Tongue Twisters for Kids: Fun Skill Builders
Kids love tongue twisters. They’re a bit silly, a bit of mouthful and a lot of fun! But there is more to the activity than a good giggle, tongue twisters are actually a great way to improve speech skills and language development. Practicing tongue twisters get kids voice fit, helps boost their pronunciation, increases vocabulary and develops oral communication skills through enhanced clarity of speech and better articulation. They gain all these benefits and have fun along the way!
We’ll give you a list of tongue twister to try at the base of this article.
What are tongue twisters?
They are phrases or sentences that focus on a sequence of similar sounds and are intentionally challenging to say out loud. The goal is to say it quickly and accurately without stumbling over the words. They were introduced in the ninteenth century by literary magazines as ‘elocution exercises.’ Tongue twisters are not just an English language creation but exist in many other languages.
Getting voice fit
While tongue twisters may not be serious they bring some serious benefits to the voice. If you want your kid to stay fit and healthy you encourage them to get moving and exercise the muscles of their body. Tongue twisters are effective voice exercises that work the muscles of the mouth. Actors and public speakers use tongue twisters as a way of warming up their vocal apparatus so they can speak clearly and confidently. The same idea works for children by helping them gain better control over their tongue and lips.
Better pronunciation and improves vocabulary
Certain sounds can be more difficult than others to pronounce such as the consonant sounds ‘l, r, s, th and z’ which are some of the hardest for kids to make. Tongue twisters are often built around the alliteration of specific consonants or phonemes requiring kids to carefully pronounce these challenging sounds. Regular practice enables them to slowly gain mastery over their enunciation.
Successful articulation improves their ability to accurately sound out words when learning to read, spell and write. The wordplay can build their vocabulary by introducing words they may not be exposed to through everyday language. Moreover, being able to correctly sound out words encourages them to explore language patterns and this leads to greater reading comprehension skills.
Improves communication skills
Has anyone ever said to you, ‘Speak up!’ or ‘I can’t understand what you’re saying, speak clearly!’ Tongue twisters require your kid to articulate each sound accurately to avoid fumbling the sentence. Enunciating words creates clear and precise speech and this enables meaning to be transferred effectively, a key component of good communication. Kids who have confidence in their ability to articulate their questions, meaning and ideas are more likely to speak up in class and find it easier to interact with peers and members of their community for example their doctor or sports coach.
Improves memory and concentration
If you’ve every tried a tongue twister you’ll know how much concentration is required to get those words out without stumbling. Mastering a tongue twister means starting slowing and concentrating on pronouncing each word accurately before increasing speed. Focus is required to successfully complete a tongue twister and by the very nature of the exercise your kid is improving their ability to concentrate. Tongue twisters also enhance memory retention. Although they are a repetitive exercise they must be remembered correctly.
Why regular practice matters
Being able to enunciate our thoughts and ideas with clear diction not only builds your kid’s sense of confidence in their oral communication skills but also improves their ability to develop their reading and writing skills, essential for school success. Regular practice of tongue twisters will enhance speech development by building the right muscles and supporting the articulation of difficult sounds. Think about having fun with tongue twisters on a car ride, or when walking to the park, or incorporating the excercises as a break from their spelling or reading homework. Introduce them into your kid’s routine as a fun activity you can do together. Consistency is key if the benefits are to be realised.
Start with simple tongue twisters
Start slowly with short and simple tongue twisters to build their confidence. For younger children, you may want to incorporate hand gestures or silly voices to make it more interesting and keep their attention. Get them to repeat the phrase slowly and carefully until they feel comfortable with the phrase. Only when they are comfortable repeating the phrase at a slow pace would you increase the speed. Repeat the phrase as often as they feel comfortable, but three times in a row is good amount. Focus on one tongue twister at a time, allowing them to master a particular sound before attempting to move on.
Keep it fun
If your kid is getting frustrated and it’s no longer fun, then stop and come back another day. Being empowered through progress and enjoyment are key to gaining the benefits. Consider turning it into a game and participate with them. So who can get through without stumbling or who can do the most repetitions.
If your child has an existing speech difficulty tongue twisters may not be appropriate and may lead to frustration or setting them up for failure. If you think your child may be having speech difficulties do reach out to speech pathologist or specialist.
Easier tongue twisters
Ted fed Fred bread
Red lorry, yellow lorry
Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward
Peter Pan peanut butter
Frantic frogs fled
Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
A proper coffee pot
The dog chews shoes
He threw three free throws
Purple jelly, yellow butter
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can
She sells seashells by the seashore
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Gobbling gargoyles gobbled gobbling goblins
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick
Little Larry likes licking lollipops lazily
Happy hedgehogs hop hurriedly over the hill
More challenging tongue twisters
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?
If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
Four friendly frogs frolicked by the frozen pond.
Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread.
Irish wristwatch, Swiss wristwatch.
How many yaks could a yak pack pack if a yak pack could pack yaks?
Betty Botter bought a bit of butter but the bit of butter was too bitter,
so Betty bought a better bit of butter to make the bitter butter better.How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.I thought a thought but the thought I thought, wasn’t the thought you thought I thought.
The final word
Tongue twisters challenge the speakers ability to pronounce words clearly and precisely and this can lead to amusing results. But if you consider the benefits regular practice offers your kid you may consider incorporating them into their day. If nothing else, you’ll laugh together!