My Child Struggles with English Pronunciation - What Can I Do to Help?

Language development significantly influences a child's ability to express thoughts, connect with others, and engage with their surroundings. However, mastering pronunciation can be a challenging part of this journey. 

Many children struggle with certain sounds or word formations, which may impact their confidence and communication skills. 

The good news is that with structured guidance and engaging learning activities, parents can play a significant role in helping their child develop clearer speech. 

This blog discusses strategies and engaging activities for parents to support their child's speech development.

The Importance of Pronunciation

Clear pronunciation is important for effective communication. When children articulate words correctly, they can express their thoughts more confidently, leading to better interactions with peers and adults. 

Additionally, proper pronunciation supports reading and writing development, as recognizing and producing sounds correctly strengthens literacy skills.

Helping children develop strong pronunciation habits early on creates a solid foundation for their overall language abilities.

Common Pronunciation Challenges

Children often face specific hurdles when learning to pronounce words accurately. Some of the most common issues include:

Mixing Up Similar Sounds

Certain sounds, such as "th" and "f" or "p" and "b," can be tricky. For example, a child might say "fumb" instead of "thumb" or "bark" instead of "park." 

This confusion happens because some sounds require precise tongue or lip placement, which young learners may not yet fully control.

Struggling with Consonant Clusters

Words that contain consecutive consonants, such as "street" or "blank," can be difficult. Children might simplify these clusters, saying "seet" instead of "street" or "bank" instead of "blank." 

These adjustments often happen because pronouncing multiple consonants together can feel overwhelming for young speakers.

Incorrect Syllable Stress

Emphasizing the wrong syllable can make words sound unnatural. For example, a child may say "GUI-tar" instead of "gui-TAR." Misplaced stress can sometimes cause misunderstandings in conversation.

Speaking Too Fast or Mumbling

Some children rush through their words, making their speech unclear. 

For example, they might say "gonna" instead of "going to," making it difficult for listeners to understand them. 

This often occurs when a child is eager to speak but hasn’t yet developed control over their speech pace.

Skipping Sounds in Words

Omitting certain sounds is common, such as saying "nana" instead of "banana" or "puter" instead of "computer." This often happens because the child finds it easier to leave out sounds that require more effort to pronounce.

Recognizing these common pronunciation challenges is the first step toward helping children improve their speech.

Ways to Help Your Child Improve Pronunciation

Supporting your child's pronunciation skills can be both fun and productive with the following methods:

1. Play with Phonics

Phonics helps children understand the relationship between letters and sounds, which is crucial for clear pronunciation. Here’s how you can make phonics practice engaging:

Sound Matching Games: Create flashcards with pictures of objects that start with the same sound (e.g., "cat," "cup," "car" for the "C" sound). Ask your child to group the cards with matching beginning sounds.

Letter-Sound Association: Write down words and emphasize the sounds they make, helping your child break them down. For example, show them that "sh" in "ship" sounds different from "s" in "sip."

Tongue Twisters: Try fun phrases like “She sells seashells by the seashore” to help them practice tricky sounds in a playful way.

Apps and Online Games: Interactive phonics apps like ABCmouse, Starfall, or Teach Your Monster to Read can make learning phonics more engaging through animations and interactive exercises.

2. Listen to Stories and Audiobooks

Hearing correct pronunciation repeatedly helps kids absorb it naturally. Here’s how you can make audiobooks and storytelling more effective:

Read Along: Choose a book with an audiobook version and have your child follow the words on the page while listening. This helps reinforce pronunciation visually and audibly.

Pause and Discuss: Ask your child about new or tricky words after listening to a passage. Repeat them together slowly and clearly.

Mimic Voices: Encourage your child to imitate how different characters speak in a story. This makes pronunciation practice more dynamic and fun.

Daily Story Time: Incorporate at least 10–15 minutes of reading time every day to expose your child to new words and pronunciations regularly.

3. Sing Songs and Recite Rhymes

Songs and rhymes naturally encourage rhythm and clear articulation. Since music activates memory and repetition, it’s a great tool for pronunciation practice.

Action Songs: Songs like ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It” encourages kids to move while they sing, making learning more interactive.

Slow Down Lyrics: Pick a song your child loves and sing it together at a slower pace, emphasizing tricky words or sounds.

Karaoke Time: Let your child sing along to their favourite songs using karaoke apps, which help them match pronunciation with melody.

Nursery Rhymes and Poems: Reciting rhymes like Hickory Dickory Dock or The Itsy Bitsy Spider helps children practice pronunciation with rhythm and repetition.

4. Try Mirror Exercises

Many pronunciation difficulties arise because children can’t see how their mouth should move to form certain sounds. Using a mirror helps with self-correction.

Mouth Shape Practice: Show your child how to position their tongue and lips for specific sounds, like sticking their tongue out slightly for the "th" in think or rounding their lips for the "w" in water.

Funny Face Game: Make exaggerated facial movements while saying words and let your child copy you. This makes it feel like a fun game rather than a lesson.

Use a Straw: Have your child hold a drinking straw between their lips while speaking. This encourages proper lip movements and helps slow down speech for clearer pronunciation.

5. Record and Listen

Many children don’t realize how they sound until they hear themselves. Recording their speech can help them self-correct in a positive way.

Read and Record: Have your child read a short story or a few sentences and record it. Then, listen together and discuss any words they want to improve.

Before and After Comparison: Record them saying a difficult word before and after practising it. This lets them hear their progress, boosting confidence.

Silly Voices Challenge: Let them record themselves speaking in different tones or accents—it makes pronunciation practice fun and entertaining!

6. Use Interactive Pronunciation Games

There are plenty of engaging activities designed to improve speech clarity.

Rhyming Word Hunt: Give your child a word and ask them to come up with as many rhyming words as possible (e.g., “cat, bat, hat, sat”). This strengthens their awareness of different sounds.

Word Stretching: Take a long or tricky word and break it into syllables. For example, say “ba-na-na” slowly, then faster, to help them get comfortable with the pronunciation.

Guess the Word Game: Give clues about a word and have your child guess and pronounce it correctly (e.g., "I'm thinking of a fruit that is yellow and starts with 'b'").

Encouragement is just as important as practice. Celebrate your child’s efforts, no matter how small! Instead of constantly correcting them, model proper pronunciation naturally in conversation.

Consistency is key. Small daily activities like reading together, singing songs, or playing word games—can reinforce pronunciation skills over time.

And if your child continues to struggle despite regular practice, don’t hesitate to consult a speech therapist. Early support can make a world of difference in helping them develop clear and confident speech.

With patience, practice, and a little fun, your child will be well on their way to stronger pronunciation skills. 

Master English with Curious Junior by PhysicsWallah

Curious Junior’s English program helps students develop strong language skills through an engaging and structured approach:

While home-based activities play a significant role in improving pronunciation, structured guidance can accelerate a child’s progress.

Curious Junior’s interactive English classes provide a fun and engaging way to refine pronunciation, build fluency, and boost communication skills.

• Story-driven lessons help children understand and articulate words naturally

• Interactive activities reinforce proper pronunciation through guided exercises

• Audio-video aids allow students to hear and mimic correct speech patterns

• Gamified learning keeps practice engaging and encourages consistent improvement

• Focus on pronunciation and sentence structure strengthens communication skills

• Personality development activities build confidence in speaking

Curious Junior’s curriculum aligns with the Cambridge English Scale & CEFR standards, ensuring that students progress in speaking, reading, writing, and listening effectively.

Give your child the advantage of structured learning. Enroll now!