An article on «Automating sounds using speech therapy quests and board games»

Автор: Скворцова Елена Александровна

Организация: ФГАОУ ВО НИУ «БелГУ»

Населенный пункт: Белгородская область, г. Белгород

In children with general speech underdevelopment, several aspects of speech are disrupted at once: vocabulary, grammar, syllabic structure of the word, phonemic hearing, coherent speech, and so on. But, as practice shows, parents most often pay attention to the disadvantages of the sound-producing side of speech.

The process of sound reproduction correction includes three stages:

• preparatory stage;
• the stage of sound production;
• sound automation.

What exactly is «automation»?

This is a gradual, sequential process of introducing the correct sound into a child's speech. If a child has just begun to pronounce a particular sound in isolation, then you should not ask him to pronounce it in words and sentences. The work on sound automation is carried out under the supervision of a speech therapist teacher.

The stage of sound automation is usually the longest of the sound correction processes.

Automation of any sound includes:

• automation of isolated sound;
• automation of sound in syllables;
• automation of sound in words;
• automation of sound in phrases;
• automation of sound in sentences;
• automation of sound in coherent speech.

This usually happens as follows: the speech therapist works out the necessary speech material in his classes and gives parents recommendations for working with the child at home. Often, such recommendations contain only speech material, the pronunciation of which usually quickly bores children. To increase the effectiveness of correctional work and children's interest in classes, it is good to use various games.

According to L.S. Vygotsky and D.B. Elkonin, play activities in preschool age create a «zone of immediate development». Modern speech therapy studies (N.V. Nishcheva, T.A. Tkachenko, O.S. Gomziak) confirm that the transfer of speech action into a game context increases the frequency and quality of pronunciation by reducing consciousness control and including the emotional sphere.

A quest is a chain of interrelated tasks united by a plot and an ultimate goal. In speech therapy, the quest allows you to:

• automate sound in different language materials (isolated → in a syllable → in a word → in a phrase);
• maintain interest for 20 – 25 minutes;
• embed elements of self-control (without correct speech, there is no transition to the next stage).

Board games (roamers, memos, dominoes, lotto) create a situation of natural communication where the child speaks not «for the speech therapist», but for winning, which significantly reduces anxiety and speech negativism.

The stage of automating the set sounds is the longest and most time – consuming in correctional work. According to the clinical and pedagogical classification, in various forms of dyslalia, dysarthria and rhinolalia, the development of isolated sound, syllables, words, phrases and coherent speech can take from 2 to 6 months or more. Traditional methods (repetition by a speech therapist, naming pictures, memorizing pure sayings) often lead to satiety, decreased cognitive interest and, as a result, to formal pronunciation without articulation control.

The Federal State Educational Standard DO the principles of individualization and a playful form of educational activity. In this regard, the search for new game tools capable of providing a high «speech density» of the lesson while maintaining a positive emotional background is an urgent task of speech therapy practice.

The most promising formats are the speech therapy quest (a story-based travel game with consecutive speech tasks) and the board game (brodilka, domino, memory, bingo, cube game), integrated into the structure of an individual or subgroup lesson.

From the point of view of neuropsychology and age psychology, play remains the leading activity for preschoolers aged 4 – 7 years. However, unlike a free game, a speech therapy game should be didactically intense: each game action should provoke a speech utterance with a target sound in a given position.

The speech therapy quest implements the principle of consistency – the child consistently goes through difficulty levels:

1. isolated utterance (key, spell, motor sound);

2. automation in syllables (stepping over bumps, opening windows);

3. automation in words (searching for objects, collecting puzzles, board game moves);

4. automation in the phrase (answering questions, making suggestions for quest pictures);

5. automation in coherent speech (a story about how the quest went, for a parent or a toy).

Board games, in turn, create a natural communicative situation – the child needs to speak not for the speech therapist, but for winning, for the opponent, to win points. This reduces internal control and hyperreflexion, which helps to transfer correct pronunciation into spontaneous speech.

The methodology of developing a speech therapy quest:

Step 1. Define the goal. What kind of sound are we automating? In what position (syllables, words, phrases)? Consider the age of the children.

Step 2. Select the plot and character. The plot should be clear and interesting (rescue, search, journey, competition). The character is a doll, a toy, a picture that «asks for help.»

Step 3. Develop a route and tasks. Each task corresponds to one automation position:

Start – an isolated sound (for example, «start the engine» for [R]).

Station 1 – syllables (a track of footprints with written syllables).

Station 2 – words at the beginning (basket with pictures).

Station 3 – words in the middle (puzzles, split pictures).

Station 4 – words at the end (if possible for this sound).

Station 5 – clear language or sentences.

The finale is a surprise (sticker, small toy, coloring book).

Step 4. Selection of visual material. The pictures should be realistic, recognizable, without distracting details. For one quest – 15 – 25 pictures.

Step 5. Testing and correction. Conduct a quest with 2 – 3 children, measure the time (optimally 15 – 20 minutes for individual lessons, 20 – 25 minutes for a subgroup) and the number of speech reactions.

Speech therapy quest «In search of magical sounds».

Purpose: to consolidate the skills of correct speech, to develop phonemic perception and speech activity in children.

Tasks:

• fix the correct pronunciation of the set sounds;
• to develop phonemic hearing, memory, attention and thinking;
• to stimulate cognitive interest and the ability to work in a team;
• сreate a positive emotional attitude.

Target audience: older preschool children (5 – 7 years old) with speech disorders, parents may participate.

Materials and equipment:

• quest map (with marked stations);
• envelopes with assignments at each station;
• pictures and flashcards for games;
• soft balls («snowballs»);
• massage tracks or mats;
• a «magic chest» with prizes (medals, stickers, small toys);
• audio recordings of nature sounds, musical instruments;
• a projector and a laptop (for showing slides or videos).

Quest Progress:

Introduction

Moderator (speech therapist): «Guys, today we're going on an amazing journey! There's a magic chest full of surprises hidden somewhere here. But to open it, we need to find the key. And the key is disassembled into parts, each part is hidden at a different station. Let's look at the map and hit the road!».

The children study the map together with the presenter and choose the first station.

Station 1. «Sound glade»

Task: the game «Guess the sound».

• The presenter turns on the audio recording (rustling leaves, rain, birds singing, car horn, etc.);
• The children must guess what that sound is and pronounce the word clearly;
• For each correct answer, there is a part of the key.

Additionally: you can invite children to make a sound themselves (for example, blow like the wind, clap like rain).

Station 2. «Articulation forest»

Task: perform articulation exercises based on pictures.

• There are pictures of exercises on the stand: «Horse», «Cup», «Mushroom», «Accordion», etc;
• Each child chooses a picture and performs an exercise;
• The moderator monitors the correctness of the execution and gives hints.

Reward: another piece of the key.

Station 3. «Rhythmic bridge»

Task: repeat the rhythmic pattern.

• The presenter taps out a rhythm (for example, two beats, pause, three beats) or plays it on a tambourine.
• The children take turns repeating the rhythm by clapping or playing instruments;
• You can complicate it by adding sounds (for example, «ta-ta-pa», «bi-bi-bo»);
• Reward: the next part of the key.

Station 4. «Word Maze»

Assignment: vocabulary development games.

• «One is many»: the presenter calls the word in the singular, the children in the plural (cat – cats, chair – chairs).
• «Call it affectionately»;
• «Pick up a rhyme».

Reward: a part of the key for each completed task.

Station 5. «Magic bag»

Task: tactile letter guessing.

• The bag contains three-dimensional letters (made of wood or plastic).
• The child identifies the letter by touch, names it, and comes up with a word that begins with that letter;
• If the child finds it difficult, you can give a hint (show a picture).

Reward: the last part of the key.

The final part

The children collect all the parts of the key and open the magic chest. Inside there are prizes (medals «The best connoisseur of sounds», stickers, coloring books, small toys).

Leader: «You did a great job with all the tasks! Now you know how important it is to speak and hear sounds correctly. Let's clap for each other – we are the real winners!».

The method of using board games:

Rule 1. The game is not a reward, but a job. The speech therapist does not say: «Now let's play,» he includes the game in the structure of the lesson as the main didactic unit. For example: «Today we will embark on a journey through the tabletop land of sound [W].»

Rule 2. Rationing of the speech material. There should be no more than 30 – 40 words in one game for children aged 5 – 6 years and no more than 50 for 6 – 7 years. Otherwise, fatigue distorts pronunciation.

Rule 3. Quality control. The speech therapist does not miss the wrong pronunciation. The rule of the game is: «If you pronounce a word with a mistake, you skip a move» or «Return the chip two steps back.» This motivates self-control.

Rule 4. Variability. You can use the same wanderer for 2 – 3 sessions, changing the pictures on the cells (to different sounds). To do this, it is convenient to have a field with pockets or an empty space where laminated pictures with Velcro are embedded.

Speech therapy quests and board games are not just fashionable trends. With methodically competent content, they become an effective tool to solve the key problem of the automation stage – routine and low motivation. The game form provides high speech density, natural context for articulation training, and positive reinforcement. For a preschool speech therapist, the introduction of quests and board games requires initial costs for the production of manuals, but in the long run these costs are recouped by speeding up the correctional process and reducing emotional burnout for both the specialist and the child.

Speech therapy board game for automating sounds

The goal of the game is to help children automate the pronunciation of problematic sounds (whistling, hissing, sonorous, etc.) in a playful way, developing speech, attention, memory, and logical thinking.

Age group: children aged 4 – 7 (preschool and primary school age).

Equipment

• playing field (can be divided into cells or contain «sound tracks»);
• picture cards with the sound being worked out in their names (at the beginning, middle and end of the word);
• chips or figures for a move (you can use themed ones: stars, animals, cars, etc.);
• a dice;
• additional task cards (for example, «Name 3 words with the sound [R]», «Make a sentence with this word»);
• instructions with rules and game options.

Rules of the game (basic version)

1. The players take turns rolling the dice and moving the chips around the board.

2. There is a picture on each cell. The child should name it, clearly pronouncing the sound being practiced.

3. If the sound is pronounced correctly, the player remains on the square. If an error is made, they go back a step.

4. On some squares there are special tasks with additional cards (for example, repeat a tongue twister or come up with a rhyme).

5. The winner is the one who gets to the finish line first.

Game options for different tasks

1. «Sound pairs»

Purpose: automation of sound in a couple of words.

How to play: Give the children paired picture cards. The task is to name both words, highlight the sound, and compose a short sentence with each one.

2. «Find the sound»

Purpose: to develop phonemic hearing.

How to play: Lay out 5 to 6 picture cards. The child chooses the ones with a given sound and names them. You can make it more complicated by searching for the sound at the beginning/middle/end of a word.

3. «Make a story»

Goal: automation of sound in coherent speech.

How to play: Players take turns taking cards and adding a phrase to the overall story using the word with the desired sound. For example, for the sound [L]: «Once upon a time there was an elephant. He went into the forest. There he found a mushroom ...».

4. «Tic-tac-toe with sounds»

Purpose: fixing the sound in different positions of the word.

How to play: Use a 3×3 field with pictures for a given sound. Players place chips («tic-tac-toe»), naming the image. The winner is the one who builds the line first.

5. «Soundtrack»

Purpose: to work out the sound in sentences.

How to play: There are pictures with a preset sound on the track. The child steps with a chip and makes up a sentence with each word. For example: «A fox has a long tail. The fox is fishing.».

Systematic use of speech therapy quests and adapted board games at the stage of sound automation:

1. Increases speech activity and the number of high–quality pronouncements by 1.5 - 2 times;

2. Reduces fatigue and speech negativism;

3. Accelerates the transfer of skill into spontaneous speech;

4. Meets the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard DO for the implementation of game forms of correctional work.

Thus, speech therapy quests and board games are an effective and methodically sound tool that optimizes the longest and most time-consuming stage of sound correction. The systematic use of speech therapy quests and board games at the stage of sound automation makes it possible to qualitatively change the correctional process: overcome low motivation, increase children's speech activity by 2 times, reduce fatigue and speech negativism. The game form creates a natural communicative context, promotes the transfer of correct pronunciation into spontaneous speech and accelerates the achievement of sustainable results.