Most children are able to appropriately produce the /g/ sound by around 4-years-old. A common substitution for /g/ is the /d/ sound. If your child is younger than 4, it is developmentally appropriately for your child to misarticulate this sound (Ex. “do” instead of go). This substitution is part of the phonological process called fronting. The /g/ sound is produced in the back of the mouth with the tongue tip down, while the /d/ sound is produced in the front of the mouth with the tongue tip up. The /g/ sound is produced exactly like the /k/ sound, except for /g/ the voice box is on (the vocal folds vibrate).
6 TIPS TO PRODUCE /G/ Sound
1. Let your child know that the /g/ sound is produced in the back of the mouth.
2. Remind him that the tongue tip (front of the tongue) needs to be down.
3. You can have your child touch the upper part of his throat while trying to produce the sound as a tactile cue.
4. If your child is still having difficulty, you can use a lollipop to hold down the tip of the tongue while your child tries to produce /g/.
5. Have your child put his head back to help his tongue go back further for proper placement.
6. Have your child try the sound first just in isolation “guh”. Once he is able to accomplish this, then move on to practicing the sound is syllables (Ex. gah, gee, go, goo, guy).
Recommended Product
Articulation Photos “G” Fun Deck
Check out these /g/ articulation cards by Super Duper. There are 56 cards in the deck, including cards with /g/ in initial, medial, and final word positions. The cards are a great resource to use to practice the /g/ sound at home with your child. You can use them in many different ways. One fun way is to hide cards around the house. Have your child look for the cards. When he finds a card have him say the word using his good /g/ sound.
Books With Many /G/ Sounds
Auditory bombardment of a sound is an evidenced based practice that can help your child accurately produce the sound. Try reading these books with your child that have many /g/ words. Emphasize the /g/ sound as you’re reading the books. Remind your child to listen to how you make the /g/ sound in the back of your mouth with your tongue down. Have your child try to repeat the word after you using his good /g/ sound.
Go! Go! Go! Stop!
In this book, Little Green’s favorite word is “Go”. He says it over and over until his friend Little Red comes along and says “Stop”.
Go, Dog Go
This book is great for /g/ in final position (dog). There are many busy dogs in this picture book that allow many opportunities to practice the /g/ sound with your child.
As always, if you have concerns regarding your child’s speech skills, reach out to a licensed speech language pathologist for more information.
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