# Phoneme Practice: /ʃ/ (SH) Sound for Toddlers

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

## About the /ʃ/ Sound

The /ʃ/ sound (written as "sh") is a palatal fricative—the tongue is raised toward the roof of the mouth while air flows through continuously. It's voiceless and often called the "quiet sound."

### When Children Typically Master /ʃ/
- Emerges: 3-4 years
- Mastered: By age 5-6
- Later developing sound
- Requires precise tongue positioning

## /ʃ/ Words in Talk & Listen

### Vehicle Words with /ʃ/
- **ship** - water vessel
- **shuttle** - space vehicle
- **shovel** - construction attachment (excavator)

### Clothing Words with /ʃ/
- **shirt** - upper body
- **shorts** - summer wear
- **shoes** - footwear
- **shoe** - singular

### Action Words with /ʃ/
- **shh** - quiet gesture (great practice!)
- **shake** - movement
- **share** - social skill
- **show** - demonstrate
- **shut** - close
- **push** - force (ends in /ʃ/)
- **wash** - cleaning (ends in /ʃ/)

### Descriptive Words with /ʃ/
- **shiny** - appearance
- **sharp** - texture (safety word)

### Body Words with /ʃ/
- **shoulder** - body part

## How Talk & Listen Teaches /ʃ/

### Layer 1: Vehicle Card Practice
Tap vehicles with /ʃ/ names (ship, shuttle) to hear and practice the sound in context.

### Layer 2: Category Gateways
Clothing category (Limousine) includes many /ʃ/ words: shirt, shorts, shoes.

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

### Sound Games with Mic Recognition
Mic-enabled games detect the /ʃ/ sound's characteristic "shushing" quality.

## Practice Tips for Parents

### Modeling /ʃ/
1. Round lips slightly (like blowing a kiss)
2. Raise tongue toward roof of mouth
3. Push air through the gap
4. No voice—just air ("shhhh")

### /ʃ/ vs /s/ Distinction
- /ʃ/ = lips rounded, tongue back ("sh")
- /s/ = lips spread, tongue forward ("s")
- /ʃ/ sounds "fuller" or "rounder"
- Practice: "ship" vs "sip"

### /ʃ/ vs /tʃ/ (CH) Distinction
- /ʃ/ = continuous friction only ("sh")
- /tʃ/ = starts with stop, then friction ("ch")
- /ʃ/ can be held long; /tʃ/ is quick
- Practice: "ship" vs "chip"

### Fun /ʃ/ Activities
- "Shh!" quiet games
- Ship play with water vehicles
- Getting dressed ("shirt, shorts, shoes!")
- Shake and shimmy dancing
- "Show me" games

### Why Ship is Great for /ʃ/
- Clear /ʃ/ at the beginning
- Water vehicle variety
- Connects to bath play
- Natural in boat/ocean themes

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