A tongue twister refers to a string of words or phrases with similar sounding sounds, words, and syllables. Tongue twisters aren’t just good for a good laugh. Believe it or not, they are also educational.
Teaching your children tongue twisters can help them to strengthen muscles in their tongue and mouth, improve their pronunciation, encourage clearer speech patterns, and help to facilitate the correct pronunciation of difficult sounds and syllables.
In speech therapy, tongue twisters are used to treat common speech problems, such as stutters and lisps, as well as to reduce the prominence of foreign accents.
In many cases, tongue twisters are even used to help individuals who have suffered from brain damage or strokes to regain their linguistic abilities.
Take a look at these three tongue twisters to teach your kids. We promise that they will trip up the tongue of even the most articulate individual!
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 Peter Piper picked?
If your child is struggling with a particular phoneme, try picking a tongue twister that features that phoneme. This fun tongue twister is great for children who need a bit of extra help practicing the “p” sound.
How many boards could the Mongols hoard if the Mongol hordes got bored?
This tongue twister is an excellent way to encourage clear pronunciation, as the child must clearly pronunciation each syllable to differentiate between the similar phonetic sounds. Remember, your child isn’t likely to master a tongue twister right off the bat. The trick is practice. Encourage him or her to recite the same tongue twister several times per a day.
Three sweet switched Swiss witches watch three washed Swiss witch Swatch watch switches. Which sweet switched Swiss witch watches Which washed Swiss witch Swatch watch switch?
This one is a tough one! It’s great for kids having trouble with “w” and “s,” however, helping to encourage clear pronunciation, helping him or her to figure out proper placement of the tongue and teeth to make the correct sound.
If your child is struggling, try writing the tongue twister for him or her to recite. Sometimes it also helps to practice in front of a mirror.