R Sound - How to use Speech Blubs to learn the R [ɹ] consonant

Making the R consonant is truly one of the hardest sounds in English. Many people reach out to us and download our app to acquire practice. In this article, we will give you a better idea of how to make this sound by watching the video below which shows the tongue position in illustrations and how to properly pronounce the R sound. We also listed all the words in our app that you can use to practice making this sound with your children.

The R consonant develops first at the age of 5, as a final sound, and at the age of 6, it also develops as a medial and initial sound. However, we see plenty of children having difficulties developing this particular sound, since it’s a voiced sound, produced by the vibration of the vocal cord. If it’s at the beginning of a word, the tongue pulls back a bit and raises at the tip, without touching the roof of the mouth. But if R is elsewhere in a word, the tongue raises in the middle. Basically, it arches.

We strongly suggest watching this video, where Rachel covers the R consonant and explains how to make it properly.

After watching this video open our app, Speech Blubs, and practice the words that include the R consonant in them. Download the app from the App Store App Store (https://apple.co/2UJcddR) or Google Play (https://bit.ly/2QyYTKX).

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

Early Sounds: Roar, Growl, Ribbit.
Wild Animals: Bear, Bird, Deer, Giraffe, Rabbit, Horse, Crab, Kangaroo, Rat, Turtle, Frog.
Petting ZOO: Rabbit, Bird, Horse, Turtle, Rat.
Outdoor Wonders: Grass, Summer, Storm, Spring, Thunder, Tree.
Living Colors: Green, Purple, Orange, Red, Silver, Brown.
Yummy Time: Carrot, Rice, Pear, Bread, Watermelon, Burger, Butter, Pepper, Water.
Toy Box: Robot, Marbles, Tricycle.
When I grow up: Farmer, Teacher, Astronaut, Dancer, Lumberjack, Plumber, Fireman, Pirate.
We are Family: Brother, Sister, Grandpa, Grandma.
Get into Shapes: Square, Circle, Triangle, Cross, Rectangle, Star, Heart.
Numbers and me: Three, Four, Thirteen, Fourteen.
School Rocks: Locker, Teacher, Eraser, Blackboard.
This is my Body: Ears, Hair.
Ride your Wheels: Car, Truck, Tractor, Motorcycle.
Dinorawrs: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Pterodactyl, Plesiosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus.
Universe: Astronaut, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus.

We also recommend using the section "Mouth Gym" to warm up a bit before practice. The "Mouth Gym" section is designed to increase children's awareness of how their mouth work, as well as their coordination, range of motion and endurance.

Learn more about our app, click here: https://speechblubs.com/

We wish you happy Blubbing!