100+ Tongue Twisters for Kids That Make Language Skills Fun

These exciting expressions elude even the most eloquent of elocutionists! Tongue twisters have been around since the early 19th century and they have stayed popular because they are a tricky way to teach little tykes how to talk to a T. If you're looking for some loopy lines for language learning, then look no further than these tongue twisters for kids.

What Is a Tongue Twister?

Tongue twisters are phrases and sentences that contain sequences of similar sounding words that make them difficult to say quickly. This collection of alliterations and assonances makes for amusing language learning moments. Speech therapists note that "the articulations of the L, R, S, Th, and Z sounds are often particularly challenging for children."

Thankfully, these seemingly silly sentences can help with fine tuning pronunciation skills and building vocabulary. When selecting tongue twisters for your kids, think about the sounds that they struggle with saying. This can help you choose the best tongue twisters for their specific needs.

How to Use Tongue Twisters

There are several ways you can use tongue twisters to improve pronunciation and fluency for kids and for those who are not native English speakers.

1. Start with a simple tongue twister and have your child say it slowly. Make sure they pronounce all the sounds correctly.

2. Have them repeat the phrase slowly five to 10 times. Not only will this exercise make them smile, but it will allow them to get a better feel for the words.

3. Ramp up the speed. Have your kids say the phrase more quickly. They should repeat the phrase until they mess up. If this happens, then have them start over!

4. After they master the simple phrases, have them move on to harder ones and repeat the steps again.

IMPORTANT TIP: Remember that this is supposed to be fun! Have them practice a phrase a few times and then move onto another. If they don't perfect it, that's okay. The intent is to improve pronunciation, and that requires regular practice. Keep in mind that there are some tongue twisters that even expert orators cannot get through, so don't give them a hard time about getting tongue tied!

Unique Tongue Twisters for Kids

There are lots of tongue twisters out there designed for different age groups. These specific tongue twisters are designed for preschool to high school students and get more challenging as they go.

Short Tongue Twisters for Little Kids

Short tongue twisters can be a challenge, but are a great way to help younger children from ages four to 10 improve their pronunciation of harder sounds like "s." If you are working on improving your speaking skills or just having a little fun with friends, try out these short but tricky tongue twisters. The key is trying to recite them three times fast!

• Greek grapes

• Unique New York

• Rural mural

• Specific Pacific

• Selfish shellfish

• Toy boat

• Flash message

• She sees cheese

• Four frayed frocks

• Six sticky skeletons

• Three free throws

• Red lory, yellow lorry

• Willy's real rear wheel

• Ten tall tents tensed

• Six thick thistle sticks

• Suzie saw seven saws

Funny Tongue Twisters for Kids

As your kids manage to master the mini tongue twisters, consider upgrading to these more precarious phrases!

• Quickly cook kumquat quinoa.

• Flamboyant Fanny fainted fast.

• Benevolent elephants are irrelevant.

• Queen Quinny quietly quacks.

• Patty Peters packed pickles

• Sherry sees seven seas.

• Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

• Sixteen socks sit stacked.

• Fix false facts or fail.

• He threw three free throws.

• A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

• Fat Fanny frivolously fried fifty-five fish.

• Gleeful geese greet green geckos.

• Big Billy's bike brakes broke.

• She should sit in the shining sun

• Four furious friends fought for the phone.

• Great greek grapes grow greatly in Greece.

• The blue blouse blew on the blustery block.

• Sailors sail sandy seashores seeking shiny silver.

• Thrilled to think thankful thoughts thoroughly.

• Brave, bleeding boys battle bald, biting babies.

• Blokes blush at bright billowing blouses.

• Glowing goat ghosts graze growing gardens greedily.

• She scoured the surface for sharpened scissors.

• The sixth snake snuck snacks sneakily.

• Thirteen thin thinkers thought things thoroughly.

• If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose

• Rufus ran around racks of rocks and made a ruckus

• Round the rugged rock, the ragged rascal ran

• Gobbling gargantuan gargoyles gobbled grumpy goblins

• Susie sits and shines shoes in the shoe shine shop

Tricky Tongue Twisters for Older Kids

Some tongue twisters are a bit more involved and designed for older kids and even adults preparing for speeches. Give these hard tongue twisters a try if you are an expert English speaker.

• The black brick blew back.

• Wacky wallabies wander wanting water.

• The squinting squirrel successfully scoured for sustenance.

• Clean clams can cream, but can clean clams cram the cream in a clean can.

• Snappy snails slithered sadly to Sammy. Sammy slapped the slithering snails sharply. Stopping the slithering snails from slithering snappily.

• The super sushi chef saw silly Suzie suddenly.

• Six sheep shriek as slithering snakes sneak.

• The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

• Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.

Famous Tongue Twisters for Kids

You have likely heard these tongue twisters in your childhood, so see if your offspring can spit out these silly sentences too!

• How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? As much wood as a woodchuck could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Fun Fact: Peter Piper is likely the oldest tongue twister that is used to date. Printed in 1836, it's one of 24 tongue twisters printed in the book Peter Piper's Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation.

• She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy, was he?

• Betty Botter bought a bit of butter. "But," she said, "the butter's bitter. If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter. But, a bit of better butter will make my batter better."

Fun Fact: This famous poem by Carolyn Wells is actually one of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes!

• Whether the weather is cold, or whether the weather is hot. We'll be together whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.

• Which wristwatch is a Swiss wristwatch?

• If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

• Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie.

• Fred fed Ted bread and Ted fed Fred bread.

• A synonym for cinnamon is a cinnamon synonym.

• I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Tongue-Twisting Teasers

Tongue twisters are a fan favorite because these nonsensical phrases add a little fun to word pronunciation. Kids can also make a game of it to find out who can say the phrase the fastest, showing their mastery of English pronunciation skills. Best of all, the harder the phrase, the more they will have to practice!