# Phoneme Practice: /w/ Sound for Toddlers

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

## About the /w/ Sound

The /w/ sound is an early developing glide consonant—lips round and then move to the next vowel. It's one of the easiest sounds for toddlers to produce.

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

## /w/ Words in Talk & Listen

### Vehicle Words with /w/
- **wheel** - essential vehicle part!
- **wagon** - pull-along vehicle
- **wrecker** - tow truck type

### Action Words with /w/
- **walk** - movement
- **wait** - patience verb
- **wash** - cleaning action
- **watch** - observation
- **wave** - greeting gesture
- **work** - activity

### Question Words with /w/
- **what** - inquiry
- **where** - location
- **why** - reason
- **when** - time

### Descriptive Words with /w/
- **wet** - state
- **warm** - temperature
- **white** - color
- **wild** - behavior

### Other Essential /w/ Words
- **water** - drink/element
- **want** - desire (highly functional!)
- **wow** - exclamation

## How Talk & Listen Teaches /w/

### Layer 1: Vehicle Card Practice
The word "wheel" appears across many vehicles, providing natural /w/ practice with every vehicle interaction.

### Layer 2: Category Gateways
Multiple categories include /w/ words for varied practice contexts.

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

### Sound Games with Mic Recognition
Mic-enabled games detect the /w/ sound's characteristic lip rounding.

## Practice Tips for Parents

### Modeling /w/
1. Round lips into a small circle (like blowing a kiss)
2. Glide smoothly into the next vowel
3. Voice throughout the sound
4. Exaggerate lip rounding for visual learners

### Fun /w/ Activities
- "Wheels on the bus" song (so many /w/ sounds!)
- Water play ("water, wet, wash!")
- Waving games ("wave, wave!")
- "What's that?" pointing games

### Why /w/ is Important
- High-frequency in English
- Appears in many question words
- "Want" is one of the most functional early words
- "Wheel" connects directly to vehicle interest

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