Designed by a Speech Pathologist The Speech Sound Set Alphabet Cards
The Sound Buddies make speech sounds meaningful, memorable and fun - while also helping children learn the letters that represent those sounds. Each Sound Buddy has a mouth that shows children how to make the sound, helping them hear it, see it and feel it. No more reciting a meaningless alphabet.
A sounds-first approach to the alphabet
Traditional alphabet learning starts with letter names - children chant "A, B, C" long before they understand what a sound actually is. The Speech Sound Set turns that around and makes the alphabet make sense. Sounds are the focus, letter names secondary!
Explore the sound
Each Sound Buddy has a story about how their sound is made. Munching Mama munches on her morning tea - she puts her lips together and says "mmmmmmmm". Loads of bonus activities extend the learning via the downloadables.
See the mouthshape
Every Sound Buddy's mouth is illustrated to show how the teeth, lips or tongue are placed to make their sound. It's a unique feature of these cards and a powerful support for children working on clear speech.
Link to the letter
Letters are still important! The lowercase letter is also prominent on the card, and we refer to the letter name as we explore each Sound Buddy. There are letter activities in the bonus downloadables.
"No more reciting a meaningless alphabet."
How to use the cards
Four simple moves that separate this set from a traditional alphabet chart.
Don't start with A
Pick a Sound Buddy with an obvious and simple mouthshape - Munching Mama (mmmmmmm) is a great first Sound Buddy to meet. Children connect faster to sounds that are visible and easy to make.
Sing it
A simple song to the tune of Skip to My Lou locks the sound-letter link in: "Munching Mama, she says 'mmmm' (etc...)". And the last line goes "... and her letter's name is em!"
Explore, then explain
There's a story and a list of words on the back of the card. Read the story and the words starting with the sound. Look at the Sound Buddy's mouth, make the sound, hunt for objects in the picture that start with it.
Sound then letter
Don't forget to link the sound to the letter. Point to the letter, name it, and explain that this also makes Munching Mama's sound.
Meet some of the Sound Buddies
Every character makes their sound memorable - through their name, their picture, and the mouthshape.
Furry Fox /f/
Fox tucks his lip under his top teeth and blows the feather off his chin as he makes a soft blowy /fffffffff/.
Nosy Nick /n/
Nick puts his tongue up and the loud long sound comes out his big nose. /nnnnnnnn/
Orange Octopus /o/
Octopus drops an orange. Her mouth drops open and she says a quick sound /o/.
What's included
In the box
- 29 double-sided A5 cards
- 100% recycled card
- Sound Story teaching prompt on the back of every card
- A card for each letter of the alphabet and one for sh, th (soft), th (loud) and ch
- Free shipping across Australia
In the online bonus library
- A dedicated page for 27 sounds
- Developmental norms - when each sound typically emerges
- Common speech errors and how to support them
- Printable first sound picture cards
- Letter-tracing activities
- Letter-finding activities
- Audio recording of each sound
Explore Lovely Lara's sound page
Curious what unlocks inside the bonus library? We've opened up one complete sound page so you can see the structure and depth for yourself.
Lovely Lara /l/
One of the 27 bonus sound pages.
What's on the page
- About the sound
- Sound pair
- When it develops
- How it is made
- Tips to help
- Common errors
- About the letter
- Activities: colour-in, picture cards, find-the-letter
- Audio: Hear the Sound
- References from speech pathology research
The other 26 sound pages unlock with your purchase.
Who uses the cards
Designed for sounds-first learning in clinics, classrooms and homes across Australia.
Speech pathologists
Speech pathologists have used the Speech Sound Set programs for many years and these cards are a lovely complementing resource. The focus on sound exploration is used in early speech and early literacy intervention.
Early childhood educators
A play-based approach is best in preschool and kindergarten - whether with whole groups, small groups or included as a resource to explore in book corners. The Sound Buddies are all about playing with sounds. No formal speech therapy, no formal literacy learning.
Teachers and education support assistants
Prep and early-primary teachers use the cards to reinforce the alphabetic principle. Education support assistants use them in small-group and individual work. The cards complement the Speech Sound Set SSP1 (Systematic Synthetic Phonics - Part 1).
Parents and Caregivers
Designed for play-based learning at home - through storytime, songs and games. The bonus pages give families plain-language guidance on when to seek support.
Display them as a classroom alphabet chart
Some centres buy an extra set to mount as a wall frieze. Place the cards at child height so learners can see each Sound Buddy's mouth shape clearly.
- 2 metres of wall for a double row
- 4 metres for a single row
- The /th/, /ch/ and /sh/ cards can sit separately from the main alphabet run
Grounded in speech pathology research
Every online sound page cites primary research on children's speech sound acquisition - so educators and families know the guidance reflects current evidence. The set was designed by a speech pathologist working with typically developing learners and children with speech difficulties, which is why the sound-production focus runs through every card.
Created by a speech pathologist
The Speech Sound Set Alphabet Cards are designed by a speech pathologist with decades of experience supporting children's speech and early literacy development.
Lucia Smith
Speech Pathologist
Lucia is an Australian Certified Practising Speech Pathologist with over 30 years' experience.
She has been writing and illustrating for Pelican Talk Speech Therapy Resources since 2012, drawing on evidence-based practice and her extensive clinical work with children across a wide range of settings and age groups.
Lucia is also the developer of a specialist training program focused on using puppets to support social and emotional learning. This program has been listed on the Victorian School Readiness Funding Menu since 2021.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from educators, therapists and parents about the Speech Sound Set Alphabet Cards.
What ages are the cards for?
What makes these different from other alphabet cards?
Are the cards useful for children with speech difficulties?
How do I access the online bonus materials?
Can I see a sample before I buy?
Can I use the cards as a classroom wall frieze?
How many sounds does the set cover?
Is shipping free within Australia?
Get the Speech Sound Set
Everything you need to introduce sounds first - and unlock 27 online sound pages packed with developmental guidance and printable activities.
The Speech Sound Set Alphabet Cards
29 printed Sound Buddy cards posted to you, plus licence access to 27 online bonus sound pages.
- 29 double-sided A5 alphabet cards
- 100% recycled card stock
- Sound Story teaching prompt on every card back
- Licence code for 27 online bonus sound pages
- ~75 printable activities across the bonus library
- Free shipping within Australia
A portion of every sale funds the Alphabet Card Set - Africa Version, distributed free to preschools in Eswatini and Johannesburg.
All prices in Australian dollars. Cards posted to you.
Related resources
Other Pelican Talk resources educators pair with the Sound Buddies.
Start Sound Pictures
Say Them! Sort Them! Find the Odd-One-Out! This is a must-have resource for all teachers of early literacy - and it's perfect for articulation and phonology sessions too! It's colourful - and each word is carefully selected so children relate to them.Included in the resource are 12 Tips for Teaching First Sound Awareness.Each page targets one letter of the alphabet. The sound-link studied for each letter is the sound most commonly used in early phonics teaching.Twelve pictures for each letter/sound are provided in three columns. Each column also contains an “odd-one out”. This is useful in some of the activities described in the Teaching Tips.Pages targeting the digraphs SH, TH (the soft /th/ sound) and CH are also included.At the end of the document, a single page is dedicated to the vowels A, E, I, O and U (linked to the short vowel sounds). Two pictures are provided for each sound.The letter Q is a little different in that it is always accompanied by the letter U in English words. For this reason, QU appears at the top of this page. Note that QU actually makes two sounds (/k/ /w/). There are a limited number of picturable words beginning with QU so only three are provided. On the same page as QU, you will also see the pictures for the letter X. Also note that in early phonics teaching, students learn that X makes the sounds /k/ /s/. This does not occur at the start of words. For this reason, words with X at the end have been included.
The Singing Alphabet (Ants on the Apple) Package
Get young learners ready for reading and writing using these fun pictures, handwriting sheets and songsThis ever-popular resource is used in many preschools, homes and schools across Australia.It's the perfect resource for introducing young children to letters and sounds and how they relate to words.Created by three speech pathologists, the Singing Alphabet has a strong focus on sounds.No more Itchy Indian! We now have Itchy Insect! And just because we want more of an Australian feel, Kicking King has also been kicked out. We now have Kicking Kangaroo!YOU RECEIVE:Resources for 30 letters (and digraphs - digraphs being two letters that make one sound): A-Z plus CH, SH, TH (You get two options for TH; Thinking thumbs and Thirsty thylacine). Lowercase and capital letters are explored.30 high-quality colour pictures (PDF format) that can be printed as single cards, as a wall frieze or as a flipbook. The pictures can also be shown on a digital device such as an interactive whiteboard.30 blackline masters (PDF format) for colouring in and for letter-writing practice. Non-cursive and Victorian Cursive is also included.Audios of the song being sung as well as the music without the lyrics at two speeds - regular tempo and slow (MP3 format)An 8 page instruction manual.PRICE: $44This is the downloadable version. Upon payment, the files will be available to you.
Speech Sounds for Kids
This is a super dooper app for iPads. It covers so much stuff for phoneme awareness, articulation, auditory discrimination.It's available only in the iTunes App store. Check out samples of the app here.
Ready to swap alphabet recitation for sound exploration?
Join therapists, educators and parents across Australia using the Sound Buddies to build clear speech, strong phonemic awareness and the foundations of literacy.
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