Kids love tongue twisters because they promise a lot of fun for everyone involved. We have compiled many fun tongue twisters for you, with which your child is guaranteed to have fun while repeating. By the way, you can also promote concentration and pronunciation.

Tongue twisters are a lot of fun for kids and a good concentration exercise. A tongue twister is a certain sequence of different words that are difficult to pronounce quickly. Mostly, tongue twisters are similar words that differ in certain syllables or whose words begin with similar sounds.

Positive side effect: Tongue twisters are ideal aids to train a clear pronunciation. They also promote your child’s memory and attention. This not only has a positive effect on reading comprehension and vocabulary, it also promotes concentration. We have compiled the funniest tongue twisters for you.

What Are Tongue Twisters?

We encounter tongue twisters again and again in our lives. Tongue twisters are sequences of words that are very difficult to pronounce and are a challenge even for native speakers. Of course, they are not only something for little word acrobats. They are also fun and challenging for adults.

The term tongue twister comes from the fact that the person who tries to speak one metaphorically breaks his tongue, and will therefore have considerable difficulty in articulation in the figurative sense. Usually they are a sequence of similar words, but differing in certain syllables and designed to make the speaker promise himself. They can be recited simply for fun or used as practice for professional speakers or in speech training.

Tongue twisters only become tongue twisters when you speak them at least five times in a row. And without long pauses and, of course, quickly.

Different Types Of Tongue Twisters

Tongue Twisters With The Same Initial Sound:

In these tongue twisters, each word begins with the same sound, e.g., “Ten goats pulled ten hundredweight of sugar to the zoo”: if the initial sound is a vowel, the tongue twister is usually quite easy to learn and is also suitable as a simple speech exercise for younger children: “Eighty old ants ate eighty pineapples in the evening”.

Tongue Twisters With The Same Consonant:

These tongue twisters are made up of words that each or most have the same vowel ending, e.g., “Two astronauts chewed and chewed while you picked blue-green moonstones.”

Tongue Twisters With Anlaut-inlaut Combinations:

The most difficult tongue twisters are those in which both anlauts and in-laws are repeated – but in alternating combinations: “Blaukraut remains Blaukraut and Brautkleid remains Brautkleid.” It becomes even more difficult when intermediate sounds like “sh” come into play: “Snails are frightened when snails lick snails, because to the fright of many snails, snails do not taste”.

Shake Rhyme Tongue Twisters:

Shake rhymes are not tongue twisters in the strict sense. However, these little language games are entertaining on the one hand, and on the other hand they help children to differentiate and recognize the different sounds and syllables of a word: “In the whole dog round there was nothing but round dogs”.

Funny Tongue Twisters For Kids

Below we have compiled a series of tongue twisters that are especially suitable for children. Children from kindergarten age will have a lot of fun with them:

• On the poplar chattering rattling storks klapperdiklapp.
• There falls a Lock’, oh what a pity, just in the chocolate.
• The doctor injects with a sharp syringe.
• The moonlight was already shining beautifully.
• The packer packs cardboard packages.
• The sparrow walks early and late in the spinach.
• The cat kicks the stairs crooked, the tomcat kicks them straight.
• A good shark eats porridge.
• A broken washing machine breaks broken washing machines.
• Rattlesnakes rattled until their rattles sounded flaccid.
• Donkeys don’t eat nettles. Nettles don’t eat donkeys.
• Fresh fruits refresh.
• Yellow flowers bloom by the pear tree. Do blue flowers bloom by the apple tree?
• If you have sipped tea, it looks like a lake has thawed.
• Has the mouse moused the almonds and marzipan?
• Behind Hermann’s house a hundred shirts are hanging out.
• I stumble over a sharp stone.
• In Leipzig, in the city on the Pleiße, people sit flat on their feet.
• Screeching crows nibble seeds and grains in the cold winter.
• Nutcrackers crack crunchy kernels.
• Suddenly daddy’s parrot chattering preening phrases.
• Quacking frogs hop across the square.
• Sabine very rarely looks for mustard and salt.
• Snails do not eat cress, because cress does not taste snails.
• Black cats scratch with black paws.
• Before Christmas, beautiful white snowflakes swirl like soft woolly absorbent cotton over the edge of the forest.
• Our dog is called Kunderbunt. Kunterbunt is the name of our dog.
• When small sturdy crawling beetles crawl violently behind crawling beetles, small sturdy crawling beetles crawl violently after small sturdy crawling beetles.

Tongue Twisters With Initial Sounds

The initial sound is the first sound of a word. The children should hear the first letter of a word and thus their sound imagination is trained. For example, “N” is the first letter or initial sound of the word “needle”. Recognizing the first sound of a word is not easy and often the typical G-K and B-P confusion occurs. However, by exaggerating the stress, children can hear whether the word begins with a G or K, for example, K-children.

Anlaut tongue twisters are a very good and fun addition to practicing the anlauts, which in turn is important for learning to read.

Below you will find a series of tongue twisters whose words all begin with the same initial sounds. The children should find out with which initial sound the words begin. If the pronunciation works, the children can also try to recite the tongue twisters faster and faster. These tongue twisters are best for children six years and older:

• Eighty old ants ate eighty pineapples in the evening.
• All anglers fish for eels on the Aland. All anglers fish for eels on the Aland.
• Baker brown bakes brown pretzels, brown pretzels bakes baker brown.
• The fat roofer covers your roof, so thank the fat roofer that the fat roofer covered your roof.
• Three fat ladies thank you.
• Fischers Fritze fished fresh fish. Fresh fish fished Fischers Fritze.
• Fleet nimble fur mend nimble fine skins.
• Five piglets eat fresh food.
• Five piglets catch fat flies.
• Bunny hops after chicken.
• Behind the tall house Hans is chopping hard wood. Hans is chopping hard wood behind the tall house.
• Hans hears Hubert Hansen coughing hoarsely behind the wooden house.
• Young yodeling yodeling yodeling yodeling yodeling yodeling.
• Every year in July, Julia and Jens eat currants.
• Karl can giggle funny. Can Karl giggle funny?
• Little kids can’t make coffee.
• Little kids can’t crack (crunchy) cherry pits.
• Cats nibble crunchy crispy bread.
• Smart little cats don’t scratch crocodiles.
• Lili loves purple balloons. Liliane can’t stand purple balloons.
• Nine nice nail mice gnawed new nut cookies the other day.
• Paul is packing swell picnic packages non-stop.
• Cute penguins packing chocolates packages nonstop.
• Russian Russians slide down slides Russian.
• Schneider’s scissors cut sharp. Sharp cuts Schneider’s scissors.
• Seven snow shovelers shovel seven shovels of snow.
• Seven snow shovelers shovel seven shovels of snow.
• What do you think Willi Walrus wants? Is Willi really waving randomly? Willi is waving at Wally Walrus! Is Willi going to be Wally’s Walrus?
• We washerwomen would wash soft white laundry if we knew where soft white detergent powder was.
• Funny raccoons wash wonderful white laundry.
• Ten dentists pull ten teeth.
• Two goats pulled ten hundredweight of sugar to the zoo.

Tongue Twisters For Advanced Learners

For younger children, it is a nice exercise to draw a tongue twister as they speak. This way, they can make the connection between the tongue twister’s linguistic peculiarities and the actual meaning of the words. This works especially well with short, relatively simple tongue twisters:

In Ulm, around Ulm, and around Ulm.

Give your child paper and a pencil on which to draw a city (or even just a house). This is Ulm. Now draw a circle inside the house – that’s in Ulm. Next, draw a circle around the house: around Ulm. Finally, your child draws a big circle around the first circle with the pencil – around Ulm. Repeat the tongue twister together as you trace the circles with your finger.

When flies fly behind flies, flies fly behind flies.

For this tongue twister, your child can simply draw a group of flies on the page – perhaps you will help them do this. Then a second group of flies follows the first. Say the tongue twister together, pointing to the particular flies that are meant.

Longer tongue twisters or those with z or sh sounds are particularly difficult to master. The only thing that helps is to practice until everyone is laughing. After all, the fun of tongue twisters lies not only in the funny sayings, but above all in the slip of the tongue:

Between two plum branches sit two black as a dwarf swallows chirping in Czech. On the seven seal cliffs sit seven seal cliffs, which stippen themselves into the ribs, until they tip from the cliffs. Fisher’s fresh-fried fry Eats fresh-fried fresh-fried fish meatballs.

Tongue Twisters: Practical Tips

• Big kids say the tongue twister slowly and clearly, several times if necessary. If your child doesn’t understand the meaning of the saying, he probably won’t be able to remember it.
• Repetition is mandatory: a tongue twister must be spoken at least three times in a row without a pause for it to be really fun.
• Practice together: Even adults have trouble getting certain tongue twisters right. You can practice with your child and then enjoy the success together.
• No pressure: If your child enjoys the crazy speech exercises, that’s wonderful. If not, you shouldn’t force anything – tongue twisters are supposed to be fun.
• Be patient: Sometimes tongue twisters are maddening. If you just can’t get it right, laugh it off and try again the next day.

Possible Uses Of Tongue Twisters

• As a party game tongue twisters are super suitable. Whether at a children’s birthday party, as a wedding game or just in between, it doesn’t matter. Simply print out our best tongue twisters and fold them carefully. Now they are drawn in turn. Who will manage not to get lost and in record time?
• Tongue twisters are ideal aids to train clear and expressive speaking. Start with simple sayings and increase the level of difficulty continuously. You will notice that the correct intonation becomes easier and easier. You will also develop the right feeling for tempo and pauses when speaking. With our tongue twisters you can prepare yourself optimally for the next presentation at school or at work.
• You have children or work in an educational field? Then you can give the children tongue twisters to read aloud from time to time. This not only has a positive effect on reading comprehension and vocabulary, it also promotes concentration and pronunciation.

Tongue Twister Games

Everyone in turn has a set amount of time (e.g. 30 seconds) in which they must recite a tongue twister as many times as possible. Only correct attempts without slip-ups are counted.

In a group, a tongue twister sentence is recited by everyone at the same time in chorus. The one who slips up is eliminated. The last one is the winner. This competition can of course also be played with only two people.

Someone from the group chooses a tongue twister and whispers it into the ear of the next participant. It must be whispered so softly that all the others cannot hear the sentence. In this way, the sentence is whispered from one person to the next. The last person repeats what they have understood out loud.

Sources:

Fritz Fischer: The 33 best tongue twisters: speaking fun and articulation training. neobooks, 2017.

Regina Schwarz: Knickel, knackel, Knobelbecher – verzwickt-verzwackte Zungenbrecher.Esslinger Verlag, 2010.