Sounds fun homework

Word pictures for minimal pairs

This is a specific therapy approach and your speech and language therapist will advise if it is appropriate for your child.

Before you start

Your therapist will provide you with some picture sheets. Cut up the sheet into individual pictures.
Put the pictures into pairs that rhyme with each other. Some pictures have more than one possible pair – for example key/pea, key/tea/pea and tea.
Each week you will have a few individual pictures left with no pair. Keep these safe for later weeks. Add more pictures each week as you go through the sounds and these will make new pairs – see the table below to help.

How to do ‘minimal pairs’

Take the first pair of pictures in your hand and hold them up one at a time so your child can see your face and the picture easily. As you point at each picture say what it is, for example ‘key’.
Put both pictures down next to each other, in front of your child, and get them to turn to face you again, ready to listen.
This time name just one picture – without pointing or looking at the picture – and ask them to show you which one you said, for example say ‘tea’ (pause), ‘tea’ (pause), ‘which one is tea?’ (pause).
Make sure your child is looking at your face as you are talking.
Try to use cued articulation as you say the word. Only do the sign for the first sound in the word, for example in key the first sound is ‘k’.
Let your child have some time to think and to look at the pictures.
Your child may not hear the difference between words to start with and may find some weeks harder. Don’t worry, this is normal and they will get there with practise.