How to Teach the Th Sound
The age that the Th sound should be developed varies by source, but according to the Iowa-Nebraska Norms, voiceless Th (as in “thumb) should develop by age 5 in females and 6 in males. Voiced Th (as in “the”) should be developed by 6 in females and 8 in males. However, it is not uncommon for this sound to not emerge by the expected age. If that happens, a child is often referred to a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for an evaluation and therapy. Below are a few tips on how to teach the Th sound and ideas for practice activities ⬇️
Teach the Th Sound
It is easy to teach the Th sound because it is visible! There are two types of Th sounds- one is voiced and one is voiceless. The tongue placement is the same for both but airflow and voicing are different. To produce the voiceless Th sound, have the client stick the top of their tongue between their top and bottom teeth and gently blow air forward. For the voiced Th sound, have the client stick the top of their tongue between their top and bottom teeth and turn their voice on.
To be honest, I rarely separate voiced and voiceless Th unless the client only has difficulty with one. Most clients need to work on tongue placement vs. voicing, so it’s ok to target both simultaneously.
For tricky words, view my post on Articulation Therapy Techniques for Tricky Words.
Activities for Practicing the Th Sound
When first teaching a sound, stick with words or phrases that are easy for the client and that they can say over and over. A few examples are below to teach the Th sound.
- Play a version of I Spy in which you tell the client what to find and they say “there” when they spot it
- Play basketball and have the client say “throw” before each turn. To address phrases, add words such as “throw ball”
- Play a board game and have the client say “thank you” after each turn. This will also work with other games or pretend play too 😀
- Make a MadLibs and have the client fill in the blanks with target words that contain Th
View my articulation cards for Th HERE. What elicitation techniques do you use for Th? What are your favorite activities for Th? Let us know below ⬇️