Tripping over a funny phrase can be a barrel of laughs. Tongue twisters for kids are no different. Trying — and failing — to spit out these rhymes can be highly entertaining, making a long car trip or rainy afternoon just seem to fly by.
Tongues twisters for kids encourage tots to learn new words and help them build confidence, especially when they master a particularly difficult set of words to say. They are also a good way for little ones to practice difficult consonant sounds and blends.
A typical tongue twister is usually a phrase, or a set of phrases, that contains alliteration, which means that the same sound is repeated at the beginning of each word. For example, “She sells seashells by the seashore” showcases the “sh” sound several times.
Here are some more silly rhymes, divided by age, for the whole family to enjoy:
Toddler Twisters
- Keep tongue twisters for younger kids on the short side. For toddlers, one line or even just a couple of tricky words is usually enough of a challenge. You can find some fun short ones on the Appystore blog. Check out “Hiccup teacup” and “Unique New York.”
- Grandparents has a few adorable animal-themed tongue twisters, as well as a few short and sweet ones (like “Ed had edited it”).
- The “th” sound can trip up toddlers, so go to Appystore for this one: “He threw three balls.”
- Ducksters gives some good examples of toddler twisters, including “Freshly-fried flying fish.”
Preschooler Amusement
- Funny Miss Valerie has a silly twister called “Denise sees the fleece.” Tongue twisters often introduce new words, so talk about the meanings of any that are unfamiliar as you practice these rhymes.
- For a cute cartoon entitled “This is Stu. Stu chews shoes,” click on Babbel. There are also non-English tongue twisters (German, French, Italian and more), along with videos for some international flair.
- Preschoolers will love classic tongue twisters, including “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear,” “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck” and “If two witches would watch two watches.”
- You may also enjoy Fun English Games‘ list — especially “Toy Boat” (Try saying it fast three times in a row!) and everyone’s favorite: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
- For more practice with the “th” sound, head to Language Avenue for a whole set devoted to it. “Three thin thieves,” in particular, will keep kids in stitches.
Grade-Schooler Guffaws
- Terrific Tongue Twisters has an accompanying book penned by a girl who needed speech therapy for a problem with articulation. Check out the one that starts with “Green goblins giggle.”
- Fun With Words features a couple of more difficult word puzzles, such as “Betty Bottor” and “The Two-Toed Tree-Toad.” Even adults will be tripped up by these longer ones!
- Easy Tie has compiled a nice range of tongue twisters for kids of grade school age, especially “Loopy lizards lying lazily” and “Tommy Tucker tried to tie.”
- Poetry 4 Kids challenges kids to write their own tongue twisters. By coming up with a list of words that all begin with the same sound or letter, your child will be well on his way to creating a masterpiece!
No matter what kind of tongue twisters you try — easy or hard, nonsensical or just plain nutty — saying them together with your kids and hearing their chuckles will be well worth the effort.
NEXT UP: 101 Funny Jokes for Kids
Jennifer Kelly Geddes is a New York-based writer and editor who specializes in parenting, health and child development. She’s a frequent contributor to Care.com and the mom of two teen girls.
