Speech Therapy Exercises to Do at Home

✓ Reviewed against ASHA Practice Portal, AAP HealthyChildrenEvidence level ALast reviewed July 1, 2026Published July 1, 2026

Home speech exercises help most when they’re short and consistent: aim for one or two focused 5–10 minute sessions a day, grouped by goal (sounds, vocabulary, or sentences) and matched to your child’s age. They reinforce — but don’t replace — a speech-language pathologist’s assessment and plan.

Do speech exercises at home actually work?

Yes — when they’re consistent. The everyday things parents do to build speech and language, like talking through daily routines, naming what your child sees, reading together, and gently modeling correct sounds, are the same strategies clinicians recommend and use. Doing a little of this on purpose, most days, is what turns it into practice.^1,11

The goal of home practice isn’t to run a therapy clinic at your kitchen table. It’s to give your child extra reps on the exact skills they’re working on, in a warm, low-pressure way — so what they learn in a session (or on their own) shows up in real conversation.¹

⚠️

Home practice supports — it doesn’t replace — an SLP

Exercises at home reinforce a plan; they don’t create one. A certified speech-language pathologist is the person who diagnoses the issue, picks the right targets for your child’s age, and adjusts as they improve. If your child is hard to understand, missing milestones, or you’re worried, ask your pediatrician about an evaluation.

🩺

Skip the “tongue push-ups”

Non-speech oral-motor exercises — blowing whistles, tongue push-ups, cheek puffs — are popular online but are not recommended to improve how children produce speech sounds. Time is better spent practicing the actual sounds, words, and sentences.

That last point matters: reviews of non-speech oral-motor exercises have not found good evidence that they improve speech-sound production, so home practice should target real speech, not isolated mouth movements.^8,2

How to build a daily speech practice routine

The single most important ingredient is consistency. Short, frequent, focused practice beats a rare marathon session — and it keeps the whole thing feeling positive rather than like a chore.¹

5–10 minper session, once or twice a day, is a comfortable starting point for most young children.¹

Pick a time that’s already calm and predictable — bath time, the drive to school, or before a favorite book.
Work on one or two targets at a time, not everything at once.
Keep it playful: stop while your child is still succeeding and enjoying it.
End on a win — a word or sound they said well — so the next session starts positive.

💡

Little and often

Two five-minute bursts woven into the day usually beat one long sit-down drill. If your child is tired or frustrated, stop — a short, happy session is worth more than a long, tense one.

Speech exercises by goal: sound & articulation drills

If your child is working on a specific sound (like “s,” “r,” “l,” or “sh”), the classic approach is to practice it in steps — building up from where they can already succeed. Only target sounds your child is developmentally ready for; the trickiest sounds aren’t expected until 4, 5, or even 6 years old.^2,9

1The sound on its own (“sssss”), so your child hears and feels it correctly.
2The sound in syllables (“sa, so, see”).
3The sound at the start of words (“sun, soap, sock”), then in the middle and end.
4The sound in short phrases (“my sock”), then simple sentences.
5The sound in a game, story, or real conversation, where it’s hardest to remember.

For rule-based patterns that affect a whole group of sounds — like saying “tup” for “cup” or dropping the last sound of words — minimal-pair words (pairs like “key/tea”) help your child hear and fix the contrast. This is a phonological approach rather than a single-sound drill.³

The hardest part of sound drills is coming up with enough practice words at the right position. That’s exactly what the Word Generator below is for — pick a sound and it builds a fresh list.

Free Practice Word Generator

Generate targeted practice words for any sound.

Try it free →

Speech exercises by goal: vocabulary building

For a child building words rather than fixing sounds, the best “exercises” look like ordinary life turned up a notch. The aim is to hear a word many times, in context, and get chances to use it.^1,12

Narrate your day: name what you’re doing, touching, and seeing (“I’m cutting the red apple”).
Add one word to what your child says: if they say “dog,” you say “big dog.”
Read the same books often and pause so your child can fill in the next word.
Sort and name: group toys, foods, or animals into categories out loud.
Offer choices instead of yes/no questions (“milk or water?”) to prompt real words.

Shared reading is one of the most powerful vocabulary boosters there is, and it pays off well beyond speech — so build a few minutes of it into most days.¹¹

Speech exercises by goal: sentences & grammar

Once your child has words, the next goal is stringing them together and adding the small grammar pieces. Around ages 3 to 5, children move from short phrases to four-plus-word sentences and start telling simple stories.^4,5

Expand and recast: repeat what your child said as a fuller, correct sentence, without making them redo it.
Ask “what happened?” questions to prompt two- and three-part sentences.
Tell simple stories together — “first… then… last” — using pictures or a photo from your day.
Play describing games: hide an object and have your child describe it in a full sentence.
Model the grammar you’re targeting (plurals, “is/are,” past tense) naturally, many times.

📝

Recast, don’t correct

If your child says “him runned,” you don’t need to say “that’s wrong.” Just reply with the correct version — “yes, he ran!” — so they hear the right model without feeling put on the spot.

Age-graded exercise plans

Use your child’s age and stage to choose the right kind of practice. Push language for toddlers, playful sound work for preschoolers, and more structured drills for school-age children.⁶

Home speech exercises matched to age and goal.
Age	Best focus	Try at home
Toddler (1–2)	First words & imitation	Name everything, add one word, sing repetitive songs, offer choices.
Preschool (3–4)	Sounds & short sentences	Playful sound games, book “fill-in-the-blank,” tell 3-step stories.
School-age (5+)	Trickier sounds & clear speech	Structured “s/r/l” drills, minimal-pair words, reading aloud, conversation practice.

Home speech exercises matched to age and goal.^4,5,9

Remember that later-developing sounds like “r,” “s,” and “th” often aren’t fully mastered until 5 or 6, so a preschooler who still misses them may simply not be ready yet.⁹

Keeping it fun, tracking progress & when to get help

Play is how young children learn best, so the more your practice feels like a game, the more your child will do — and the more it sticks. If a session turns into a battle, switch activities, shorten it, or come back later.¹⁰

To know whether it’s working, track one thing at a time: how accurately your child says a target sound in words, or how often they use a new word or longer sentence on their own. Progress usually appears first in structured practice, then spreads into everyday talk.²

🩺

When to involve a speech-language pathologist

If your child is hard for others to understand for their age, isn’t making progress after several weeks of consistent practice, has lost skills, or you’re simply worried, talk to your pediatrician and ask about a speech-language evaluation. Acting early leads to better outcomes.

You know your child best — trust that. Raising a concern early is never an overreaction, and a quick check can either reassure you or get help started sooner. SpeechStep gives your child daily guided practice on their exact targets, with instant, encouraging feedback, between whatever support they’re getting.^13,7

Frequently asked questions

Can I do speech therapy exercises at home?＋

Yes. Parent-led practice at home is a normal, valuable part of speech development, and speech-language pathologists routinely coach families to practice between sessions. The key is short, frequent, focused practice — a few minutes on the same targets most days beats one long, occasional session. Home practice supports professional therapy; it does not replace an evaluation and plan.

How much should we practice speech each day?＋

For most young children, one or two focused 5–10 minute sessions a day works well. Little and often is more effective than long, tiring drills, and it keeps practice positive. Follow whatever schedule and targets your speech-language pathologist gives you, since exact practice “dose” depends on the child and goal.

What are the best speech exercises for my child’s age?＋

Match the exercise to the goal your child is working on. Toddlers benefit most from language-rich play, naming, and imitation. Preschoolers can do playful sound drills and short sentence-building games. School-age children can handle structured articulation practice, minimal-pair words, and reading aloud. Choose the sounds your child is developmentally ready for.

Do home exercises replace a speech-language pathologist?＋

No. Home exercises reinforce and speed up progress, but a certified speech-language pathologist is needed to diagnose what’s going on, pick the right targets, and adjust the plan. If your child is hard to understand for their age, is missing milestones, or you’re worried, ask your pediatrician about a speech-language evaluation.

How do I know if the exercises are working?＋

Track one thing at a time: how accurately your child says a target sound in words, or how often they use a new word or longer sentence on their own. Progress usually shows up first in structured practice, then in everyday talk. If a target isn’t improving after several weeks of consistent practice, check in with your speech-language pathologist.