Vocalic R Coarticulation for Speech Therapy

Get ready for success with the R Sound! The coarticulation strategy has been an effective tool for eliciting a clear vocalic R sound for ages. This set of worksheets targets final vocalic R (AR, ER, EAR, AIR, IRE, and OR) paired with initial prevocalic R, and you’re going to love it! 

What is coarticulation?
Coarticulation is the idea that the sounds you produce are impacted by the other sounds around them. The phonetic context of a sound can facilitate correct production of the sound (Bernthal, Bankson & Flipsen, 2009) and this is useful when working on the R sound. 

Who should use these worksheets?

If a student is able to say initial prevocalic R but struggles with final vocalic R words (car, her, fire, etc.) these worksheets are for you! Similarly, if your student can say final vocalic R words, but has difficulty with initial R words, these worksheets would also be a great fit. 

What is included in this set of worksheets? 

Worksheets are organized by separate vocalic R context (AR, ER, EAR, AIRE, IRE and OR). For each R context you will have: 

• Syllable level practice sheets 
• Word level practice sheets, pairing two words together (4 pages with picture support, 9 pages without pictures for each vocalic R context) 
• Fill in your own words/drawings template 
• Coarticulation web graphic for each context
• Sentence level practice sheet for each context 
• Directions sheet and paper car to cut out and use if desired

Additional features:

• Pages that focus on medial intervocalic R words. For example, pairing stir + ring to get the word "stirring"
• Word list and blank templates to write in your own selected target words

Please note that most of this packet uses a single selected word (car, her, fire, door, hear, and bear) followed by assorted initial R words to practice. The initial R words are consistent across all vocalic R contexts for ease of use in a group and consistency in data collection. I have taught the R sound this way using coarticulation for over a decade and have had much success with it. 

For added fun and engagement, I recommend using a small toy car to glide across the worksheets as students practice. This product is a digital download (pdf worksheets) so a toy car is not included but a paper car you can cut out and use is included. 

If you are interested in the world's best comprehensive, step-by-step workbook for teaching the R sound, you will also love my book titled I Can Say the R Sound. It pairs well with this coarticulation packet. 

If you have any questions, please email me prior to purchasing at support@peachiespeechie.com