How to make the “n” sound:

• First we need to place the tip of our tongue on the bumpy spot of our gums behind our front teeth. We call this spot the alveolar ridge.
• Turning on your 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 “n”, 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 “n”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
• Have the child release the air thru their nose.

Tricks and Tips for producing the “n” sound:

• Have the child place their finger on your/their nose while a “n” sound is being produced so they can feel the vibration of the nostrils.
• Have the child  breathe in and then out through their nose. Once they have done this a few times, have them place their tongue on the bumpy spot(alveolar ridge) and try making the “n” sound when they are shooting the air out from their nose.
• Have the child place a finger horizontally under your/their nose.  They should feel air emitted from the nostrils during the “n” sound.  Have them move their finger down horizontally in front of the lips during the “n” production, and if done correctly, they should not feel any air leaking thru the lips.
• Have the child pretend they are at the doctors office and say “ahhhh”. After they have been holding it for awhile, have them bring their tongue tip to the bumpy spot.  This should cause the air to be released thru their nostrils creating a “nnn” sound.
• A fun and tasty way to teach the child where to put their tongue for a “n” production is to put some Nutella, peanut butter, sour candy gel, or any other creamy food they enjoy on the bumpy spot.  Once the child has felt the spot a few times, have them try to blow out air while lowering the tongue at the same time!
• Challenge the child to see who can make the loudest or longest noisy train sound!  Pretend you are a train blowing on its horn and make the “nnnn” sound!