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If you thought the jokes your kids like are bad, wait 'til your kids start trying these!

There's just something inherently fun about tongue twisters — but they also help improve pronunciation and can provide a boost when spirits or energy are low! Kids find it hilarious when their mouths won't do what they want them to do, and intended words come out as nonsense!

Explain to kids that tongue twisters get their name because they are hard to pronounce. They are difficult to say quickly because they require your mouth to move in different positions for each word.

The following tongue twister games and activities are great to use anywhere — in the classroom, during playtime, on car trips, or even any time you find yourselves waiting in line!

You'll find many more tongue twisters and activities here.



Tongue Twister Activities

Take turns saying each one of these three times!


Red leather yellow leather


    Momma made me mash my m-n-m's…


Selfish shellfish


    Rubber baby buggy bumpers


Knapsack straps


    Specific Pacific


Unique New York


    Men munch much mush


Good blood, bad blood


    Toy boat


Fresh fried fish


    Purple paper people


Red bulb blue bulb


    Bubble bobble


Greek grapes



Story Tongue Twisters

The most memorable tongue twisters generally involve some kind of story or description. The following have been circulating for many years:

Swan swam over the sea,
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan swam back again,
Well swum, swan!


    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?


You've no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light's light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.


    She sells sea shells by the seashore.


How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?


   I want a proper cup of coffee
   from a proper copper coffee pot.


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



These tongue twisters were compiled by Tony Grima for Great Expectations



What Else Can You Do with Tongue Twisters?

  • Write a book of tongue twisters...
  • Have a tongue twister contest between groups in your program...
  • Have kids write twisters that will stump other groups...
  • Try to say the tongue twisters with tongues stuck under the lower lip, or stuck out!!

cartoon of a boy with a twisted tongue

Write Them Down!

Have your child braille or write out the tongue twisters for reference. It helps to have tongue twisters not only said for them, but also written down to read and check when things start getting silly!

Tongue Twister Bee

Get twisted without getting tongue-tied.

Think of a tongue twister, like "Don't Drop Double Drum Sticks," or "Sally Sells Seashells by the Seashore".

The first person says the tongue twister once. The next person has to say it twice, the third person three times and so on until someone's tongue gets twisted!
cartoon drawing of a bee

What's the Toughest Tongue Twister in the English Language?

cartoon drawing of a sheep

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

Who can say it clearly the most times???


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