Parent question

Speech practice games: turning any game into practice

Published 21 October 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026

The short answer

Almost any game your child already likes can become speech practice: they say their practice words a few times before each turn. What matters most is the number of tries, not the game. Research studies often aim for about 100 practice tries in a session, and a slow game can cut that a lot. Ask your child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP) which words and which level to practise.

Why games work

Speech therapy research often uses “drill play”: a quick set of practice tries, then a turn in a game. In one study of two children using it, they averaged 165 tries in each 45-minute session (Potapova et al., 2023). The game keeps a child going, and the drill keeps the tries high.

In a study of speech practice games, children preferred games with rewards, challenge and different levels of difficulty (Ahmed et al., 2018).

Why the number of tries matters

In a small study of two children with apraxia, words practised more than 100 times in 15 minutes were learned faster than words practised 30 to 40 times (Edeal & Gildersleeve-Neumann, 2011).
A review of speech sound research found sessions typically included about 100 practice tries, while clinicians surveyed reported giving less than that (Sugden et al., 2018). In a UK survey, most therapists said children practised their target 10 to 30 times per session (Hegarty et al., 2018).
Practice at home can add tries between sessions. A review found emerging evidence that therapists and parents working together supports home practice (Pritchard et al., 2025).

Turn a game into practice

Ideas for adding speech practice to common games
Game	How to add practice
Go Fish	Use picture cards with your child’s practice words, and name the card each time you ask for one.
Uno or any card game	Say a practice word, or a sentence with it, before playing each card.
Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders	Say one practice word for every space you move.
Memory or matching	Name each card as you flip it over.
Jenga or stacking games	Say five practice words before each turn.
I Spy	Only spy things that have the practice sound.
Hide and seek	Hide picture cards and say each word as you find it.

Keeping practice useful

Practise at the right level. If your child is working on syllables, don’t jump to sentences. See the articulation hierarchy.
Keep tries high. Several tries per turn, quick turns and simple rules beat a long game with one word per turn.
Keep feedback simple. Praise the sound, not just the effort (“great S!”). If it’s wrong, say it once correctly and move on. Research suggests feedback on every try isn’t always best for long-term learning. See feedback frequency.
Keep a tally. Note roughly how many tries you did in a practice log to share with your SLP.

What about apps?

In a study of 45 rural Australian children using a speech practice game, children did a median of about 45 tries per session, less than half the 100-try target, and those who played more sessions improved more on their practised words (McLeod et al., 2023).
In a study of 10 children, a tablet game for apraxia increased engagement during practice (Hair et al., 2021).
Apps aren’t automatically effective. In a 2026 study, none of 4 children’s target sounds improved meaningfully after 3 weeks of practising alone with a speech app (two improved slightly on practised words only), and the authors suggested more parent involvement (Strömbergsson et al., 2026). A review of 132 children’s speech apps rated none as excellent (Furlong et al., 2018).

See speech practice tools for kids for more on choosing one.

Questions parents ask

What games are good for speech therapy at home?

Any game your child enjoys and that has quick turns. Card games, matching games and board games all work if your child says their practice words several times each turn.

How many times should my child practise a word?

Ask your SLP. Research sessions often include about 100 tries, but the right amount depends on your child and the level they’re working on.

Are speech therapy apps worth it?

Some help children practise more, but quality varies a lot. One small study suggested apps may need more parent involvement to work.