Supporting speech sound development:
Syllable clapping
About Syllable Clapping
Syllables are the beats or chunks in words.
Syllable clapping is a helpful foundation skill to develop children’s awareness of the structures of words and sounds in words. Syllable awareness also supports later literacy development.
These activities are helpful for children who change or miss out speech sounds in their words.
Important Information
Encourage your child to clap out the syllables in lots of different words.
You can support your child to clap out the syllables in words using these steps:
- Hand-over-hand clapping,
- Clapping together,
- Modelling and copying,
- Clapping independently.
These steps are demonstrated in our video.
It doesn’t matter if your child still changes or misses out some of the speech sounds in their version of the word, the aim is for them to say something for each syllable in the word.
Syllable clapping activities can be incorporated into everyday activities such as looking at a book, playing with toys, snack time, bath time, going for a walk.
What does Cardiff and Vale offer?
The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service can offer you advice and support to help you support your child’s speech, language and communication development.
Our dysphagia team can offer advice and support regarding your child’s feeding and swallowing skills.
If your child is already known to our service, please follow the advice you have been given
by the Speech and Language Therapist. If you have any queries, please contact us via the number below.
If you live in the Cardiff and Vale area and have concerns about your child’s speech, language, communication or feeding skills and they are not currently known to our service, please phone us to discuss your concerns.
Contact details
Address
Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service
Cardiff and Vale UHB
1st Floor, Woodlands House
Maes-y-Coed Road
Cardiff
CF14 4HH
Telephone: 029 2183 6585
