# Phoneme Practice: /d/ Sound for Toddlers

Little Wheels Talk & Listen provides 25+ minutes of /d/ sound practice through vehicle words, vocabulary themes, and sound-specific games with mic recognition.

## About the /d/ Sound

The /d/ sound is an alveolar stop consonant—the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth and releases WITH voice (voiced). It pairs with /t/ (voiceless).

### When Children Typically Master /d/
- Emerges: 12-18 months
- Mastered: By age 3
- Often appears in early words ("dada," "done")

## /d/ Words in Talk & Listen

### Vehicle Words with /d/
- **dump truck** - construction favorite
- **delivery truck** - brings packages
- **dirt bike** - off-road motorcycle
- **double-decker bus** - tall bus
- **dragster** - racing car
- **dune buggy** - sand vehicle

### Food Words with /d/
- **dinner** - mealtime
- **donut** - treat
- **drink** - beverage

### Action Words with /d/
- **drive** - vehicle action
- **dig** - construction action
- **dump** - truck action
- **done** - completion
- **down** - direction

### Descriptive Words with /d/
- **dirty** - state (construction!)
- **different** - comparison
- **dark** - light level

### Routine Words with /d/
- **day** - time
- **done** - completion
- **daddy** - family

## How Talk & Listen Teaches /d/

### Layer 1: Vehicle Card Practice
Tap vehicles with /d/ names (dump truck, delivery truck, dirt bike) to hear and practice the sound in context.

### Layer 2: Category Gateways
Construction vehicles deliver /d/ words for themed practice.

### Layer 3: Phoneme Drill Mode
Select /d/ from the soundboard to see ALL /d/ words across categories. Practice for 25+ minutes on one sound.

### Sound Games with Mic Recognition
Mic-enabled games detect the /d/ sound's voiced tongue-tip release.

## Practice Tips for Parents

### Modeling /d/
1. Touch tongue tip to ridge behind upper teeth
2. Build up air pressure
3. Release WITH voice (feel throat vibrate)
4. Compare to /t/ (same position, no voice)

### /d/ vs /t/ Distinction
- /d/ = voiced (vocal cords vibrate)
- /t/ = voiceless (just air)
- Put hand on throat to feel the difference

### Fun /d/ Activities
- Dump truck play ("dump, dump, dump!")
- Digging in sandbox ("dig, dig, dig!")
- "All done!" at mealtimes
- Delivery truck pretend play

### Why Dump Truck is Perfect for /d/
- High-motivation construction vehicle
- Multiple /d/ sounds: "dump," "dirt," "dig"
- Action-oriented play (dumping things)
- Natural repetition opportunity

## Related Resources
- All phoneme guides: littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-overview.txt
- Dump Truck page: littlewheels.app/vehicles/dump-truck
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen provides 25+ minutes of practice per phoneme across 300+ words. Mic recognition games, call-and-response prompts, SLP-informed methodology. One-time $4.99, 100% offline.