If a child is having difficulty making the /sh/ sound. There is a good possiblity that they are also having difficutly with the /ch/ sound. Simply because both sounds are made in exactly the same place in our mouths. It's also a good possibility that, instead of an /sh/ sound, they are using an /s/ or a /t/ sound. How in the world could I know this?? Magic. No, not really, just seven years of schooling and six years of working with fun articulation cases!
As always we need to start by talking about the physiology (better understood as, what we do with our mouths to make the sound).
The best way to help your child or a child you know make a certain sound is for you to make the sound, feel it, and observe what happens to your mouth, first. Go ahead, make the /sh/ sound. What do your lips do? They round and come forward. What muscles do you use to make your lips come forward? Your cheek muscles (to be rather vague). Let your kiddo know this, it helps them to visualize what they need to do with their mouths.
Grab a mirror. /sh/ is a very visual sound; meaning it's easy to "see" what your mouth does when you make the sound (unlike that pesky /r/!).
#1 Have the child watch as you make the sound in the mirror next to them so that they can also see the mirror. Now have them round their lips and push their lips out in the mirror so that they can "match" how you make the /sh/ sound.
#2 If it doesn't sound quite right. Tell the child to squeeze his/her cheeks tight against their teeth while they push air forward and out of their mouth
#3 Last effort is to use a gloved hand and gently squeeze the child's cheeks inward against their teeth so that they can feel how the sound is formed.
Remember that practice makes perfect. If they get close to making the sound correctly PRAISE them! Each time they get a little closer PRAISE the a bit more! Let them know how proud you are of how hard they are working.
Let me now if you have any questions...I'm not going anywhere;)
Sarahv
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