# Early Developing Sounds: Speech Guide for Toddlers

Little Wheels Talk & Listen organizes all 300+ words by phoneme difficulty, with special focus on early developing sounds that toddlers master first.

## What Are Early Developing Sounds?

Early developing sounds are consonants that most children produce correctly by age 3. These sounds are easier because they're made at the front of the mouth where children can see and feel the movements.

## The Early Eight Sounds

### 1. /m/ - Mastered by age 2-3
- **How it's made**: Lips together, air through nose
- **Vehicle words**: motorcycle, mail truck, monster truck
- **Why it's first**: Lips naturally close; visible to imitate

### 2. /b/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Lips together, release with voice
- **Vehicle words**: bus, bike, bulldozer, backhoe
- **Why it's early**: Bilabial (lip) sounds are visible

### 3. /p/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Lips together, release without voice
- **Vehicle words**: police car, pickup truck, parade float
- **Why it's early**: Same as /b/ but voiceless

### 4. /w/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Lips rounded, glide to next sound
- **Vehicle words**: wheel, wagon (bonus)
- **Why it's early**: Visible lip rounding

### 5. /h/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Air flows through open mouth
- **Vehicle words**: helicopter (bonus), hot rod
- **Why it's early**: No tongue/lip obstruction

### 6. /n/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Tongue tip up, air through nose
- **Vehicle words**: (appears in many words)
- **Why it's early**: Similar to /m/ (nasal)

### 7. /d/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Tongue tip up, release with voice
- **Vehicle words**: dump truck, delivery truck, dirt bike
- **Why it's early**: Front of mouth, easy to feel

### 8. /t/ - Mastered by age 3
- **How it's made**: Tongue tip up, release without voice
- **Vehicle words**: truck, train, tractor, taxi, tow truck
- **Why it's early**: Same as /d/ but voiceless

## How Talk & Listen Uses Early Sounds

### Tier 1 Vehicles (Early Sounds Focus)
The first tier of vehicles in Talk & Listen emphasizes early developing sounds:
- Bus (/b/)
- Truck (/t/)
- Train (/t/)
- Dump truck (/d/)
- Mail truck (/m/)

### Progressive Difficulty
As children master early sounds, Talk & Listen introduces:
- Tier 2: Middle sounds (/k/, /g/, /f/)
- Tier 3: Later sounds (/s/, /l/, /r/)
- Tier 4: Complex blends (/tr/, /st/, /bl/)

### 25+ Minutes Per Sound
Each early sound has enough words for extended practice:
- Multiple vehicle words
- Vocabulary theme words (food, body, etc.)
- Action verbs
- Descriptive words

## When to Be Concerned

### Typical Development
- By age 3: /m/, /b/, /p/, /w/, /h/, /n/, /d/, /t/ should be clear
- By age 4: /k/, /g/, /f/, /s/, /z/ developing
- By age 5-6: /l/, /r/, /th/, /sh/, /ch/ developing

### Signs to Consult an SLP
- Early sounds not clear by age 3
- Frustration with communication
- Difficulty being understood by unfamiliar listeners
- Not combining words by age 2

## Practice Strategy

### Start with Strengths
1. Identify which early sounds your child produces well
2. Build confidence with those sounds first
3. Gradually introduce challenging sounds

### Use High-Interest Vehicles
- If child loves garbage trucks → practice /g/
- If child loves trains → practice /t/
- If child loves dump trucks → practice /d/

## Related Resources
- Individual sound guides: littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-[sound].txt
- Late talker guide: littlewheels.app/llm/late-talker-guide.txt
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen organizes 300+ words by phoneme difficulty with 25+ minutes of practice per sound. One-time $4.99, 100% offline, SLP-informed methodology.