Speech Activities by Sound/Skill

blends (BL, BR, CR, DR) Sound Practice While Cooking Together: 5 Easy Games

By the Little Words Editorial Team · Reviewed by the Little Words clinical team · Updated June 2026

A low-pressure way to practice the BL, BR, CR, DR blends sound while cooking together. Name each step and ingredient, leaning on the BL, BR, CR, DR blends sound in words like blue.

How to practice BL, BR, CR, DR blends while cooking together

How to make the BL, BR, CR, DR blends sound: Blend two consonants together without dropping either.

Try this: Name each step and ingredient, leaning on the BL, BR, CR, DR blends sound in words like blue.

Words to practice: blue, brush, and drum.

Quick way to use this routine

Use a daily routine as a short, playful opportunity for the target sound. Do not ask for perfect productions over and over. Model the sound clearly, give your child a reason to try it, and move on while the interaction still feels good.

Five easy games

Try five tiny turns: a silly sound hunt, a choice between two target-heavy words, a pause before the fun part, a whisper/loud contrast, and one pretend-play moment where the target word actually matters. Keep each turn under a minute.

What counts as success

Success can be noticing the sound, watching your mouth, trying an approximation, using the word in play, or tolerating one more model than yesterday. For many kids, especially neurodivergent kids, regulation and participation come before crisp articulation.

When to ask an SLP

Ask an SLP if the target sound is still hard well beyond the expected age range, if your child avoids talking, if speech is difficult to understand across settings, or if sound practice causes stress. A clinician can separate articulation, phonology, motor planning, hearing, and language factors.

Related Little Words guides

Important: Little Words is educational support for home practice. It is not a medical device, not an AAC replacement, and not a substitute for a licensed speech-language pathologist, pediatrician, early intervention program, school team, or developmental evaluation.
Practicing tricky sounds is easier when it feels like play.

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