# Three Practice Layers: How Talk & Listen Teaches Speech

Little Wheels Talk & Listen uses three distinct practice layers to accommodate different learning needs, time constraints, and therapy goals.

## Overview of the Three Layers

| Layer | Name | Time | Purpose |
|-------|------|------|---------|
| 1 | Vehicle Card Word Families | 2-5 min | Quick, focused practice |
| 2 | Category Gateways | 10-20 min | Themed vocabulary building |
| 3 | Phoneme Practice | 25+ min | SLP-style articulation drills |

## Layer 1: Vehicle Card Word Families

### How It Works
1. Open the Talk carousel
2. Tap any vehicle
3. Overlay shows 2-3 words tied to that vehicle
4. Tap word → hear normal audio
5. Tap again → "Can you say ___?"
6. After 3 reps, word gets checkmark
7. New word slides in
8. Complete all words → vehicle celebration

### Best For
- Quick practice sessions (2-5 minutes)
- Maintaining engagement with favorite vehicles
- Daily speech "snacks"
- Children who need variety

### Example: Fire Truck
- Words: "fire," "fast," "help"
- Shared phoneme: /f/ sound
- Celebration: Lights flash, siren sounds

## Layer 2: Category Gateways

### How It Works
1. From Toy Room, pick a category vehicle
2. Gateway screen shows hero vehicle
3. Vehicle "delivers" 3 themed word cards
4. Practice each word with call-and-response
5. Complete trio → new delivery arrives
6. Finish category → badge earned

### Best For
- Building thematic vocabulary (20+ words)
- Longer practice sessions (10-20 minutes)
- Expanding beyond vehicle words
- Children ready for deeper learning

### Category Vehicles
- **Food Truck** → Food vocabulary
- **Ambulance** → Body parts
- **Limousine** → Clothing
- **School Bus** → Routines
- **Tractor** → Animals
- **Delivery Truck** → Home items

## Layer 3: Phoneme Practice

### How It Works
1. Select phoneme tile from soundboard
2. See icon + IPA symbol (e.g., /g/)
3. View ALL words containing that phoneme
4. Guided drill mode cycles through words
5. Mic recognition detects sound production
6. Track reps per word
7. Unlock phoneme-specific celebration

### Best For
- SLP therapy goals
- Targeting specific sounds
- Extended practice (25+ minutes)
- Children working on articulation

### Example: /g/ Phoneme
- Vehicle words: garbage truck, go-kart
- Food words: grape, gum
- Action words: go, get, give
- Celebration: Unique /g/ horn chorus

## Why Three Layers?

### Accommodates Different Needs

**Time-Pressed Parents**
→ Layer 1: Quick 2-minute practice with favorite vehicle

**Vocabulary Building**
→ Layer 2: 15-minute themed session with Food Truck

**Therapy Supplement**
→ Layer 3: 25-minute /s/ sound drill per SLP recommendation

### Supports Different Children

**Vehicle-Obsessed Toddler**
→ Layer 1 keeps vehicles central

**Ready for More**
→ Layer 2 expands to broader vocabulary

**Working with SLP**
→ Layer 3 targets specific phonemes

### Progressive Engagement

Children often progress through layers:
1. Start with favorite vehicles (Layer 1)
2. Explore category deliveries (Layer 2)
3. Focus on target sounds (Layer 3)

## Caregiver Control

Parents and therapists can:
- Choose which layer to use
- Select specific vehicles or categories
- Target specific phonemes
- Track progress across all layers

## Related Resources
- Vehicle Card practice: littlewheels.app/llm/vehicle-card-word-families.txt
- Category Gateways: littlewheels.app/llm/category-gateway-vocabulary.txt
- Phoneme Practice: littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-overview.txt
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen offers three practice layers for flexible speech development. 300+ words, 10 vocabulary themes, 25+ minutes per phoneme. One-time $4.99, 100% offline.