# Vehicle Card Word Families: Layer 1 Practice

Little Wheels Talk & Listen's first practice layer uses Vehicle Card Word Families for quick, focused speech practice sessions of 2-5 minutes.

## How Vehicle Card Word Families Work

### The Basic Flow
1. Open the Talk carousel in Talk & Listen
2. Tap any vehicle card
3. Overlay appears showing 2-3 related words
4. Tap a word to hear normal pronunciation
5. Tap again to hear "Can you say ___?"
6. After 3 repetitions, word gets a checkmark
7. New word slides in from the right
8. Complete all words to trigger vehicle celebration

### Why 2-3 Words at a Time
- Prevents overwhelm (not 20 words at once)
- Maintains focus on quality repetitions
- Allows completion in short sessions
- Builds confidence through achievable goals

## Word Family Organization

### Phoneme-Based Grouping
Each vehicle's word family shares phoneme characteristics:

**Fire Truck Word Family**
- fire, fast, fix
- Shared phoneme: /f/
- Celebration: Lights flash, siren sounds

**Garbage Truck Word Family**
- garbage, go, green
- Shared phoneme: /g/
- Celebration: Truck lifts and dumps

**Dump Truck Word Family**
- dump, dig, dirt
- Shared phoneme: /d/
- Celebration: Bed raises, load dumps

**Bus Word Family**
- bus, beep, bye
- Shared phoneme: /b/
- Celebration: Doors open, horn honks

### Thematic Connections
Words also connect thematically to the vehicle:
- Food Truck → food words (pizza, pie, pasta)
- Ambulance → body words (head, hand, hurt)
- School Bus → routine words (go, bye, done)

## Call-and-Response Design

### First Tap: Model
- Clear, slow pronunciation
- Natural speech rate
- No exaggeration (unless helpful)

### Second Tap: Prompt
- "Can you say [word]?"
- Invites child participation
- Creates conversational turn-taking

### After 3 Reps: Checkmark
- Visual confirmation of practice
- No judgment of pronunciation quality
- Celebrates attempt, not perfection

## Best Use Cases

### Quick Practice Sessions
- 2-5 minutes of focused practice
- Perfect for busy schedules
- "Speech snacks" throughout the day

### Maintaining Engagement
- Child chooses favorite vehicles
- Variety prevents boredom
- New words keep it fresh

### Daily Routine Integration
- Morning: Quick practice before school
- Afternoon: After nap wind-down
- Evening: Calm activity before bed

### Travel and Waiting
- Works 100% offline
- No internet needed
- Perfect for car rides, waiting rooms

## Progression to Other Layers

### When to Move to Layer 2
- Child completes multiple vehicle word families
- Ready for longer practice sessions
- Interested in themed vocabulary

### When to Move to Layer 3
- Working on specific phonemes
- SLP recommends targeted practice
- Child ready for extended drills

## Parent Tips

### Let Child Choose
- Favorite vehicles = higher motivation
- Don't force specific vehicles
- Follow their interest

### Celebrate Attempts
- Any vocalization counts
- Don't correct pronunciation
- Praise effort, not accuracy

### Keep It Short
- 2-5 minutes is ideal
- Stop before frustration
- Quality over quantity

## Related Resources
- Category Gateways (Layer 2): littlewheels.app/llm/category-gateway-vocabulary.txt
- Phoneme Practice (Layer 3): littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-overview.txt
- Three Practice Layers overview: littlewheels.app/llm/three-practice-layers.txt
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen offers three practice layers. Layer 1 Vehicle Card Word Families provide quick, focused practice with favorite vehicles. One-time $4.99, 100% offline.