Minimal Pairs: Speech Therapy - Phonology - Distance Learning

Minimal pairs are an effective method for teaching students to discriminate sounds. The goal of this activity is help students discriminate their sounds by seeing how changing sounds impacts word meaning and impacts their communication. This product includes speech sound visual picture cues on every card to help the student discriminate the sound and know how to position their tongue and mouth.

This activity is great for on the go speech therapy of phonological lessons, drill work, quick starter activity, and can also be used for distance learning! Not only can this be used this for kids getting speech therapy, but it can also use this in general ed phonological awareness lessons.

All you need to to is print, laminate and cut the cards out and you're ready to go! Use them however suits you. There are organizational cards that are labeled by each set of minimal pair/phonological process for your convenience.

Some fun ideas to use in therapy as a game include:

-Go Fish (have the student find the matching minimal pair in the "go fish" pile)

-Memory Game: arrange the minimal pairs face down, have the student locate its pair each turn when they flip over two cards. They should say the words each time they flip.

This activity includes minimal pairs and colored visual picture cards for:

Fronting / Backing:

/k/ vs /t/ initial - Pages 4-6

/g/ vs /d/ initial - Pages 7-8

/sh/ vs /s/ initial - Pages 9-10

/f/ vs /h/ initial - Pages 12-14

/sh/ vs /h/ initial - Pages 15-17

Stopping:

/f/ vs /p/ initial - Pages 19-21

/s/ vs /t/ initial - Pages 22-25

/sh/ vs /t/ initial - Pages 26-29

/ch/ vs /t/ initial – Pages 30-32

Gliding:

/l/ vs /w/ initial - Pages 34-37

/r/ vs /w/ initial - Pages 38-42

EXTRA: /r/ vs /l/ 43-46

Voicing/ Devoicing 

/p/ vs /b/ initial – Pages 48-51

/f/ vs /v/ initial - Pages 52-54

/t/ vs /d/ initial - Pages 55-57

/k/ vs /g/ initial - Pages 58-59

/s/ vs /z/ initial - Pages 60-61

EXTRAS:

/s/ vs /h/ initial – Pages 63-65

/s/ vs /th/ initial – Pages 66-69

*Organizational cards for your convenience.