# Phoneme Practice: /n/ Sound for Toddlers

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

## About the /n/ Sound

The /n/ sound is an alveolar nasal—the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the upper teeth while air flows through the nose. Similar to /m/ but with tongue instead of lips.

### When Children Typically Master /n/
- Emerges: 12-18 months
- Mastered: By age 3
- Often appears in early words ("no," "night-night")

## /n/ Words in Talk & Listen

### Vehicle Words with /n/
- **train** - ends in /n/
- **van** - ends in /n/
- **plane** - ends in /n/
- **crane** - construction vehicle

### Food Words with /n/
- **banana** - fruit
- **noodle** - kid favorite
- **nut** - snack

### Routine Words with /n/
- **night** - bedtime
- **nap** - rest time
- **noon** - midday
- **now** - temporal

### Action Words with /n/
- **no** - refusal (very functional!)
- **need** - requirement
- **nod** - agreement gesture

### Descriptive Words with /n/
- **new** - state
- **nice** - positive
- **noisy** - sound level

### Body Words with /n/
- **nose** - face part
- **neck** - body part
- **knee** - leg part

## How Talk & Listen Teaches /n/

### Layer 1: Vehicle Card Practice
Many vehicle names end in /n/ (train, van, plane, crane), providing natural final position practice.

### Layer 2: Category Gateways
Food category includes /n/ words (banana, noodle); Routines include night, nap, now.

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

### Sound Games with Mic Recognition
Mic-enabled games detect the /n/ sound's nasal quality.

## Practice Tips for Parents

### Modeling /n/
1. Touch tongue tip to ridge behind upper teeth
2. Let air flow through nose (hum through nose)
3. Feel vibration on nose bridge
4. Compare to /m/ (lips) vs /n/ (tongue)

### /n/ vs /m/ Distinction
- /m/ = lips together, air through nose
- /n/ = tongue up, air through nose
- Both are nasal sounds with voice
- Practice: "mama" vs "nana"

### Fun /n/ Activities
- Train sounds ("choo-choo train!")
- "No, no, no!" games (toddlers love this)
- Night-night bedtime routines
- Nose-touching games
- Noodle play at meals

### Word Position Practice
- Initial: no, nap, nose, new
- Medial: banana, funny, bunny
- Final: train, van, plane, sun

## Related Resources
- All phoneme guides: littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-overview.txt
- Train page: littlewheels.app/vehicles/train
- 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.