Hey Speech Therapist and Speechie Parents/Teachers!
We have been building articulation resources to enhance communication skills at Speech Therapy Store for the past few years and have quite the list of consonant blends word lists built up now! DR Initial Consonant Blend is one of the last consonant clusters that we are going over, so by now, I am sure you know this routine! So many speech pathologists are working with clients with an articulation disorder, and to make your work life easier – we provide all the fun free resources for your whole caseload!
At the end of this blog post, you can download our FREE DR Word Lists to practice the DR Consonant sounds interactively at word, phrase and sentence level. We also use REAL LIFE pictures so that everyone can practice their speech sounds in a fun way at their level!
DR Words for Speech Therapy
We know you are a busy speech-language pathologist – so let’s get right to the resources and info!
In this post, we will:
- Cover the importance of practicing the DR consonant blend
- Quick Tips for how to teach R blends and DR blend sounds
- List 90 Initial DR Words at the word level, phrase level and sentence level – this is the most comprehensive list you will find!
- Provide 25+ high quality, real life photo flash cards to practice Initial DR at word, phrase, sentence and conversational level (with WH Questions!)
- Outline some of our FAVORITE and most highly rated FREE resources to teach DR
- Send you our Interactive INITIAL DR FREEBIE to have a fun and effective speech therapy session today!
Practicing DR in Speech Therapy Sessions
Teaching the /dr/ blend in speech therapy is essential for several reasons related to early intervention and overall language development:
- Early Intervention: Addressing the /dr/ blend early can prevent more complex speech issues from developing. By focusing on these blends early, speech therapists can help children develop clearer speech patterns before they encounter more advanced language tasks.
- Speech Disorder: For children with speech disorders, mastering blends like /dr/ can be particularly challenging. Targeting these specific sounds helps in correcting articulation errors that are characteristic of various speech disorders.
- Fluency Disorders: Children with fluency disorders may struggle with smooth, fluent speech. Practicing /dr/ blends can improve their ability to produce these sounds seamlessly, thereby aiding in more fluent speech production.
- R Blends: The /dr/ blend includes the /r/ sound, which is often difficult for children to master. By working on /dr/ blends, therapists help children improve their ability to produce /r/ sounds within the context of consonant clusters.
- Consonant Clusters: /dr/ blends are a type of consonant cluster, where two or more consonants appear together in a word. Mastering these clusters is crucial for developing clear and fluent speech, as they are common in English and contribute to overall articulation skills.
- Language Development: Correctly producing /dr/ blends supports broader language development. As children improve their articulation of these sounds, they can better express themselves and build more complex sentences, enhancing their overall communication skills.
Quick Tips for teaching R blends and DR
Speech Language Pathologists who assist clients with articulation disorders may see fluency disorders in the area of R Blends. Vocal Cues and extensive training may be needed to appropriately teach r blends, so I do recommend professional help or guidance in this area. Here are a couple quick tips to get you started!
- Basic /r/ Sound Formation:
- Vocal Cords Position: Start by positioning your vocal cords to create the /r/ sound. The tip of your tongue should be curled slightly upwards toward the roof of your mouth, but not touching it, while the sides of your tongue should touch your upper molars to form a narrow groove.
- Airflow: Ensure that air flows over the center of your tongue to produce the /r/ sound. This airflow should be controlled to make the sound clear.
- Adding Consonant Clusters:
- Blending Sounds: To form /r/ blends (such as /br/, /cr/, /dr/, etc.), smoothly transition from the preceding consonant to the /r/ sound. For example, practice /br/ by starting with the /b/ sound and then blending into the /r/ sound: /b/ → /br/.
- Practice Each Blend: Focus on each blend word individually, practicing slowly at first and gradually increasing speed as you master the new sound.
- Using Vocal Cues:
- Mirror Practice: Use a mirror to observe the movement of your mouth and tongue, ensuring correct vocal cord positioning and tongue placement.
- Touch and Feel: Place a finger on the side of your throat to feel the vibration when producing the /r/ sound, which helps you understand how the sound should feel.
If you are a parent encouraging your child from individual sounds to blend words, remember that different sounds can take time to learn. Start with simple words from the list below and also incorporate fun activities to encourage them in the right way!
SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy
Initial DR List of Words
So that you can get started right away with practicing /DR/ sounds – here is a full list of initial DR words, short phrases, and sentences for you to use in therapy or at home practice! To practice these words, we have created an interactive freebie to practice Initial DR – with real life pictures! Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post to download your free copy and add it to your speech therapy tool kit!
- 1 Syllable: dry, drab, drug, drag, draw, drib, drop, drum, drew, drip, dream, dress, drive, drink, drought, drain, drone, draft, dressed, dread, drops, drove, drift, dryer, drool, draught, drape, drawn, drained, drier, drench
- 2 Syllable: dragon, drooping, drama, driver, drawing, dreamer, dreadful, dropout, drowning, draftsman, driving, driven, dreaming, dribble, dreary, dragging, drinking, drawer, dresser, dreamland, dreamy, drilling, drowsy, drizzle, drifting, dresses, drooling, dribbling, dropping, drummer, drying, drilling, drumming, drawers, drawbridge, dreaded, drifter, drainage, drumstick, dressy, driveway, drawstring, driftwood, dreamless, dropkick, drawback, drippy, droplet, drafty
- 3 Syllable: Dracula, dramatic, dressmaking, dragonfly, dreadfully, dressmaker, dramatist, drastically, dramatize, drowsiness
90 Initial DR Words for Speech Therapy
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable | 3 Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| dry | dragon | Dracula |
| drab | drooping | dramatic |
| drug | drana | dressmaking |
| drag | driver | dragonfly |
| draw | drawing | dreadfully |
| drib | dreamer | dressmaker |
| drop | dreadful | dramatist |
| drum | dropout | drastically |
| drew | drowning | dramatize |
| drip | draftsman | drowsiness |
| dream | driving | |
| dress | driven | |
| drive | dreaming | |
| drink | dribble | |
| drought | dreary | |
| drain | dragging | |
| drone | drinking | |
| draft | drawer | |
| dressed | dresser | |
| dread | dreamland | |
| drops | dreamy | |
| drove | dripping | |
| drift | drowsy | |
| dryer | drizzle | |
| drool | drifting | |
| draught | dresses | |
| drape | drooling | |
| drawn | dibbling | |
| drained | dropping | |
| drier | drummer | |
| drench | drying | |
| drilling | ||
| drumming | ||
| drawers | ||
| drawbridge | ||
| dreaded | ||
| drifter | ||
| drainage | ||
| drumstick | ||
| dressy | ||
| driveway | ||
| drawstring | ||
| driftwood | ||
| dreamless | ||
| dropkick | ||
| drawback | ||
| drippy | ||
| droplet | ||
| drafty |
90 Initial DR Short Phrases for Speech Therapy
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable | 3 Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| dry hands | dragon flies | Dracula stories |
| drab day | drooping leaves | dramatic expression |
| drug store | drama class | dressmaking class |
| drag her coat | race car driver | dragonfly lands |
| draw a picture | drawing a picture | dreadfully goes |
| drib amount | a big dreamer | dressmaker works |
| drop her ice cream | dreadful feeling | is a dramatist |
| play the drum | dropout of the club | drastically change |
| drew clapped | drowning in work | dramatize the play |
| drip sound | draftsman for construction company | feels drowsiness |
| good dream | driving slowly | |
| red dress | feeling driven | |
| drive a car | dreaming of her move | |
| drink lemonade | dribble the ball | |
| drought season | dreary day | |
| drain is clogged | dragging her feet | |
| drone is flying | drinking water | |
| wrote a draft | close the drawer | |
| dressed up her dog | new dresser | |
| felt dread | lives in dreamland | |
| rain drops | dreamy face | |
| drove fast | dripping wet | |
| drift in the water | feeling drowsy | |
| unload the dryer | it will drizzle | |
| dog had drool | drifting away | |
| close the drape | new dresses | |
| the card is drawn | dog is drooling | |
| drained the sink | dibbling the basketball | |
| drier than before | dropping her cup | |
| dug a drench | is a drummer | |
| drying the towels | ||
| drilling into wood | ||
| drumming loudly | ||
| open drawers | ||
| drawbridge is open | ||
| dreaded going | ||
| is a drifter | ||
| drainage leak | ||
| tosses a drumstick | ||
| feeling dressy | ||
| long driveway | ||
| drawstring bag | ||
| driftwood floats | ||
| dreamless night | ||
| dropkick the ball | ||
| discussed the drawback | ||
| drippy ears | ||
| droplet fell | ||
| drafty room |
90 Initial DR Sentences for Speech Therapy
| 1 Syllable | 2 Syllable | 3 Syllable |
|---|---|---|
| She needs to dry her hands. | The dragon flies to it’s cave. | She told stories about Dracula. |
| It is a drab day. | The drooping leaves fall. | He has a dramatic expression. |
| She neesd medicine from the drug store. | He is late for drama class. | She took a dressmaking class. |
| The child drags her coat. | The race car driver won. | The dragonfly lands on a flower. |
| She wants to draw a picture. | She is drawing a picture. | She dreadfully goes. |
| It is a drib amount. | He is a big dreamer. | The dressmaker works hard. |
| She did drop her ice cream. | He has a dreadful feeling. | She is a dramatist. |
| I love to play the drum. | He decided to dropout of the club. | It will drastically change. |
| Drew clapped for his friends. | She is drowning in work. | They will dramatize the play. |
| She heard a drip sound. | He is a draftsman for construction company. | He feels drowsiness from his medicine. |
| He had a good dream. | I am driving slowly. | |
| She wore a red dress. | She is feeling driven. | |
| I will drive a car. | She is dreaming of her move to the beach. | |
| I drink lemonade. | He can dribble the ball. | |
| It is drought season. | It is a dreary day. | |
| The drain is clogged. | She is dragging her feet. | |
| The drone is flying. | I am drinking water. | |
| I wrote a draft of my paper. | I close the drawer. | |
| She dressed up her dog for Halloween. | I got a new dresser. | |
| He felt dread. | She lives in dreamland. | |
| The rain drops slid down the window. | He has a dreamy face. | |
| He drove fast. | My clothes are dripping wet. | |
| The log begins to drift in the water. | I am feeling drowsy. | |
| I will unload the dryer. | It will drizzle later. | |
| The dog had drool on his mouth. | It is drifting away. | |
| I close the drape at night. | I got some new dresses. | |
| The card is drawn and played. | The dog is drooling alot. | |
| She drained the sink. | He is dribbling the basketball. | |
| My socks are drier than before. | The baby keeps dropping her cup. | |
| I dug a drench. | He is a drummer. | |
| I am drying the towels right now. | ||
| He is drilling into wood. | ||
| She is drumming loudly. | ||
| I will open the drawers. | ||
| The drawbridge is open. | ||
| She dreaded going there. | ||
| He is a drifter. | ||
| He fixed the drainage leak. | ||
| He tosses a drumstick. | ||
| She is feeling dressy. | ||
| It is a long driveway. | ||
| He has a drawstring bag. | ||
| The driftwood floats to the shore. | ||
| She had a dreamless night. | ||
| He can dropkick the ball. | ||
| They discussed the drawbacks. | ||
| The dog has drippy ears. | ||
| The droplet fell on her nose. | ||
| It is a drafty room. |
Initial DR Flashcards
Use these Initial DR Articulation Flashcards to practice DR in the initial position at word, phrase, sentence and conversational level! Use the real life pictures for visual aids to produce clear communication of the DR sound.
Don’t Forget! – download our Interactive Initial DR Speech Therapy freebie below! The target words coordinate with the flashcards to provide extra sound production practice for your speech students!
PRACTICE IN FLASHCARD MODE RIGHT HERE!
Initial DR Speech Therapy Resources
There are so many different ways to practice the DR sound – check out some of our favorite free resources here!
SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy
Early Intervention – DR Words Speech Therapy
It is important to practice R blends with young children, even if you are just starting with initial r and working in common r blends. Here are some of our favorite free resources to use as appropriate treatment with young children!
- Speech Therapy Craft: Pop Up Dragons and Princesses (Mini R Blends Unit) by Texas Speech Mom focuses on R Blends including DR and is a fun, simple craft for younger children K through 1st grade!
- Free Speech Therapy Craft by The Busy Speech Mom is a resource that is a print and go sample of different articulation pages. The sample version included a mix of R blends and the full version includes individualized r blends.
Older Students
We know that the DR blend is one of the most difficult sounds to produce, and high school and middle school students are often still working on this initial consonant blend. They are tricky blends, so I always try to give extra encouragement and visual cues. Here are some of the highest rated free resources for your high school or middle schoolers!
- R-blends Articulation Dominoes by SpeechLanguageLiteracy is a printable dominoes game with R blends, including DR! This is a fun, hands on activity for older students.
- FREEBIE! Drink, Bob, Drink – /r/ Warm-Up or /dr-/ Practice by Soul Speechie is a funny primer/warm up game for DR practice!
R Blend/ DR Consonant Cluster Games – DR Words Speech Therapy
My speech students have always loved playing card games etc to practice their articulation sounds! This might be the best way to help a child master their consonant blends. Here are some fun games to practice with your students!
- R blends (br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr) CONNECT 4: In-Person/Print Version by old sol new world is a Connect 4 Game with R Blends, including DR.
- Word Search with Flashcards blend /dr/ by Voca Quest Paper-based resources is a word search game with a focus on DR blends!
FOR YOU! We are big fans of articulation games here at Speech Therapy Store. Check out our See It, Say It, Spot It game with R blends included!
Extra Practice – DR Words Speech Therapy
Speech therapy life is sometimes so busy, so I like to always have a few resources for my students to do independent work or complete dr blend consonant worksheets given we have enough time. Here are some great resources for that!
- /dr/ blend word flashcards (no pictures) by TeachInOnderland is a set of clear, print and go DR flash cards with no pictures. They can be printed, hole punched and put on a ring for easy, quick practice!
- Five Green and Speckled Frogs – /r/ blends (black & white) FREEBIE by Speech Fun 4 Kids is an engaging game for articulation practice with r blends including DR! Print in color or black and white!
SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials
Small Groups – DR Words Speech Therapy
Working in small groups became a part of my daily routines as a speech therapist. They are a good idea to use, even if students have a different communication disorder! Here are some free resources that will work well in a small group setting when practicing the DR consonant sounds.
- Break The Ice – Maze Game for r-blends Freebie by Speech Banana TPT is fun Break the Ice Game with R Blends! This is a fun game to do with a small group!
- “dr-blends” Initial Position by The Busy SLP is an interactive therapy game to practice DR blends at the initial word level.
Conclusion + Freebie! – DR Words Speech Therapy
I hope this blog was helpful and encouraged your next step in articulation therapy for the DR Blend. It is one of the more tricky sounds, but I know with these resources and our flashcards and freebie you will have an amazing and successful speech therapy session!
<< Click here to grab your free Initial DR words lists! >>
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