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Teach the 's' sound with 16 pages of no prep phonics worksheets. Available in color and in eco friendly black and white. Use each resource individually or print out the whole sound book for each student to work through. RESOURCES INCLUDED
- Find the 's' sound

- Picture matching (cvc words)

- Sentence starters

- Be an 'a' sound detective

- Handwriting using the 's' sound

- Spelling using the 's' sound

- Real and alien words using the 's' sound

- 's' sound word comprehension

- Word list quiz (cvc)
The ideal way to teach the 's' phonics sound. GREAT FOR USERS OF READWITHPHONICS.COM
All of my printable phonics resources and phonics worksheets are designed to work alongside my free online phonics games website ReadwithPhonics.com. Digital phonics games of my fun printable phonics resources. Use the games to track your students progress and quickly spot gaps in knowledge by creating your free school account today.
ABOUT MY ONLINE PHONICS GAMES
All of my free online phonics games at ReadwithPhonics.com require an internet connection to play. Teach and practice the 44 phonics sounds. Play as a whole class using smart whiteboards or individually using tablets or desktop computers. Create a free school account to track your students progress as they play and quickly spot gaps in knowledge.
TRACK STUDENT PROGRESS
Create a free school account and set up your whole class with their own accounts in under 4 minutes in order to start tracking student progress and quickly spot gaps in knowledge.
FREE FOR SCHOOLS
Our website and app is 100% free for schools. Create your free schools account today by visiting the ReadwithPhonics.com website. A phonics website and app designed as the complete classroom resource to seamlessly fit into your phonics lessons.
DESIGNED BY A TEACHER FOR TEACHERS
By bringing the latest technology into the classroom it is my goal to help teachers become more efficient and save time! By quickly and easily providing teachers with the data and the resources they need, it is my hope that teachers will be able to create a more personal teaching experience for every one of their students.
POSITIVE SCORING
Traditional resources score children out of 100%, always showing how far off the perfect score they were. At ReadwithPhonics.com each student starts at 0 and gains points with each sound they learn. As the points add up students increase their level, encouraging all students to learn at their own pace and in their own time.
DISCOVER MY ONLINE PHONICS GAMES Find the sound Picture Matching (easy) Picture Matching (hard) Phonics Hangman Alien Words Make a Phonics Word Sound Buttoning How to create your free schools account in under 4 minutes:
1) Visit Readwithphonics.com/phonics-schools

2) Click create account

3) Enter your schools details

4) Create account

5) Enter a class name

6) Enter your students first name (press 'enter' after each name to be super speedy!)
How to link your account to a tablet device in under 2 minutes:
1) Download the Read with Phonics app from the Apple, Google or Amazon app stores

2) Open the app

3) Click the Phonics Schools logo in the bottom left hand corner

4) Enter your email address and password

5) Click 'Link Device'

* You do need to do this once for every device, but then it is done and you have free access for life! Enjoy!
I am new to TpT so if you enjoy this resource then please give me a rating! New resources added every day, follow my page to get instant updates.
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Copyright © 2018 Way We Learn.

All rights reserved by the author.

Permission to copy for single classroom use only. Do not redistribute.

Copying any part of this resource and placing it on the internet is strictly forbidden. This is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

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's' Sound Phonics Bundle 30+ pages | Phonics Resources | Phonics Worksheets

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Teach the 's' sound with 16 pages of no prep phonics worksheets. Available in color and in eco friendly black and white.Use each resource individually or print out the whole sound book for each student to work through.RESOURCES INCLUDED- Find the 's' sound- Picture matching (cvc words)- Sentence sta...

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3 s sound tic-tac-toe game worksheets! Earth Day theme s game with initial, medial, and final s words. These s worksheets can be re used in the same session by simply cutting out the Xs and Os to place on the game board. You may also color the Xs and Os and the themed picture.
Check out the full version with 13 different themes HERE.

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Free Earth Day S Sound Tic-Tac-Toe Game Worksheets S Words

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3 s sound tic-tac-toe game worksheets! Earth Day theme s game with initial, medial, and final s words. These s worksheets can be re used in the same session by simply cutting out the Xs and Os to place on the game board.

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Sister sounds are tricky! Cut, sort and glue. ...

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Initial S worksheet from Speech Teammate

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Initial S worksheet from Speech Teammate

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A Lisp is a term people use when the /s/ and /z/ sounds are said incorrectly. Other related sounds like "ch" & "sh" may also be affected.

​Part of the child speech development process involves children learning where to put their tongues and lips in order to make all the different sounds in a language. A lisp is when children do not quite get the tongue and lips in the correct place while they are learning to say the /s/ and /z/ sounds. Sometimes this incorrect placement becomes a "habit". This is why some older children and even adults continue to "lisp".

​Types of Lisps

There are a few different kinds of lisps. Some would be considered part of "typical speech development" in children and some would be considered a speech impediment .

This is probably the most common type of lisp.In an interdental lisp is sometimes called a fronal lisp. This is because the tongue comes too forward as the child says the sound. The tongue protrudes between the front teeth and the air-flow is directed forwards. The tongue and teeth positions are the same as when we say the "th" sound. So "sock" sounds more like "thock" and "buzz" sounds more like "buth".

​Children developing speech along typical paths may have interdental lisps until they are about 4½ - after which they disappear without any help or therapy. If they don't 'disappear' an SLP/SLT assessment is indicated.

​Sometimes the tongue does not go between the teeth but pushes against the teeth. This makes the s "muffled" rather than a full "th" sound.

​Possible causes of an Interdental Lisp:

The "cause" of an inter-dental lisp can just be incorrect placement of the tongue due to a maturing speech system.

​Sometimes a lisp occurs because there is an underlying "tongue thrust" swallow.

​This means the forward tongue position is not only happening as the child is saying the /s/ and /z/ sounds it is happening every time they swallow. This can have an impact on the alignment of their teeth. This is why an assessment by a speech pathologist may 2.be required earlier than 4 years.

​Some children produce many sounds interdentally. Tongue protrusion, or very 'forward' tongue placement may be occurring when the child says not only /s/, /z/, 'sh', 'zh', 'ch' and 'j', but also /n/, /l/ , /d, /d/and other sounds. This is not considered typical development and would be suggestive a speech disorder .

​In some children 'everything' seems interdental. This may sometimes be an indication that the nose is constantly obstructed, due for instance, to allergy, infection, large adenoids or craniofacial anomalies, or may be associated with habitual mouth breathing, tongue thrust, or sucking habits.

A lateral lisp is where the middle of the tongue hits the palate instead of the tongue tip touching just behind the teeth when the /s/ and /z/ sounds are pronounced. This tongue placement can make the airflow go to the sides of the mouth rather than straight forward. This is not considered part of typical speech development and hence is considered a speech disorder.

Do I need to worry if my child has a lisp?

This completely depends on the age of the child and the type of the lisp.

​Some children seem to be able to say the /s/ sound perfectly well from 2 years of age.It is however a perfectly normal developmental phase for some (not all) children to produce the interdental lisp on a /s/ and a /z/. This means the child places their tongue on the or between the teeth as they say the /s/ and /z/ sounds until they are about 4½ years of age.

​On the other hand, lateral lips are part of the typical child speech developmental. The speech of a child with a lateral lisp should be assessed an experience speech pathologist. A speech pathologist that also has experience with tongue thrust swallows may also be warranted. Even young children that start to say the /s/ sound with a later lisp should seek advice from a speech therapist.

​Does a lisp impact on the clarity of a child's speech?

A lisp can reduce clarity to a certain extent depending on how prominent the lisp is. If the lateral /s/ strongly produced words like "mouth-mouse" and "think-sink" may be confused.

​A lateral lisp can make a child's speech seem very unclear and even spit can gather in the corners of the mouth as the lateral airflow pushes saliva to the side. This can not only reduce speech clarity but also may have self-concept issues later on.

​Some children grow up in an environment where their lisp are not noticed or not considered an issue. Sometimes adults reinforce the interdental lisp by considering it is "cute"..

​Unfortunately, though some children are brutally honest and will point out that the child with the lisp "sounds funny". They may face ridicule or teasing can be likened to the many "comedy characters that are portrayed with a lisp (e.g., daffy duck!).

​Should I get a speech therapy assessment for my child's lisp or wait?

Waiting well past 4½ is not advised. The longer the child waits to seek tongue position correction, the stronger the old 'habit' will be. Some younger children may not have the ability to attend or make changes to the lisp however this can be determined with a speech therapy assessment. Sometimes high school students become more aware of their lisps as peer interactions increase in importance. If an older child is motivated to correct the lisp - it is quite possible it can be achieved with the right programme.

​If the child is presenting with a tongue thrust swallow or a lateral lisp early intervention is advised.

SpeechNet Speech Pathology if you have any concerns about your child's speech.

You may also be interested in...

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What is a lisp? | SpeechNet Speech Pathology

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A Lisp is a term people use when the /s/ and /z/ sounds are said incorrectly. Other related sounds like "ch" & "sh" may also be affected. ​Part of the child speech development process involves children learning where to put their tongues and lips in order to make all the different sounds in a language.

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The 4 types of lisps and what they sound like

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Tongue thrust is a medical diagnosis that is not addressed in the school. However, the results of tongue thrust can cause speech sound errors, most often impacting the S and Z sounds.

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Tongue thrust appears when the tongue presses forward too far in the mouth, resulting in an abnormal orthodontic condition called an "open bite."

The condition is most common in children. It has a myriad of causes, including:

In babies who are breastfed or bottle-fed, tongue thrust is normal. As the child gets older, their swallowing and speaking patterns normally evolve.

However, some types of bottle nipples and pacifiers - and prolonged use of a bottle - can lead to an abnormal tongue thrust that lasts past the infant stage and into early childhood.

There are several other potential causes for tongue thrust that begin in infancy. Some of these include:

long-term sucking habits that influence the tongue's movement, like sucking of the thumb, fingers, or tongue

allergies accompanied by chronically swollen tonsils or adenoids

tongue-tie, where the band of tissue beneath the tongue is tight or short

a swallowing pattern known as reverse swallow

In children, tongue thrust is apparent when there's too much forward movement of the tongue during swallowing and speaking.

Most often, the tongue tends to push forward in the mouth. Sometimes the tongue presses into the back of the teeth.

Tongue thrust has a number of telltale signs that manifest in children who have developed the pattern. These can include:

The tongue is visible between the teeth. The tip of the tongue sticks out between the teeth, whether the child is resting, swallowing, or speaking.

Mouth breathing.

Inability to close the lips completely. This could be due to a structural abnormality or habit.

Open bite. An open bite occurs when the front teeth don't meet when the teeth are closed.

Slow, fast, or messy eating.

Speech impediment. Lisping of s and z sounds is common.

You can carry tongue thrust forward into adulthood from untreated childhood habits or issues.

If you're an adult with a tongue-thrusting issue, it could've developed because of chronic allergies or swelling of the adenoids and tonsils. Stress may also be a contributing factor.

There are reports of tongue thrust developing later in life, but it's not common.

The symptoms of tongue thrust in adults are similar to those in children. Some symptoms, like messy eating, aren't likely to be as apparent. You may thrust your tongue in your sleep.

In addition to the symptoms listed above, an adult with tongue thrust might've developed an elongated facial structure or appearance because of the inability to close their mouth and swallow normally.

They might also have a larger-than-normal tongue. Additionally, an open bite caused by tongue thrust can create trouble when eating. If the front teeth don't meet properly, biting into certain foods can be uncomfortable.

A person may also be unable to bite through some foods, like lettuce or lunch meat, with their front teeth. Instead, the food might slip through the gap in their teeth.

A number of different healthcare professionals can diagnose tongue thrust, including:

Your or your child's doctor may observe the way you speak and swallow.

Some practitioners may evaluate swallowing patterns by holding down the bottom lip to watch how you or your child swallows. Specifically, your doctor will want to see where the tongue is placed when swallowing.

It's possible that other related medical professionals become involved in the full diagnosis of tongue thrust.

For example, your child's pediatrician might make the initial diagnosis. But then, your child may need to be evaluated by a speech language pathologist, an orthodontist, an ear-nose-throat specialist, or a gastroenterologist.

Any professionals who can lend their expertise to the cause or symptoms of your child's tongue thrust will become part of their treatment team.

Left untreated, tongue thrust can cause malformed teeth.

When the tongue pushes against the back of the teeth, the pressure can make your front teeth move outward. This creates a gap, or open bite, between your middle top and bottom teeth.

Untreated tongue thrust can lead to long-term damage to speech, like a lisp over certain sounds. It can also cause your facial shape to elongate and your tongue to protrude from between your teeth.

Treatment for tongue thrust tends to be similar between children and adults.

One exception is the placement of an orthodontic device known as a "tongue crib" in the roof of a child's mouth. This corrects an open bite. In some cases, adults receive orthodontic treatment as well.

Generally, orthodontic devices can offer good treatment. Work with your dental professionals to find the best treatment for you.

Sometimes the recommended treatment is orofacial myology. This is an ongoing therapy that corrects the placement of the lips, jaw, and tongue.

This therapy addresses swallowing habits, too. Corrections made to open bites without ongoing therapy have been observed to reverse themselves over time.

Your doctor may recommend addressing any nasal, allergy, or breathing issues that may be involved in your or your child's tongue thrusting. Breathing issues must be resolved for swallowing therapy to succeed.

In addition to swallowing therapy, you or your child might require speech therapy to correct any impediments that may have developed as a result of tongue thrusting.

Consistently following weekly therapy recommendations, tongue thrust may be corrected over time.

If you or your child has an underlying condition that's related to or has caused tongue thrust, you'll also receive treatment for that specific condition.

Tongue thrust is a highly treatable condition. A full recovery can be made if you commit to attending the appropriate therapy sessions your doctor recommends.

You may also need to address other underlying health conditions that contribute to your tongue thrusting. Once those conditions are treated and you stick to your treatment plan, tongue thrusting should resolve over time.

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Tongue thrust appears when the tongue presses forward too far in the mouth, resulting in an abnormal orthodontic condition called an open bite. The condition is most common in children and has a myriad of causes, including poor swallowing habits, allergies, and tongue-tie. Here's what you should know.

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Now that we've learned about the lisp in my previous blog My Kid Can't Say his S and Z sounds!: What is a Lisp?, I want to shed some light on yet another important area that closely relates to the lisp (and may in fact be causing it): tongue thrust, also sometimes known as 'reverse swallow' or 'immature swallow'. When a child with a noticeable lisp comes into the therapy room for evaluation (the speech is what is often noticed first), a speech therapist should also be evaluating for the existence of a tongue thrust. A tongue thrust refers to a forward tongue position (pushing on or through the front teeth) during swallowing, speech and at rest. This is an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder (OMD) that indicates there's a more pervasive forward tongue position occurring which can negatively impact speech, feeding/swallowing, dentition and overall oral structure development. It is also known as a 'reverse' or 'immature' swallow because of the immature swallow pattern where the tongue protrudes forward on the swallow, rather than retracting backward into the oral cavity which is what should be occurring in a normal, mature swallow pattern (typically in place by age 3). A tongue thrust should not be seen as a speech/articulation disorder but rather as an Orofacial Myofunctional Disorder because this forward position occurs in other nonspeech activities as well (i.e. swallowing and at rest). However, it is very important to remember that it does negatively impact speech and may be the primary cause of the speech/articulation impairment.

Signs of Tongue Thrust

When a tongue thrust exists, you may see some or all of the following characteristics:

Mouth Breathing

Open mouth posture at rest, generally with tongue protruding between front teeth, pushing up against front teeth or generally lying low in the oral cavity

Tongue protrusion between teeth/lips or up against teeth when swallowing

Slow, fast or messy eating (particularly in younger children)

An obvious open bite (open space/hole between top and bottom front teeth when biting down)

Speech impairment, often most noticeable in 's' and 'z' sounds but may occur with other sounds as well (including sh, ch, t, d, n, l)

Causes of Tongue Thrust

Now, let's talk about why a tongue thrust may exist. Here are some possible causes:

Prolonged finger or thumb sucking

Prolonged pacifier, bottle or sippy cup use

Restricted nasal airway due to enlarged adenoids, tonsils, chronic allergies (causing mouth breathing and poor oral rest habits)

Enlarged tongue

Ankyloglossia (tongue-tie/short lingual frenum)

Neurological deficits, developmental delays

Why Treat a Tongue Thrust?

It is very important to identify and treat this condition with your child for a number of reasons. First, you must know that our tongues are a muscle (actually a group of muscles) and just happen to be incredibly strong ones! If our tongues are exerting constant pressure on our teeth (again during rest, swallow and speech), they WILL move our teeth and change our dentition, for the worse. In fact, if you talk to any orthodontist, they will tell you that teeth can be corrected by braces, only to move right back where they were due to that tongue pressure. In fact, the growth of the palate (roof of mouth) is also often negatively impacted when the tongue is not in the correct place to help shape it. Second, speech clarity is almost always negatively impacted by this condition, which can cause many speech sound distortions and the need for articulation therapy.

Hopefully you now have a better idea of signs and causes of a tongue thrust. Next steps? Evaluation and treatment! Many Speech Pathologists and Orofacial Myologists are specially trained to assess and provide intervention in the area of tongue thrust. However, speech pathologists will also be able to provide the necessary speech therapy to address speech sound errors and develop the correct placement for these sounds. It's important to find a speech therapist with knowledge in this area that will focus on the oral rest and swallow, as well as the articulation. Focusing on the speech portion without addressing the underlying musculature and oral habits will result in slow or limited progress on the speech and more difficulty with carryover. Stay tuned for part 3 of this blog series that will provide lots of tips and resources for caregivers on when to treat, prevention and how to help support interventions at home!

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Tongue Thrust? What is it and why should I care?

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Now that we've learned about the lisp in my previous blog My Kid Can't Say his S and Z sounds!: What is a Lisp? , I want to shed some light on yet another important area that closely relates to the lisp (and may in fact be causing it): tongue thrust, also sometimes known as 'reverse swallow' or 'immature swallow'.

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What Is Auditory Bombardment and Why Do We Do it?

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What Is Auditory Bombardment and Why Do We Do it?

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Children need to be able to hear the differences between sounds in order for them to say the words clearly. Supporting your child’s ability to listen really carefully to sounds is a great way to help with their talking. One way we can do this is with auditory bombardment. During auditory bombardment your child listens to a targeted sound in words over and over again.. This approach gives your child the opportunity to hear the sound they are struggling with lots of times with no pressure for them to say the words.

How to do it

1.  This link will take you to a list of S words to read to your child.

2. Read the word list to your child 1-2 times daily.  Ask them to listen carefully to the words you read.  Make sure you’re in a quiet place, free from distractions when the list is read.

3. Make sure your child understands that they are only to listen. Ask them to sit quietly. They should NOT be asked to repeat the words.

4. DON'T OVER-EMPHASIZE THE WORDS. Just speak clearly and at a relaxed pace (as if you were reading a story to them).

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Stories filled with S words are also a great way to build auditory discrimination skills.  Below are a few of my favorite books that are filled with S words. 

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Stories filled with S words are also a great way to build auditory discrimination skills.  Below are a few of my favorite books that are filled with S words. 

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Silly Sally
Fox in Socks
Maisy Goes On Vacation
Mouse Moves House
Any book about dinosaurs or snakes

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Use this links and suggestions on this articulation checklist to guide you through the use of Tier 1 supports for the R sound.

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Articulation Checklist - The LC and HST should work together to document the use of Tier 1 intervention strategies using this checklist as a guide. 

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Articulation Checklist - The LC and HST should work together to document the use of Tier 1 intervention strategies using this checklist as a guide. 

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Additional links to activities and information are also available on Heartlands Intervention Website.

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This is a great beginning activity when working on any speech sound. Students should be able to label and identify all of their "speech helpers" so that they understand the placement cues when they are given to them.

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Below you will find a few of my favorite video tutorials for correct production of the S and Z sounds.  

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Below you will find a few of my favorite video tutorials for correct production of the S and Z sounds.  

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HOW TO SAY THE "S" SOUND // Speech Therapy at Home Pt. 1

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How to Correct a Lateral S (Lateral Lisp) by Peachie Speechie

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The S Song: Auditory Bombardment | Songs for Speech Therapy and ELD

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How to say the Z sound by Peachie Speechie

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How to say the S sound by Peachie Speechie

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When should my student be able to produce the S and Z sounds correctly?

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When should my student be able to produce the S and Z sounds correctly?

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Many kids have correct production of the S and Z sounds by the age of 5 and 90% of kids have correct S and Z sound production by the age of 7.