S sound games

S Words Speech Therapy Games Snowman

January 13, 2021

by Yara

Snowman roll, say and cover is a fun game to play in a group. All you need is dice and some pretty buttons to set this game up. The frequency of /s/ in the English Language is abundant, and in nearly every spontaneous sentence will contain many /s/ sounds. Use these super easy printable game activities to elicit natural speech from the child with extra focus on the /s/ sound.

S Words Speech Therapy Medial S Sound Games

There are a number of reasons why children don’t pronounce the ‘s’ sound properly as they are learning it. It’s essential we give them plenty of activities and practice to help them develop their s initial, medial and ending sounds.

Games help engage children in the skill at hand without them feeling like it’s a part of learning. Have you ever struggled to get your students to sit down and complete a worksheet? I’m not opposed to worksheets per se, but I do frown upon them, especially if there’s no real engagement coming from the child.

This is why I like to create learning games. They are definitely a way to help kids engage with the content or skill you’re teaching.

Speech Therapy Game Ideas

If you’re looking for some fun speech therapy games, there are plenty all over the internet. I particularily love the online no print speech therapy games. Simply load the game, play it and then choose another. Very simple and effective with no headaches of printing.

Here’s a simple technique you can incorporate in your speech therapy sessions using naming objects (in different categories).

S Sound Speech Therapy Snowman Game

This snowman game is a great way to incorporate speech practice and articulation with s sound words. There are beginning, medial and ending s sound words on each snowman template. Print as many copies of the template you need, then use colourful buttons to have the kids cover the words once they sound them out.

Related Snowman Games you might like:

• Calm Down Snowman Kit Promote a Way to Help Kids Deal with Feelings!
• Snowman CVC Rhyming Words Activity with Mini Sensory Bin
• Montessori Snowman Color Activity Toddlers

How to play

Print the snowman cards, then have the kids roll the die. Then say the name of one picture on the snowman that many times. They will then cover the picture with a button. They continue this until they cover all the pictures.

The most essential component of this activity is getting the kids to practice utterances and saying the words and sounds. S Words Speech Therapy Games Snowman activity is an excellent way to encourage kids to practice their speech s sounds.

Speech Sound Therapy S Sounds

Here is another game I liked from Heather’s Speech Therapy. It’s called Soccer Speech therapy. Download the activity right from her page.

Want access to this printable PLUS HUNDREDS or Sea of Knowledge resources, Digital PowerPoint Resources, Exclusive Pre-sale Packets and Surprises each month, and so much more?

There are many ways to practice speech sounds with kids, the most important things we can do, is to increase and encourage the amount of opportunities kids have to practice their sounds.

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S Sound Articulation Therapy Guide

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Jan 15, 2022 As a speech pathologist that works with little kids all of the time, one of the biggest sounds that I work with is the “S” sound.

An articulation disorder or speech sound disorder is when a child has problems making speech sounds properly. One typical articulation error kids make is the /s/ sound.

To produce a clear /s/ sound, the tongue is raised high in the mouth to almost touching the alveolar ridge, the roof of the mouth. This action by the tongue should create a groove in the center of the tongue through which the air flows. Because the tongue constricts the space through which the breath stream travels, the /s/ sound should have a faint hissing quality to it.

If your child is having a difficult time reaching this position, you can stick some peanut butter or marshmallow behind their teeth so that your child can raise their tongue to hit the spot where the sound is created!

To produce a clear /s/ sound the tongue is raised high in the mouth to almost touching the alveolar ridge, the roof of the mouth.

Let’s Start with These

When working on this sound, I print out a picture of Sammy the Snake. It’s a very simple picture that isn’t distracting for young children. If you don’t like this picture, you can easily google “plain snakes” and a multitude of pictures will come up that you can use. 

As your child traces the snake’s body, give them the /s/ sound to produce. In order to produce any sound in conversation, they have to be able to say it in isolation, or by itself. 

You can also read a list of words that have the letter “s” in it. When your child hears the sound produced correctly, they can hold up the snake! This is a great activity because it will teach your child discrimination skills for when they are producing the sound independently. 

Where to find some words? You will find hundreds more on Word Vault Essential where you can take data and play the words aloud. This is great to use right now while access to speech pathologists is restricted due to the pandemic. You’ll be able to determine if your child has gained progress and if you can move on to the syllable level of production.

Once the child is stimulable for the /s/ sound, have them use it continually for many seconds at a time. You can add vowel sounds such as, /a,e,i,o,u/. For example, have your child say “sa, sa, sa” as they trace the body of the snake. 

Have them hold the sound as they trace their finger all the way down Sammy the Snake’s body.

You can also do something reinforcing while they say the sound, like blowing one bubble at a time. When the bubble pops, the child can stop saying the sound.

The “s” sound is a great sound to work on because it’s so accessible in the English language. One of my favorite activities I do with any articulation sound is a sensory bin. You can even use a cardboard box for this activity if you don’t have a plastic bin at home. Fill it with rice or noodles and place small toys inside of it that correspond to the letter you are working towards. You can find these small toys at the dollar store. As your child pulls out the toy, have them repeat it three times to make sure they are producing the sound correctly. 

Show Visual and Audio Cues with the Help of Speech Blubs 

Speech Blubs App has multiple activities that you can use to target specific speech sounds. The games are fun and highly engagable so your child won’t even realize that they are working on speech sounds!

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To practice making the S consonant here is the list of sections and words in them that you can practice with your child:

• Wild Animals: Seal, Skunk, Horse, Mouse, Fish.
• Petting ZOO: Fish, Sheep, Horse, Skunk, Mouse.
• Outdoor Wonders: Grass, Ice, Seed, Summer, Storm, Spring, Sun.
• Living Colors: Silver.  
• Yummy Time: Soup, Rice, Pizza, Cheese. 
• Toy Box: Swing, Tricycle, Slide, Puppets, Dice.
• When I grow up: Dancer, Policeman, Astronaut.
• We are Family: Sister.
• Get into Shapes: Square, Circle, Cross, Star.
• Numbers and me: Six, Seven, Sixteen, Seventeen. 
• School Rocks: Eraser, Bus, School, Desk. 
• This is my Body: Ears, Nose, Skull, Lips, Eyes.
• Ride your Wheels: Motorcycle, Bus, Bicycle, Stop.
• Dinorawrs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus.
• Universe: Astronaut, Sun, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Galaxy. 

How to Play Articulation Bingo?

1. Use the button below to download our Articulation Bingo Board
2. Print out the board and give it to your child or cut out the pictures and put them into a bag
3. Let your child pick a word from the board/bag 
4. Find the word in Speech Blubs App and practice it, play with fun filters, and watch educational videos
5. Your child is a winner when he practices three pictures in a row (across, down, or horizontally) or the entire board

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Download Articulation Bingo Here

I typically play “word sandwich” once my kids get to this level. You can use play pieces of bread or just two brightly covered pieces of paper. Inside the “bread,” put pictures of objects that have “s.” Have your child say the sentence, “Today, I’m making a _____ sandwich.” 

Another activity you can do is print out a picture of Superman and Superwoman. Have your child walk around your house or outside and say things like, “Superman is sitting on the _____.” If you can find objects that have the “s” sound in them, like the sink, that’s even better! Sticking with the superhero theme, you can make diagrams about what superheroes do . . . they save people, they soar through the sky, they have secret identities.

If your child has difficulties with other sounds, here are the articles that can help you with speech therapy and articulation activities ideas:

• Articulation Therapy: An All-in-One Guide for Parents
• B Sound Articulation Therapy
• H Sound Articulation Therapy
• JJ and CH Sounds Articulation Therapy
• L Sound Articulation Therapy
• Lisp Articulation Therapy
• M Sound Articulation Therapy
• N Sound Articulation Therapy
• NG Sound Articulation Therapy
• R Sound Articulation Therapy
• SH Sound Articulation Therapy
• T and D Sounds Articulation Therapy
• W Sound Articulation Therapy

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Articulation disorders

The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Blub Blub Inc. All content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgement, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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invisible market is waiting for heroes / Sudo Null IT News

Surround binaural sound from the headphones creates an immersive effect and forces the player's brain to finish the "graphics". Audio quests, audio RPGs, and blind shooters are available on GooglePlay, iTunes, and Steam for between $2 and $20. It is all the more curious that in Russia sound games and interactive audio books are an empty niche where only a few try themselves. What kind of invisible market is this, who needs it and how to approach it - Maria Lisyanskaya, the author of GeekBrains, found out. nine0005

The article consists of four parts:

• find out who needs sound games and why,
• we tell you what technologies audio games are built on,
• talking to a player who buys audio games and follows their development,
• we talk about the tools that are useful to the developer of sound games.

Audio games - why and why

Computer games that can be played with your eyes closed attracted the attention of professional developers in the early 2000s, when the technological base for such projects matured. 3D sound positioning systems made it possible to navigate in the playing space by ear. This gave new ideas for gameplay and instantly interested people with visual impairments. The search for enemies by sound was implemented back in 1996, in the graphic horror Enemy Zero, where you had to look for invisible monsters. But then there was no talk of a full-fledged audio panorama.

Later, a new incentive appeared for the development of audio games - they are convenient to play on mobile devices . Here you will find non-standard gameplay, ear training, and the opportunity to play after a working day without straining your eyes. Put on your headphones and go. At the same time, you can be in a public place and not lose control over what is happening around. nine0005

Photo: StockSnap

Sound games are few and far between — hundreds. There are even fewer high-quality products with professional voice acting, so every new product attracts attention. To see this, check out the audiogames. net forum where new releases are discussed. The main part of the audience here are blind players. Thanks to screen access and braille displays, totally blind people use the computer like everyone else, but they have little access to mainstream graphic games - mostly fighting games where you can hear which side the enemy is on (Mortal Kombat IX and X, Injustice 2, etc. ). This situation encourages the blind to take on the development of games themselves and, of course, support those who release something useful with dollars and euros. nine0005

The entry threshold for audio game development is lower than for graphic game development. No need to hire artists and animators, no need to measure polygons or shaders with anyone. In your game world, everything that you can express in words and sound is possible. A feasible task for small teams and enthusiasts.

How it works

Some sound games are fully voiced by real people, others - by a speech synthesizer. Many people associate screen-sounding technologies with Windows accessibility features, the TalkBack app on Android, and programs for creating audio books from text (ICE Book Reader, Balabolka, Demagog, etc.). The basic principle is the same everywhere: a speech synthesizer reads aloud to you. nine0005

Audio games with professional voice acting can also give out some information through a synthesizer. This allows you to listen to the text in the desired voice, with adjustable pitch and speech speed. For example, a person who is listening to a text in a foreign language may slow down their reading to make out each word. And the one who saves time, on the contrary, will set one and a half or double speed. If the game allows you to take notes or rename objects, again, a synthesizer will come in handy. For amateur authors, artificial voiceovers mean savings on sound recording, the ability to reduce the weight of the game and change dialogue on the fly without having to re-record the voices of the announcers. nine0005

To voice themselves on Windows, audio games typically use Text-to-speech (TTS) technology and the MS SAPI speech interface. Under this interface, different companies produce voice synthesizers, which are also called speech engines. Each engine has its own set of voices, usually for several languages.

By default, you have at least one English SAPI voice installed on your system. Russian, French and other voices can be downloaded from the Internet. For example, on GitHub there is a free RHVoice voice engine and several Russian voices for it. Esperanto, English, Georgian and Ukrainian are also supported. Compared to commercial products from the Nuance Vocalizer Expressive line, RHVoice voices do not sound as realistic, but are intelligible and with pronounced intonations. nine0005

If you delve a little deeper into the world of sound games, you will find that some of them are not voiced through SAPI or its equivalents for other OSes, but with the help of an external screen reader ("screen reader"). Such software allows you to control the operating system and applications running in it by ear. Among blind Windows users, the free NVDA screen reader is popular. Making friends with your game is easy - using the NVDA Controller API library. We will touch on the topic of screen readers in the Audio Game Engine section. nine0005

In terms of genre and gameplay organization, sound games cover many areas: from simple puzzles to large-scale RPGs, simulations, racing and strategies. Let's understand with examples.

Talking to a player

In order not to get hung up on theory and my own subjective impressions, I interviewed Vladimir Erokhin, a person who moderated the site about sound games blind.games for some time, still plays audio games a lot and knows the community of blind gamers from the inside. nine0005

- What are your favorite audio games and why? Share your impressions.

- My absolute favorite is "A Hero's Call". I love RPG, and this is not just a party RPG, but an open world game, easy navigation, advanced skill system, interesting plot, lots of quests. What a cool ambient and surround sound there is - you just need to play and feel it. You walk past the fountain and clearly feel that it is behind you, you hear how far it is, you hear how the drops hit the stone. The developers somehow screwed the technology from the Oculus Rift virtual reality helmets. I understood this from the oculus.dll file and the names of other libraries in the game folder. Even passing characters are voiced. The whole sound weighs more than a gigabyte. Few games without graphics weigh so much. nine0005

And the music! This is a separate issue. The trick is that each character from among your party members has its own musical theme. And each character has his own story and quests that reveal his character and motivation. In the dialogues, you act out the image of the main character, and your choice really affects both the relationship with the NPC and the skills that are revealed to you and your group. Through dialogues, you can even pump some of the companions, if you motivate them, help them become more confident in themselves. You can talk to the characters in the group at any time, and sometimes it advances you in the story. But it is difficult to predict the consequences of a choice. I've done a good deed - I returned to the owner a ring stolen by a party thief. I didn’t know that later my companion would lead me to the customer of the theft, who would eventually remain offended and close our access to the best item store in the game. Well, the thief, of course, was upset ...

All dialogues are voiced by actors. I normally understand English by ear, and if a person does not keep up with the speaker, he can re-read the same text several times through SAPI and then use the up and down arrows to select the answer. For those who find it very difficult, in the settings they can turn on real-time Google translation.

— Does this game have any disadvantages?

- She is short. The developers are talking about 17 hours of gameplay. I played in fits and starts, so it took a month and a half to complete. Never regretted neither time nor money: 9I bet the game out of 10. I would like the authors to continue in the same spirit.

- It's only for Windows, there will be no mobile release?

— Of course not! There, the engine is not even sharpened for mobile devices. To transfer the entire interface would have to be rewritten. Unless there may still be a release on the Mac. They are now making a version with graphics support so that the sighted can play more and make money from it.

— Is there anything interesting among mobile games? nine0027