Speech and the Kindergarten Child
When children enter school, whether it is in preschool or kindergarten, they need to
learn a whole new repertoire of communication skills. Many children have difficulty
pronouncing some sounds (speech). Chances are, their family is familiar with their
speech patterns but now they need to communicate with new adults and peers.
Kindergarten is often a time when children’s awareness of sounds is awakened. With
the help of their classroom teacher, they begin to learn letter names and sounds. Our
teachers use a program of pointing “cues” which help to heighten each child’s
awareness of the placement of their lips, tongue, and teeth. It is appropriate for
kindergarten children to still mispronounce many sounds (e.g. l, r, th, s, v) but children
often develop improved sound production during kindergarten and first grade due to
maturation and exposure to print.
In kindergarten, children also need to develop new language skills. Information is no
longer presented to them individually as it is at home. They need to learn the
kindergarten vocabulary (e.g. what a “cubby” is, which part of the room is the “circle
area,” etc.) There are new turn-taking skills for talking in groups and, most importantly,
children are taught to use descriptive language to participate in discussions. They
learn to “predict” what is going to happen in a story, they learn to “estimate” the number
of objects in a jar, they learn to describe a graph using terms such as
“more than” and “equal to,” they learn to discuss possible causes and effects, they
learn to relate information in a sequence, and much, much more.
Kindergarten teachers understand that these skills are just beginning to develop and
that different children will master skills at different times. The classroom curriculum is
designed to teach these skills rather than require consistent, independent use right
from the start. If a teacher feels that a child is having difficulty in one of these areas,
she may request a screening or observation. Often times, this will result in some
suggestions for classroom use. However, if it is suspected that the child may have a
speech/language disability (e.g. oral motor planning problem, auditory processing
disorder, etc.) an evaluation may be recommended. If treatment is initiated, it will
usually include a home component and will always involve classroom carryover of
skills. Functioning in school is our primary objective!
Speech Screening Results
Parents of kindergarten children are often concerned about their child’s ability to speak
clearly. While some children may use all sounds correctly by the age of five, some
may not finish maturing in this area until they are seven or eight years old. Several
studies have been conducted to collect information on normal sound development.
One widely accepted study by E. Sander (1972) provided both average age estimates
and upper age limits of consonant production (i.e. age when 50% of all children
produce a sound, age when 90% of all children produce a sound.) They are as
follows:
50% standards
2 years: p, m, h, n, w, b, k, g, d, t, ng
2.5 years: f, y
3 years: r, l, s
3.5 years: ch, sh, z
4 years: j, v
5 years: th
90% standards
3 years: p, m, h, n, w
4 years: b, k, g, d, f, y
6 years: t, ng, r, l
7 years: ch, sh, j
8 years: s, z, v, th
Therefore, while sounds such as “r, l, and s” may be produced correctly by half of all 3
year olds, they are not typically produced by most (90%) children until the ages of six
or eight.
If you are noticing that your child is mispronouncing 1-3 sounds, especially “th, l, r or
s,” there is probably no need for concern. This is considered to be typical kindergarten
speech production. However, if your child is mispronouncing more than 3 sounds,
especially those which are usually produced correctly by 90% of all 3 and 4 year olds,
you should discuss this matter with your child’s classroom teacher. She can provide
you with information about your child’s ability to be understood in the classroom as
well as some information on activities to reinforce good sound production at home.
