Speech Therapy Activities for the SH Sound

Speech Therapy Activities
for the SH Sound

These speech therapy activities for the SH sound are sure to sharpen your students "SHkills" ;)

Of course all of them can be adapted based on the level of the child.

If the child is working on medial or final words, use medial or final flashcards.

If they are at the word level or sentence level, you can adapt the activity for each individual child. Have fun with it and get  a lot of elicitations in the process! 


1. Shaving Cream!

There is no better way to elicit the /sh/ sound than letting a child play with shaving cream!

(You could even use whipping cream and call it shaving cream… smells AND tastes better!)

Use a cookie sheet and have the child listen to the sound as the shaving cream sprays out. Have them imitate the sound with each little squirt.

Then you can have the child make designs on the cookie sheet… simple things that start with /sh/ like “ship” or “shell.” 

Another way to elicit the /sh/ sound is by talking about how you have to be quiet with a baby. Kids love saying “shhhhh” as if to shush somebody.

Talk in whispers and practice saying “SHHHHH.” You could hide a baby doll somewhere in the room and have the child search the room while they say “SHHHH!"



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2. Shopping List

Tell the child(ren) they are going to make a shopping list, and all the things they need start with /sh/.

You can purchase notepads of paper that say “shopping list” at the top at many different stores, or print this one from your computer.

See how many /sh/ words the child can add to their list. Then go through the flashcard set and have them add even more words.

Here are some words I thought of for my list:

Shortcake

Sugar

Shoes

Shirt

Shorts

Shampoo

Shake

(Eye) Shadow

Shaving Cream

Once their list is complete, have them use the carrier phrase “I have _____ on my shopping list” as they go through each of the items.

Send their shopping list home for homework and they can go through the list with their parents.


3. Rain Shower

Print a picture of an umbrella like the one on this page.

Cut out raindrops or just draw them on the paper and write /sh/ on the umbrella. Have the child(ren) flip over flashcards and say each word ten times.

Then they can write the word on a raindrop (and glue it on if you are using blue construction paper for raindrops).

This is a great activity to send home for homework.

Once all the raindrops are filled up with /sh/ words, ask the child to say each word using the carrier phrase “My rain shower has a ____.” 


4.  Sea Shell Game

Purchase a pack of seashells at a local craft store (sometimes they even sell shells at the dollar store.)

Using a permanent marker, write a number between 8-12 under each shell.

Lay the shells out all over the table and give the child a stack of flashcards.

First the child will choose a flashcard, and then they will flip over the shell. The number on the shell is how many times they will say the word on the flashcard.

If you want to be really clever, have the number on the shells cumulate to 100 so you have REALLY easy data numbers. (You're welcome.)

Kids love nothing more than inanimate objects from the earth.

So, if you want to make their day, send them away with a shell of their own to keep.

But tell them they have to tell ALL their friends about the shell using their great /sh/ sounds! 


SEE ALSO: The Best Free App for Speech Therapy


5. A Delicious Shake!

Bring a blender from home. (You don’t even need the base/motor, just the jar with the lid.)

Tell the kids they are going to make an /sh/ shake!

Using the flashcards in the positions they are working on, have them put “ingredients” (aka flashcards) into the blender.

Say the words many times each or use a carrier phrase such as “I am adding _____ to my delicious shake.”

When all the flashcards are in the blender, put on the lid and let a child shake it as hard and long as they want. (Kids love this part!)

When they are finished, you can even have them “pour” the flashcards into large solo cups and you can see who got which cards.


6.  Go Fish

This is a simple adaptation of the age-old game Go Fish.

Print 2 sets of ten flash cards (so you have 20 total). This is a huge benefit to purchasing downloadable flashcards!

You and the child each take four cards and put the rest in the pile.

Then play “Go Fish!”

This is especially helpful if the child is working on /sh/ in the final position. 


SEE ALSO: The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

Speech therapy books for targeting multiple goals

7. Shiny Shoes

Okay so this activity is silly, but it will be well received.

Bring a pair of large shiny shoes to the therapy session.

I am picturing a pair of mens “church shoes” or even women’s high heels.

If you don’t have access to any shiny shoes, you could even purchase some for cheap at a thrift store. Have the child step into the shoes at one end of the room.

Then, moving down the /sh/ word list, tell the child they can take a step in the shoes after every ten accurate productions.

When they finally reach the other end of the room (or hallway etc.) they can receive a reward (sticker, treat, whatever you use a motivator.)

The kids LOVE wearing the large shoes and it will motivate them to work hard so they can take big steps in them. 



I hope these speech therapy activities for the SH sound help sharpen your child's "SHkills". Have a great day!


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About the Author

Lindsey is an M.S. CCC-SLP from Salt Lake City, UT. She received both her B.S. and M.S. from Utah State University. When she's not chasing her 5 crazy kids around, she enjoys creating engaging speech therapy ideas and materials. Read More




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