/ sound place the tongue tip on the alveolar ridge (the ridge behind the front teeth). To help your child do this touch your child’s alveolar ridge with your finger or a lollipop. Then ask your child to place his tongue tip there.
2. Then with his tongue tip in place ask him to relax and then let air flow out the sides of his tongue.
3. Now to make it sound like an /l/ all he has to do is make the sound “loud” by turning on his voice.
1. Teaching the Tongue Tip to Go Up On the Alveolar Ridge
If he has difficulty getting his tongue tip in the right place you could practice by having him lick peanut butter with his tonge from behind his front teeth. Or you might try having him hold a cheerio up behind his front teeth with his tongue tip. You may also try stimulaing the tongue tip with an electric toothbrush and then stimulating the alveloar ridge with an electric toothbrush as well, then tell him to touch the two surfaces together.
2. Teaching the Air to Flow Out the Sides of the Tongue
If he has difficulty with air flowing out the sides of his tongue, with his tongue tip in place on the alveolar ridge have him breathe in so he can feel the cool air going over the sides of his tongue. Have him follow this exercise by then breathing out letting the air escape out over the sides of his tongue. Another way of teaching this lateral air flow (air escaping out the sides of the tongue) is to place a straw in the front of his mouth (not between the lips) and have him blow air into it, then place two straws on either side of the mouth and have him try to blow air into it.
3. Turning on the Voice
If understanding how to “turn on his voice” is the problem have him place his hand over his voice box and feel how it vibrates when he makes loud sounds and quiet whispered sounds.
Another Way to Teach the /l/ Sound
If your child can produce a good voiced TH sound as in “this” or “that” then you can teach the /l/ sound by shaping it from the Th sound. For example, have your child say TH all by itself and then pull the tongue back to the alveolar ridge while still producing voice and you will have a nice /l/ sound.
Move the /l/ Sound Into Syllables
Once your child can produce a good /l/ sound all by itself it is time to move it into syllables. For example practice saying, “la, lo, lee, lai, lay, loo, lu” or “all, ale, eel, I’ll, ‘ol” or “allo, ella, illu, ollo, ulla”
Move the /l/ Sound Into Words
If your child can say the syllables above with a nice /l/ sound then he is ready to move them into words. Below are 3 links to download picture cards of words beginning with the /l/ sound, ending with the /l/ sound or with /l/ occuring in the middle. You can also download these and other sound cards on the downloads page.
3 sets of word cards to help teach the L sound:
1. l-initial words.pdf 2. l-medial words.pdf 3. l-final words.pdf
Move the /l/ Sound Into Sentences
If your child can say the /l/ sound in the beginning of words then practice the initial /l/sound in sentences. For example “Lucy loves learning about _________.” Fill in the blank with the initial /l/ words you have been practicing, “Lucy loves learning about lemons, or Lucy loves learning about lions…”
If your child can say the /l/ sound at the end of words then practice the the final /l/ sound in sentences. For example, “Paul will call _________.” Again filling in the blank with the final /l/ words you practiced.
If your child can say the /l/ sound well in the middle of words then practice the medial /l/ in sentences. For example, “Bella follows the elephant to __________.”
Move the /l/ Sound into Stories
Have your child practice the /l/ sound while reading out loud. If your child cannot read have your child practice the /l/ sound while retelling short stories.
Move the /l/ Sound into Conversation
If your child is successful with the /l/ sound while reading aloud he is ready to move the /l/ sound into conversation. It is at this point you can correct your child if they forget to pronounce the /l/ correctly.
These suggestions should help your child move in the right direction with the production of the /l/ sound. Good luck, and remember to be patient!
November 12th, 2007 at 11:07 am
I just found your blog, and I want to say “thank you” for this wonderful service that you are providing to parents. As a certified elementary teacher, I am familiar with what sounds normally develop at which ages, but I’m not trained to intervene with speech concerns. Now, as a homeschooling mom, I am having to figure out ways to address my 5 yr. old’s minor speech issues (mainly /l/, /r/, and /th/). I’m confident that he’ll outgrow his issues, but, at this point, they occasionally affect his reading and spelling, so I want to address these issues now. Your blog will be very helpful in developing my own speech “therapy” with him. I will certainly tell others about your blog as I know I’m not the only homeschooling parent needing to provide speech therapy to my own child. Again, thank you for your efforts and your great ideas!!!
November 12th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Right now, /l/ /r/ and /th/ are the only sounds I’m noticing that the four year old I watch is missing, and I know it’s not that big of a deal (especially when you consider where she was 12-18 months ago). I think I may begin using some of these strategies with her, just to see if she can pick it up.
Thanks!
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:59 am
I just found your site while looking for /l/ flash cards to practice with my 5 y/o son, and I wanted to tell you what a wonderful service you are providing for parents everywhere! My son has been in speech therapy since he was 18 mths, he was non-verbal until age 2, and then substituted /d/ and /t/ for most letters. We started working with the /s/ sound, which took 2 years to achieve. He has almost mastered /k/, after less than a year, so now we are moving on to /l/ and /sh/. He is picking up /l/ faily easily (we put peanut butter behind his teeth to show him where to put his tongue) but we are having a really difficult time with /sh/. He sounds it like /s/. He is working on his last block of therapy until next school year, when he can enter into the school speech program in SK, so I will be eagerly looking to your blog for more ideas until then! Again, thank you so much.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Hi,
Thanks for such a useful website. I’ll keep checking back for more handy tips!
March 28th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Thanks for the help!
I was just browsing the internet thinking that no one had anything on this particular subject when here you are!!!
My child is three almost four and she has never found how to put her tongue in the righ place (l) we all have been working with her and shes got it now-that peanut butter thing really helped out well!!!
Next is the (th) sound im sur well do fine with this helpful info backing us up!! thank you very much
April 16th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Great information. Our 6 year old grand was a preemie and reads above greade level, but his l and s are a problem(so cute-but can be frustrating to him). Thanks, I shall try your method today.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I was just thinking I needed to talk to you about the /l/ sound for Nathan. I decided to check your blog first, and there were so many great ideas. Thanks, I will tell you how it goes.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Any suggestions for improving the “l” at the end of words when the child is not having difficuly in the beginning or middle of words?
January 27th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Cathy,
That is great your child is already doing the /l/ sound at the beginning and in the middle of words. That will make teaching it at the end of words that much easier. Just follow the same guidelines I have outlined above and use the final /l/ words from the downloads page.
Good luck,
Heidi