Think of syllables as a baby step that helps make the transition from isolation to words a little smoother. Once your child can say the /f/ and or /v/ sounds in isolation you are ready to put them into syllables.
How to Teach the F and V Sounds in Syllables: Sometimes I use the sign language sign for driving a car as a cue later to help them remember to say their good /v/ sound when we start working in words, sentences or stories. Together pretend you are revving an engine while you take turns saying “vvvv, vvv, VVV.” Adding some toy cars makes it a lot of fun. Once they can say the /v/ sound a fun way to practice it is to call it the “Revving engine” sound.
This will help them distinguish the difference between these sounds. You may want to have them feel the vibrations on their throat or lower lip when making the sound. Simply tell them to say the /f/ sound and then “turn on” their voice for the /v/ sound. So, if the child you are working with can say the /f/ sound, teaching the /v/ sound is easy. Like I mentioned above the only difference between the /f/ sound and the /v/ sound is the voice. I later use the “Angry Cat” as a cue (when we move onto words, sentences and stories) for the child to use his or her good /f/ sound. Then we curl our fingers like the claws of a cat and practice making the sound together. Once they understand how to make the sound I tell them to think of the /f/ sound as the sound of an angry cat. It makes them feel so good when they see themselves doing it correctly!
After I model how to make the sound (by biting my lower lip and breathing out) I have the kids look in the mirror to make sure they are doing exactly what I am doing. The first thing I typically do when I teach these sounds is grab the mirror. The /f/ and /v/ sounds are fun sounds to teach because they are visually easy to see. If the child cannot say the sound in isolation then we have to teach them how. If, however, you would like to try teaching your children how to say these sounds correctly and they struggle with both the /f/ and /v/ sounds I would recommend starting with the /f/ sound first.īefore teaching any sound it is important to make sure the child is able to say that sound in isolation (all by itself). So if your little toddler still says “pood” for “food” or “bery” for “very” don’t be too concerned. One thing to keep in mind before we go any further is that the /f/ sound is typically mastered between the ages of 3 and 4, and the /v/ sound isn’t typically mastered until kids are about 5 or 6. That is why I have decided to write about how to teach both the /f/ and /v/ sounds in the same post. Knowing this helps us understand why when kids have trouble with the /f/ sound they most likely have trouble with the /v/ sound as well. The /v/ sound is made exactly the same way except for when you make the /v/ sound you “turn on” your voice. Have you ever noticed how closely related the /f/ and /v/ sounds are? The /f/ sound is made by touching the upper teeth to the lower lip and then breathing out.