500+ Free SLP R Materials, Games, Activities, Flashcards, and more!
500+ Free SLP R Materials, Games, Activities, Flashcards, and more!
FreeSLP offers tons of virtual SLP materials for the R Sound. To help target the R sound in the initial, medial, and final positions, we have created R Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect 4, Virtual Flashcards, Virtual Progression Cards, Battleship, Spot-It, Candy Land, Soccer, Painting, and more!
To view our all free R sound virtual games and materials, click below:
We also have tons of free no-prep downloadable R sound materials. R sound printables that we currently have include: R Flashcards, QR Code Scavenger Hunt, Progression Cards, Spot-It, Word Finds, Tic-Tac-Toe, Bingo, Candy Land, Connect 4, Battleship and more!
If you're looking for more engaging ways to teach the R sound, hopefully you find these materials helpful!
To view our all free R sound virtual games and materials, click below:
Virtual materials to target R from the isolation level all the way up to the conversational level! Whether you're targeting sounds at the word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, story, or conversational levels, we have free and engaging speech therapy materials for each!
To view our all free R Hierarchy Activities, click below:
What age should my kid be able to say the R sound?
Children typically are able to correctly produce the R sound around 5 years old.
Is the R sound a voiced sound?
Yes, the R sound is a voiced sound.
Is the R sound a liquid sound?
Yes the R sound is a liquid sound.
How do I make the R sound?
How to make the “r” sound:
There are two ways that we can make the “r” sound.
- The retroflexed “r” which means we bring our tongue tip up towards the top of our mouth.
- The humped “r”which means we place the tip of our tongue on our lower gums behind the bottom teeth. By doing so, the back of the tongue “humps” up
To find out which technique is best for the child, have them say target words from our flashcards targeting the different types of “r” listed above. The first time, have the child say the words with a retroflexed tongue. The second time, have the child used a humped tongue. Each child is different, so try both and use whatever one sounds better / they feel most comfortable with.
Retroflexed “r”
- Have the child pucker their lips slightly and hold them there.
- Tell the child to make the back of their tongue flat and make it tight/strong.
- Raise the tip of the tongue towards the top of the mouth, but not touching it, and curl the tip of it backwards slightly.
- Turn on the voice (voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds. Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “s” and “r”, and have them feel the difference between the two. In the production of “s”, there should be no rumble or voicing. While in the production of “r”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
- Release the air out over the tongue.
Humped “r”
- Have the child pucker their lips slightly and hold them there.
- Raise the back of the tongue towards the top of the mouth.
- Point the tip of the tongue towards the lower gums behind the bottom teeth.
- Turn on the voice (voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds. Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “s” and “r”, and have them feel the difference between the two. In the production of “s”, there should be no rumble or voicing. While in the production of “r”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
- Release the air out over the tongue.
Tricks and Tips for producing the “r” sound:
- Challenge the child to see who can make the best bear growl “Rrrrrrrrr!”
- Use a tongue depressor to help show your child both ways to make the “r” sound.
- For the humped “r”, press the tongue tip down with the tongue depressor and typically the back portion of the tongue with hump up on its own.
- For the retroflexed “r”, place the tongue depressor under the tip of the tongue and raise it towards the top of the mouth. When you raise the tongue tip, the tongue should naturally rise and curl backwards.
60 Initial (Prevocalic) R Words
- Rabbit
- Rainbow
- Run
- Rat
- Race
- Rich
- Radio
- Wrist
- Raisin
- Rake
- Wrap
- Read
- Recess
- Rip
- Rocket
- Rose
- River
- Ring
- Radio
- Robot
- Rug
- Race
- Raven
- Ruler
- Round
- Ruby
- Ribbon
- Reef
- Rock
- Road
- Rain
- Room
- Raccoon
- Radar
- Rust
- Royal
- Rusty
- Rhythm
- Ripe
- Rookie
- Rapid
- Rumble
- Reach
- Rich
- Robin
- Ranch
- Riddle
- Rip
- Ray
- Rare
- Rover
- Rustic
- Ripple
- Racket
- Rub
- Rugby
- Realm
- Rumble
- Ring
- Ryan
50 Medial R Words
- Carrot
- Forest
- Library
- Bird
- Earring
- Arm
- Mirror
- Surprise
- Electric
- Celebrate
- Birthday
- Harvest
- Umbrella
- Mystery
- Strawberry
- Miracle
- Harmony
- Guitar
- Cherry
- Remember
- Fairy
- Orchestra
- Forever
- Parade
- Drum
- Journey
- Secret
- Word
- Larry
- Curse
- Prepare
- Parrot
- Karma
- Bark
- Remember
- Adventure
- Surprise
- Mario
- Minecraft
- Pirate
- Camera
- Walrus
- Worm
- Park
- Syrup
- Farm
- Corn
- Electric
- Earth
- Barn
50 Final R Words
- Star
- Tiger
- Color
- Four
- Deer
- Hammer
- Dollar
- Alligator
- Bear
- Eaer
- Pear
- Tear
- Dinosaur
- Beaver
- Doctor
- Sister
- Brother
- Adventure
- Teacher
- Junior
- Flower
- Mother
- Father
- Water
- Soccer
- Master
- River
- Winter
- Paper
- Clover
- Sailor
- Summer
- Power
- Thunder
- Amber
- Member
- Feather
- Mirror
- Harbor
- Laser
- Explorer
- Treasure
- Honor
- Pepper
- Visitor
- Letter
- Car
- Chair
- Hair
- Tire
How do I make the R sound?
How to make the “r” sound:
There are two ways that we can make the “r” sound.
- The retroflexed “r” which means we bring our tongue tip up towards the top of our mouth.
- The humped “r”which means we place the tip of our tongue on our lower gums behind the bottom teeth. By doing so, the back of the tongue “humps” up
To find out which technique is best for the child, have them say target words from our flashcards targeting the different types of “r” listed above. The first time, have the child say the words with a retroflexed tongue. The second time, have the child used a humped tongue. Each child is different, so try both and use whatever one sounds better / they feel most comfortable with.
Retroflexed “r”
- Have the child pucker their lips slightly and hold them there.
- Tell the child to make the back of their tongue flat and make it tight/strong.
- Raise the tip of the tongue towards the top of the mouth, but not touching it, and curl the tip of it backwards slightly.
- Turn on the voice (voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds. Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “s” and “r”, and have them feel the difference between the two. In the production of “s”, there should be no rumble or voicing. While in the production of “r”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
- Release the air out over the tongue.
Humped “r”
- Have the child pucker their lips slightly and hold them there.
- Raise the back of the tongue towards the top of the mouth.
- Point the tip of the tongue towards the lower gums behind the bottom teeth.
- Turn on the voice (voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds. Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “s” and “r”, and have them feel the difference between the two. In the production of “s”, there should be no rumble or voicing. While in the production of “r”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
- Release the air out over the tongue.
Tricks and Tips for producing the “r” sound:
- Challenge the child to see who can make the best bear growl “Rrrrrrrrr!”
- Use a tongue depressor to help show your child both ways to make the “r” sound.
- For the humped “r”, press the tongue tip down with the tongue depressor and typically the back portion of the tongue with hump up on its own.
- For the retroflexed “r”, place the tongue depressor under the tip of the tongue and raise it towards the top of the mouth. When you raise the tongue tip, the tongue should naturally rise and curl backwards.
What is a Prevocalic R?
Prevocalic “r” words are words where the “r” is produced at the beginning of the word in front of the vowels and include words like: road, red, run
What is a Postvocalic R?
Postvocalic “r” words are words where “r” is produced after a vowel. Post vocalic “r” often gives children the most issues because the vowel proceeding the “r” requires the articulators (tongue, lips, teeth, jaw, etc.) to be in different positions. To demonstrate this, look in a mirror or a camera and see how different your lips look while saying “ear” vs “or”. Because of the placement required for the vowel, when saying a word like “ear” your articulators need to move fast to satisfy the placements for the “e” and then move quickly back to satisfy the placement of the “er”.
Types of postvocalic r include:
ar: artifact, farm, star
or: Orca, born, core
er: Earth, bird, mother
ire: iron, fireman, tire
air: airplane, fairy, hair
ear: earwax, beard, deer
R Sound Overview
If you are looking for tips and tricks on how to produce the perfect R sounds; click the link below:
Virtual Materials for Each Level of Artic Practice:
Target the R sound at the isolation level with 3 different activities: Isolation Animation, Pop the Bubbles, and Click the Button!
Target R at the syllable level with our virtual flashcards!
We have three activities for targeting R at the word level: 1.) Classic flashcards with initial, medial, final, and mixed sets. 2.) Minimal Pair Sliders 3.) Name the Photos (Have the computer give you feedback on your sound productions!)
R phrase flashcards with sets targeting R in the initial, medial, final, and mixed positions!
Target R at the sentence level with our rotating sentences activity!
Our R story is full of R target sounds and tongue twisters! Read it yourself or play it out loud and then repeat it back!
We have two ways to target R at the conversation level: 1.) Silly story scenes full of R target words. 2.) Conversation starter questions.
List of All the Free R Sound Virtual Activities and Games
R Flashcards
R Progression Cards
R Soccer Shootout
R Paint
R Spot It
R Escape From Dragon's Dungeon
R Fish's Flight to Freedom
R Witch's Brew
R Summer Sundae Dash
R Fall Apple Quest
R Halloween Candy Chompers
R Thanksgiving Treats
R Cupid's Valentines Candies
R Marshmallows' Mad Dash
R Unicorn Artic Derby
R Train Track Dash
R Space Race
R Flashlight Finder
R Feed the Bear
R Pumpkin Carving
R Build-a-Snowman
R Thanksgiving Dinner
R Jeopardy
R Tic-Tac-Toe
R Candy Land
R Connect 4
R Battleship
R Artic Ninja
R Cat Run
R Volt Runner
R Artic Clicker
R Pizza Jumper
R Artic Cruiser
R Space Invaders
R Spot the Differences
R Dino Hop
R Matching
R Treasure Hunt
R Crossword
R Word Find 1
R Word Find 2
List of All the Free R Sound Downloadable and Printable and Games
R Artic QR Scavenger Hunt
R Artic Progression Cards
R Artic Spot the Match
Initial Artic R Flashcards
Medial Artic R Flashcard
Final Artic R Flashcards
R Articulation Carrier Phrases
R Articulation Word Find
R ArticulationTic-Tac-Toe
R Articulation Coloring Sheet
R Cartoon Character Flashcards
R Articulation Dice
R Articulation Flipbook
R Artic Bingo
R Artic Candyland
R Artic Cariboo Cards
R Artic Battleship
R Articulation Connect 4
Free no-prep, virtual, and downloadable options available!
Free SLP articulation word lists, flashcards with pictures, downloadable PDFs and more!
Materials target the R sound in the initial, medial, and final positions!
Whether you are looking for printable, no-prep, or virtual materials, FreeSLP offers free R sound activities for students of every level!
We hope these R articulation activities and exercises for speech therapy help your child / student learn how to make s sounds!