g words mommy speech therapy

600+ G Words Lists for Speech Therapy Articulation

If you’re a parent or a speech therapist in need of word lists for the g sound then you’ve come to the right place! Below are over 600 g words for speech therapy.

Use the links below to help navigate this post:

• G Words Overview
• Flash Cards – Initial G (word, phrase, sentence, + question)
• Word Level – Initial G
• Word Level – Medial G
• Word Level – Final G
• Phrase Level – Initial G
• Phrase Level – Medial G
• Phrase Level – Final G
• Sentence Level – Initial G
• Sentence Level Medial G
• Sentence Level Final G
• Additional G Word Resources

Correct Production

The g sound is a back sound. It is made by placing the back of the tongue against the soft palate in the back of the mouth. 

If you’re wondering what the soft palate is, it is the little bit of soft roof area in the back of the mouth.

You can help your child practice by placing their tongue in the correct position against the soft palate using a tongue depressor. 

Once you’ve located the soft palate with the tongue depressor then place the back part of your tongue against the soft palate.

You can also have your child or student practice their tongue placement and tongue tip in front of a mirror.

The g sound is also a voiced sound so your voice box or vocal cords should vibrate. 

You can tell that their voice is turned on by touching your voice box on your neck and feeling it vibrate.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the g sound can be a hard g, such as before a consonant “glass” or before a back vowel (a, o, u) as in “goat” or at the end of a word like “log”. 

A soft g is when the “g” sound makes the /j/ sound when the g sound is followed by the vowels (e, i, or y) such as “giant” or a word of Greek origin that begins with the letters gy- such as the word “gymnastics”. 

Hard G and Soft G Free Posters by Make Take Teach – Want to learn more about the hard g and soft g? Be sure to grab these free posters to get you started. They are a perfect poster and have at your fingertips!

Speech Sound Visual Posters by A Perfect Blend – Wish you had a visual cue? Then be sure to print out these visual sound posters! Not only are they helpful, but they are super cute as well.

G Words Speech Therapy

If you’re a speech language pathologist or a parent of a child working on the g sound then you’ve come to the right place. Below are over 600 g word lists to practice the g sound. 

Not only is this list of g words perfect for at home practice, but speech-language pathologists can pull up this list anytime for a quick and easy speech therapy session.

Target Words

Here’s a list of g articulation sounds for you to use in therapy or at home practice to work on your student or child’s new skill.

• For Example: go, goat, goal, gate, gutter, gas, hedgehog, eagle, finger, kangaroo, wagon, magnet, bug, log, dog, rug, egg, tag

See the full list of words, phrases, and sentences below.

You can also grab my one page freebie of g sounds below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy!

Word Positions: G Words Speech Therapy 

Initial position of words.

The initial position of the g sound is at the beginning of a word. For example, “goat” or “got”.

Medial Position of Words

When the g sound is in the middle of a word it is in the medial position of a word, such as “hamburger”, “tiger”, and “dragon”.

Final Positions of Words

The final positions of words are when the target sound is at the end of a word. For example, “mug” or “dig”.

For your unlimited use, I’ve gone ahead and gathered over 600 g words to work on your student’s or child’s speech. 

Word Level: G Words Speech Therapy

One way to practice is to have your child or student practice their target sound at the word level.

Below is a list of initial g words, medial g words, and final g words. Although the list isn’t always in alphabetical order it can be fun to mix and match.

In addition, I’ve compiled an easy-to-download practice printable or digital pages of the g sound below. Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post and download your free copy.

Back to Top

Initial: G Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable: go, gag, gold, gas, gap, gun, gum, gut, guy, gain, gale, game, gasp, gate, gawk, gaze, gear, geek, gig, girl, goat, give, goal, goes, good, gone, gown, golf, gush, geese, gift, gills, goose, gorge, gourd, guard, guest, gulf, guilt, gulls, gunk, gust, gauze, guide, gold, gob, guess, gust, guts, gasp, guest, gulp, gear, gunk, ghost, gab, Gail, gash, gale, guest, gulp, guy, Gus, gauge, gong
• 2 Syllable: gallop, gasses, gecko, giddy, gimpy, going, goofy, gooey, gumbo, gummy, gaggle, galore, garage, garlic, geyser, gibbon, giggle, girdle, goalie, goblet, goggle, gopher, gospel, gossip, govern, guitar, gallon, gamble, garbage, gargle, garden, garnish, gateway, gazelle, goodbye, gumball, gumdrop, guppies, gainless, garland, garment, goalpost, goatskin, goldfish, goodness, goodwill, gorgeous, gurgle, goldsmith, guestroom, guestbook, guidebook, given, golden, gator, girlfriend, gutter, guidance, giving, gobble, golf cart, gather, guppy, garfield, gallon, gourmet, gazette, guilty, galley, guideline, guzzle, go kart, gameboard, gadget, gala, Gilbert, gizzard, gimmick, goatee, Gordon, Gary, Gavin, goldfinch, gumption, guppy, gifted, Google
• 3 Syllable: galaxy, gallery, gazebo, gorilla, gourmet, goulash, galactic, gasoline, giveaway, gondola, governor, gullible, gardening, gathering, godfather, godmother, guardian, guitarist, godparents, goldilocks, gooseberry, government, guarantee, governess, goalkeeper, getaway, guardianship, gardener, Gabriel, gigantic
• 4 Syllable: gardenia, gazillion, gallivanted, guacamole, goldendoodle, guardianship

Practice in Flash Card Mode Right Here from Your Computer!

Medial: G Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable: clogged, wagged
• 2 Syllable: angle, sugar, tiger, Megan, anger, vegan, penguin, kingdom, Logan, eagle, organ, gagging, biggest, ego, wagon, baggage, roger, finger, goggles, bargain, eager, singing, trigger, hanging, bagel, argue, bugle, piggy, legal, angus, begging, Belgium, ringing, longing, banging, rugby, disgust, luggage, digging, cowgirl, forgive, longest, sagging, buggy, jogging, suggest, hugging, seagull, nagging, snuggling, juggler, logging, legging, foggy, magma, snuggle, soggy, lagging, frugal, wiggle, muggy, slugger, hangout, snagged, hexagon, pentagon, mortgage, begun, began, flagged, burger, target, lego, dragon, yogurt, nuggets, kangaroo, doghouse, August, magnet, begin, cougar, again, ignore, pigtail, yoga, eggplant, eggshell, bagpipe, bigge, jigsaw, juggle, mongoose, pigpen, regard, drugstore, dugout, tugboat, youngest, Peggy, giggle, agave
• 3 Syllable:  Abigail, elegant, bodyguard, caregiver, alongside, organic, recognize, raggedy, livingstone, designate, octagon, illegal, regular, polygon, meaningless, hamburger, navigate, negative, magazine, Oregon, Portugal, regardless, spaghetti, together, fingerprint, triangle, fingerpaint, kangaroo, marigold, megaphone, signature, Thanksgiving, Angela, Washington
• 4 Syllable: irregular, alligator, segregation, orangutan, photography, origami, oregano, aggregation, tobogganing, unforgiving, protagonist, easygoing, navigator, kindergartner, disorganize, disregard, delegated, categorize, elegantly, altogether, obligation, significant

Final: G Words Speech Therapy

• 1 Syllable: ring, king, sing, dog, long, spring, thing, big, strong, pig, egg, bag, young, log, bug, gag, song, frog, swing, bang, swag, flag, rug, wrong, zig, zag, string, blog, wig, wing, leg, hug, sting, lung, dig, Mustang, rag, beg, fog, hog, hang, mug, wag, lag, sag, dug, fig, pug, nag, tag, slug, sang, jog, flag, tug, hung, jug, brag, slang, twig, cling, chug, plug, stung, snug
• 2 Syllable: nothing, morning, ending, loving, dancing, being, building, going, cooking, along, walking, swimming, wedding, reading, feeling, missing, warning, clothing, meaning, burning, lightning, rising, drawing, camping, asking, turning, barking, Beijing coming, shopping, raining,,, fishing, changing, training, pudding, looking, breaking, setting, blowing, climbing, surfing, cuddling, sledding, Bulldog, searching, icing, landing, belong, talking, cleaning, sibling, painting, cooling, spelling, coating, among, growing, farming, hearing, saying, ticking, teaching, sitting, giving, sitting, sleeping, jumping, earring, greeting, Wyoming, coping, diving, streaming, lighting, boating, hiding, hotdog, parking, dumpling, shaking, drizzling, snuggling, Healing, combing, hurting, touching, poking, loading, spreading, during, boring, tying, Snoring, stopping, golfing, clapping, running, skipping, typing, racing, calling, dressing, texting
• 3 Syllable: everything, amazing, demanding, anything, Thanksgiving, beginning, recycling, gathering, ladybug, bookkeeping, approaching, offering, challenging, accepting, believing, boomerang, bullfighting, breathtaking, recording, suggesting, programming, avoiding, succeeding, fluttering, strengthening, weakening, daydreaming, outgoing, approving, awaiting, surviving, disgusting, exhausting, imaging, adjusting, answering, performing, applying, threatening, woodworking, measuring, commanding, surprising, traveling, scaffolding, exclaiming, respecting, brightening, scheduling, attending, delighting, annoying
• 4 Syllable: understanding, overwhelming, elevating, conditioning, hibernating, remodeling, operating, devastating, decomposing, condescending, housewarming, maneuvering, aggravating, finalizing, animating,, overeating, exercising, magnifying, peacekeeping, barbecuing, alternating, skyrocketing, disappearing, overturning, disappointing, developing
• 5 Syllable: misunderstanding, accelerating, exaggerating, procrastinating, accompanying, administering

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy

Short Phrases

When working on g sound production, it’s important to work on short phrases once your child or student has mastered the sound at the word level at or near 80% or higher accuracy.

Here is a list of g word phrases to try:

Initial: G Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Medial: G Words Speech Therapy in Phrases

Final: g words speech therapy in phrases, sentence level: g words speech therapy.

After working at the word and phrase levels next it’s time to work on the g sound at the sentence level.

You can work on the sentence level by having your child or student read from a list of sentences or you could give your child or student a picture with their g sound in them and then have them create a sentence about their picture.

Below is a list of sentences that you can use with your child or students.

Initial: G Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Medial: G Words Speech Therapy in Sentences

Final: g words speech therapy in sentences, g words speech therapy ideas.

Here is a list of ideas to work on the g sound!

Favorite Board Games

Do you enjoy using fun and engaging activities in your therapy sessions? 

Board games are a great way to reinforce practice while working on your students’ sounds. 

Some fan-favorite board games to try are Jenga , Connect Four , or Tic Tac Toe to name a few. 

Boom Cards can be another fun and engaging way to strengthen your child or student’s articulation skills.

Here are a few favorite boom cards to work on the g sound: 

• Free Articulation Boom Cards for /g/ – Speech Therapy by Teaching Talking – Use these digital articulation activities to practice the ‘g’ sound.
• FREE Boom Cards and Printable Coloring Activity: Spring Early Developing Sounds by Bluebird Speech – Use this freebie as a fun and ready to use interactive activity that students can use on any device.
• Boom Digital Cards Articulation K,G Sounds by Badger State Speechy – In this free set, you receive 1 set of Boom Cards for sorting k,g and t,d words by their beginning sounds. Students have the option of pressing the sound button to hear the words. This set is done in a fun apple-picking theme!
• Free Initial G Sound Digital Pet Accessory Articulation Activity by Lil Mae’s Speech – This is a fun, free and interactive articulation activity where students say the speech sound located at the bottom of the page. To reinforce the sounds, students get to pick a pet accessory once completed!
• FREE PREVIEW Hard G Initial Sound Digital BOOM Cards by ZenGee Classroom – Students use “Gary the Guinea Pig” to to practice the hard ‘g’ sound. This is perfect for pre-emergent and emergent readers who need targeted practice with an isolated sound to increase phonemic awareness.

SEE ALSO: Free Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

Velar fronting.

Velar fronting is when a back sound such as the /g/ sound is made in the front of the mouth, such as the /d/ sound.

For example, your child or student might say the word “date” for the word “gate”.

If your child or student is velar fronting or in other words using the /d/ sound in place of the /g/ sound a great way to work on reducing the velar fronting is to use minimal pairs. 

By using minimal pairs the child then practices the two sounds side by side and practices hearing and producing the different sounds. 

Typical and Atypical Phonological Processes and Age Ranges by Speech Therapy Store – If you want to learn more about phonological processes, such as velar fronting and what ages these processes are typical and what processes are atypical then be sure to check out my chart.

Here is a freebie to work on velar fronting:

• No Prep K & G Articulation Fronting Game Boards by No Prep Speech Mom – These are fun board games for students to practice velar fronting /d/ for /g/.

SEE ALSO: 279+ Free Speech Therapy Digital Materials

Minimal pairs.

If your child or student is velar fronting or replacing the g sound with the d sound these minimal pairs activities are perfect for you! 

Here are some different ways to work on velar fronting using minimal pairs.

• Phonological Process Freebie: Velar Fronting Minimal Pair Match Up by Speech in the Sand – Play this fun matching game to work on /g/ and /d/ velar fronting. The first pages are for the sound /k/ and /t/, but simply keep scrolling and you will find the /g/ and /d/ minimal pairs.
• Articulation Activity Go Fish D and G Minimal Pairs Speech Therapy by Speechies and Cream – Play a fun game of go fish using fun underwater characters to work on the g and d minimal pairs.
• Minimal Pairs for Fronting of K and G Sounds by The Speech Chicks – This freebie includes 8 /g/ and /d/ minimal pair words with pictures. 

Picture Cards

 If your child or student is working on a single sound using picture cards is a great way to get multiple practices and exposure to a single sound. 

Here are a few picture cards to get you started:

• Scroll to the bottom of this post and grab your free copy of printable and digital g practice picture cards. 
• Use our ready to go digital flash cards above to get started right from your computer!
• Fronting & Backing Minimal Pairs (/k/ /t/ and /g/ /d/) by Rachel’s Speech Goodies – Use these minimal pairs flashcards to target the phonological process of fronting/backing (/k/ and /t/ & /g/ and /d/ in both initial and final positions. There are 4 pages of kid-friendly picture cards and 1 page with the word lists.
• Articulation Practice Card /G/-FREE! Distance Learning by A Green and Gold Speech Therapist – This freebie includes practice sets of 30 pictures that include the /g/ sound in initial, medial and final positions. Included is a list of activities in varying levels of difficulty.
• Letter Sound Picture Cards by Just Ask Judy – This is a free set of letter/ sound picture cards, perfect for introductory lessons in preschool or kindergarten. Each card has a lowercase letter and a key picture representing the sound the letter stands for.

Language Skills

Do you have a group of students who need both language therapy and articulation for the g sound?

If so, here are a few ideas to do language skills alongside g articulation therapy.

• Speech Thera py Articulation Fortune Teller Origami by Speech Therapy Store – Not only can you work on the g sound as well as a ton of other sounds it’s fun! Have your language students work on following directions, requesting materials (scissors, paper, etc.), and practice taking turns.
• Free Speech Therapy Activities for Articulation & Language by Fun in Speech – Grab some shaving cream and have some fun! There are pages for the g sound as well as pages for synonyms, categories, and rhyming!
• Dough Articulation: K, G, F, S by Jenna Rayburn Kirk from Speech Room News – Have some students work on their G sound while others can play along while working on following directions, making requests (supplies, colors, etc.), as well as working on categories, such as what category are a dog, frog, and pig in?

Auditory Bombardment

Sometimes the first thing a language therapist or speech-language pathologist might do to work on a new sound for a child with an articulation disorder at the elementary school level would be to work on auditory bombardment. 

Auditory bombardment is when you say words with only speech sounds that the child or student is struggling with and provide correct production examples. 

For example, if the child is working on the g sound you might read a list of 20 g words to the child so they can hear the correct production of that sound repeatedly. 

See the list of g words above and start by saying 20 words to your child or student while producing the correct g sound to model and allow them to hear the correct production over and over again.

This is simply a listening activity for the child or student to give them the opportunity to hear the correct production of the sound they are struggling to produce themselves.

In Conclusion: G Words Speech Therapy

We hope you have found this article helpful for working on your child or student’s g sound. 

Be sure to grab your freebie of 20 words to start practicing 5 minutes a day!

Fill out the form below to grab your copy of the initial G words for speech therapy.

***Medial /g/ and Final /g/ currently NOT available. Don’t worry though it’s on my to-do list.

Grab our Initial G Words List!

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Sue Lozano Tauchen

Tuesday 26th of April 2022

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Melissa Berg

Tuesday 10th of May 2022

Wonderful! I'm so happy to hear you like the variety in this post! All my best, Melissa

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Speech & Language Tips for Parents

G Words in Speech Therapy – G Word Lists, Activities & Teaching Tips

When you’re working on helping your child with their speech and articulation, it’s essential to focus on specific sounds to improve their skills. One of the critical sounds in speech therapy is the G sound. G words can be found in various positions within words: initial, medial, and final. Each position may require slightly different strategies in speech therapy. To address an articulation disorder, speech-language pathologists often use a variety of activities and tools, such as audio recordings, games, and books, to help clients practice the G sound in a fun and engaging way.

A good starting point for working on G words in speech therapy is identifying voice and voiceless pairs. These pairs can help you focus on the correct positioning and airflow needed for accurate G sound production. For example, the voiceless pair for the G sound is the K sound. By practicing words containing both G and K sounds, you can better understand the differences between them and improve your articulation.

Articulation activities play a crucial role in the development of the G sound. Speech-language pathologists often provide clients with word lists containing initial, medial, and final G words. These lists can serve as a foundation for various activities such as flashcards, sentence building, and reading passages. Client-specific activities can also be developed, keeping in mind their interests and preferences.

Constant practice is essential for improving articulation and mastering the G sound. As a client or a speech-language pathologist, incorporating G words into daily routines and communication can be highly beneficial. Encourage conversation, storytelling, and reading materials that focus on G words to reinforce practice and enhance overall progress.

Remember, working on G words in speech therapy is a dynamic and gradual process. As you continue to practice and engage in articulation activities, you’ll notice improvements in your speech and articulation abilities over time. Always approach the process with patience, persistence, and a friendly attitude to ensure success.

Importance of G Sound

Working on the G sound in speech therapy is essential as it helps improve your pronunciation and expands your vocabulary. This  voiced sound  is a common component in the English language and can be found in various words. Mastering the G sound can lead to a boost in confidence when speaking and communicating with others.

The G sound requires proper articulation, involving the use of your soft palate and vocal cords. When pronouncing the G sound, the back of your tongue should make contact with your  soft palate , while your vocal cords vibrate simultaneously. It’s crucial to be mindful of these processes as they play a significant role in producing a clear and accurate G sound.

In addition to the G sound, it’s essential to differentiate it from the /k/ sound in speech therapy. Both the  k and g sounds  are produced in the same location in the mouth, but with a critical difference: the G sound is voiced, while the /k/ sound is voiceless. Being able to distinguish between these paired sounds can enhance your overall speech clarity and articulation skills.

There are also soft g sounds and hard g sounds. The rule to remember which is which, is as follows:  When g meets a, o, or u, its sound is hard.   When g meets e, i, or y, its sound is soft .

To sum up, incorporating G sound practice in your speech therapy sessions can greatly benefit your pronunciation, vocabulary, and articulation. Remember to pay close attention to the role of your soft palate and vocal cords, and be aware of the differences between the G sound and its voiceless counterpart, the /k/ sound. Keep up the good work, and your efforts will surely lead to improved speech proficiency.

Teaching Methods for G Words

When it comes to speech therapy, teaching the G sound can be quite an adventure. As a parent of a child who is having speech therapy or is waiting to receive it, there are numerous techniques you can employ to help children master this sound. The key to success is practicing often and incorporating a variety of strategies.

First and foremost, your resources are your best friends. Books, games, and picture cards all offer fantastic ways to engage young learners. A favorite activity among speech therapists is using  G Word Lists and Activity Ideas . These lists include initial, medial, and final G word suggestions, along with appropriate games and book recommendations tailored to the G sound.

Since children tend to learn better through play, incorporating games into speech practise sessions at home can be a game-changer. Utilize age-appropriate games that involve the G sound, such as guessing games or picture card matching activities. You may also create your own G-themed games, such as a scavenger hunt where children must find objects that start with the G sound.

While working on the pronunciation of G words, provide your child with ample opportunities to observe their mouth movements. One useful tool for this purpose is a mirror. Encourage them to focus on their tongue placement and the way it feels when they correctly produce the G sound. By allowing children to see and feel the differences in their mouth, they can better understand the necessary actions to produce the G sound.

Flashcards are another excellent resource to use outside of speech therapy sessions. You can create or purchase sets of flashcards featuring G words at various positions within words (initial, medial, and final). These visual aids can help children associate the sound with its spelling and encourage them to practice the G sound in various contexts.

Remember, patience and encouragement are essential when helping children develop their speech skills. By utilizing these various teaching methods for G words in speech therapy, you’ll be well on your way to helping them master the G sound in a friendly and engaging manner. 

Role of Word Lists in Therapy

When it comes to speech therapy, word lists play a crucial role in helping your child or yourself develop and practice correct pronunciation of specific sounds. Among these, G words are quite common in language and working on them can significantly improve your articulation skills. So, let’s delve into the benefits of using word lists and explore some essential G word categories.

One of the significant reasons to use word lists in therapy is their ability to provide a structured approach to practicing particular sounds. In the case of G words, there are different types of lists, such as  initial G words , medial G words, and  final G words . By breaking down the words into groups based on their positions, it becomes easier for you to focus on and master the specific sound within different contexts.

Another advantage of using word lists is their potential to incorporate common vocabularies or  target words  you’ll encounter regularly in daily communication. This makes your child’s practice more functional, ensuring that they’re not only working on improving sound pronunciation but also enhancing their overall language skills.

Articulation Practice with G Words

Friendly and consistent practice is essential in mastering speech sounds like the /g/ sound. As you begin your articulation practice, remember that the  g  sound is a back sound, produced when the back of the tongue touches the soft palate in the back of the mouth. To help you understand the right tongue placement, consider checking out some  articulation worksheets . 

When practicing G words, it’s crucial to have a variety of initial, medial, and final G words to work with. Start with simple words like  gum, goat, and dog , progressing to more complex words and phrases as you become more comfortable with the sound. You can find comprehensive  G word lists for speech therapy  that cater to different speech requirements.

Incorporate various activities into your child’s practice to make it engaging and fun. For example, you could play games, read  books focusing on G words , or even create a word treasure hunt challenge. Aim for a minimum of 100 trials in each practice session, focusing on functional words that you regularly use in your everyday conversations.

As you practice, it’s important to remain patient and maintain a positive, friendly attitude. Encourage yourself by celebrating small achievements along the way. Make sure to practice regularly and consistently to reinforce learning and improve your G word articulation in everyday speech.

Remember, mastering the G sound takes time, persistence, and dedication. Keep practicing, use various G words and activities, ensuring proper tongue placement and speech sound production. With consistent effort, you’ll notice improvements in your child’s G word articulation over time. 

Specific G Words for Therapy

Incorporating a variety of G words into speech therapy sessions can help clients practice and improve their articulation of the G sound. In this section, you’ll find a selection of G words that may be used in various activities and games during therapy sessions. These words are organized based on their position within the word (initial, medial, or final) and also include compound words and multisyllabic examples.

Initial G Words

Medial G Words

Final G Words

Compound Words

Multisyllabic Words

Additional G Words

Combating Phonological Processes

Phonological processes are simplifications that young children use while learning to talk. They’re a normal part of language development but can become problematic if they persist beyond a certain age. Two common phonological processes we’ll discuss are  fronting  and  context-sensitive voicing .

Fronting : Fronting occurs when a child replaces a sound that should be produced in the back of the mouth, like “g” (as in “goat”) or “k” (as in “cat”) with a sound produced in the front of the mouth, like “t” or “d.” To address fronting, try these strategies:

• Encourage your child to pay attention to the placement of their tongue when they say words with “g” or “k.”
• Use visual cues, such as a mirror, to help your child see where their tongue should be when producing these sounds.
• Practice with minimal pairs, which are pairs of words that differ by only one sound, such as “goat” and “toat” or “cat” and “tat.”

Context-sensitive voicing : This process involves replacing a voiceless sound with a voiced sound. For example, when “pig” is pronounced as “big” or “car” is pronounced as “gar.” To help your child work on context-sensitive voicing, consider these tips:

• Teach them the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds, and practice each sound in isolation.
• Focus on pairs of sounds that have the same place and manner of articulation but differ in voicing, such as /p/ and /b/ or /t/ and /d/.
• Use auditory and visual feedback methods, like listening to recordings of your child’s speech, to help them hear and see the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds.

Remember to be patient and supportive as your child works on these skills. With consistent practice and encouragement, you’ll see progress in combating phonological processes. Good luck!

Therapy Resources and Materials

As a speech therapist or a parent looking for  G word resources , there are a variety of helpful materials available to support your speech therapy sessions. Here, we will explore some of the resources and tools that can enhance your therapy sessions and make them more engaging and effective.

To start, consider finding online resources with plenty of  articulation activities  to keep your sessions diverse, and keep your clients motivated. Websites like  Speech and Language at Home  or  Speech Therapy Talk  can be great starting points for finding G word lists and speech therapy activities.

As a member of various professional speech therapy websites and organizations, you can access additional resources, tips, and support from your peers. Make sure to take advantage of professional memberships that offer exclusive content and materials catered towards speech therapists.

Flashcards  can be a very useful tool when practicing G words, as they allow the visual representation of the word, as well as the auditory component when spoken out loud. You can find  600+ G Words Lists for Speech Therapy Articulation or create your own set of flashcards, such as boom cards, tailored to your child’s needs.

For more hands-on activities, consider incorporating books into your therapy session that emphasize G words. Reading these books together can provide a fun and engaging way to practice G word pronunciation and improve overall articulation.

Picture cards  are another effective way to work on G words in speech therapy. By providing a visual representation of the word, you can help clients associate sounds with their corresponding images. Try using resources like  K and G Words, Lists, Materials, and Everything You Need!  for picture cards and other helpful tools to supplement your speech therapy activities.

Remember to keep your tone friendly and adapt to the needs of your clients as you explore these resources and materials. Your dedication to enriching their therapy experience can go a long way in promoting progress in their speech and communication development.

By Michelle

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Free SLP Initial G Materials, Games, Activities, Flashcards, and more!

Initial g virtual games and activities, freeslp offers tons of virtual slp materials for the s sound. to help target the g sound in the initial, medial, and final positions, we have created g tic-tac-toe, connect 4, virtual flashcards, virtual progression cards, battleship, spot-it, candy land, soccer, painting, and more to view our all free g sound virtual games and materials, click below:, initial g sound games and activities link.

Downloadable Initial G Materials

We also have tons of free no-prep downloadable g sound materials. g sound printables that we currently have include: g flashcards, qr code scavenger hunt, progression cards, spot-it, word finds, tic-tac-toe, bingo, candy land, connect 4, battleship and more if you're looking for more engaging ways to teach the g sound, hopefully you find these materials helpful to view our all free g sound virtual games and materials, click below:, initial g no-prep downloadables.

Initial G Sound Animated Videos

Animated videos for each sound teaching how to produce the sound as well as animated articulation adventures for each sound adventure across safaris, space, the world of minecraft, and more while teaching your child how to make awesome g sounds to view our all free g animated videos, click the link below:.

Initial G Artic Hierarchy Activities

Virtual materials to target g from the isolation level all the way up to the conversational level whether you're targeting sounds at the word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, story, or conversational levels, we have free and engaging speech therapy materials for each to view our all free g hierarchy activities, click below:.

Initial G Filterable Flashcards

Over 1,000+ flashcards that you can sort by target sound, position of sound, syllables, blends, and more add words to your custom word list and print out the flashcards to view our all free g sound virtual games and materials, click below:, initial g filterable flashcards.

Initial G sound overview page

What age should my kid be able to say the g sound.

Children typically are able to correctly produce the G sound around 3 years old.

Is the G sound a voiced sound?

Yes, the G sound is a voiced sound?

Is the G sound a Dorsal Velar sound?

Yes, the G sound is a dorsal velar sound.

Is the G sound a stop?

Yes, the G sound is a stop.

What is the difference between C / K and G?

The C / K and G sound are produced exactly the same with one exception.  The difference between C / K and G is that the C / K sound is voiceless and the G sound is a voiced sound.

50 Initial G Words

40 medial g words.

• Magnificent

35 Final G Words

How do i make the g sound, how  to make the “g” sound:.

• Tell the child to bring the back of their tongue(called the dorsum) up to the back part of the mouth(called the soft palate).  Lifting up the back part of our tongue stops the airflow from coming out of our mouths!
• Turn  on   your voice ( voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds.  Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “c/k” and “g”, and have them feel the difference between the two.  In the production of “c/k”, there should be no rumble or voicing.  While in the production of “g”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
• Next we lower our tongue and push air out explosively at the same time!

Tricks and Tips for producing the “g” sound:

• Tell the child we are going to trap the air from escaping using the back of our tongue.  We need to make a hump or a hill using the back of our tongue and bring it to the roof of our mouth.
• A fun and tasty way to teach the child where to put their tongue for a “g” production is to put some Nutella, peanut butter, sour candy gel, or any other spreadable food they enjoy on the soft middle portion of the back of the mouth(soft palate).  Once the child has felt the spot a few times, have them try to blow out air while lowering the tongue at the same time!
• If your child is replacing their “g” sounds with “d” sounds. (“dod” for dog”), try using a tongue depressor to hold down the tip of their tongue which should also help the back of their tongue bunch up.
• Place your hand where the child’s jaw and neck meet, and during “g” productions, lightly push up to help remind them to raise the back of their tongue.
• To visually show the child how we explosively release air from our mouths to produce the “g” sound, hold a piece of string in front of their mouths, and have them try to move the string with the release of air.  It is important to remind them to remember to use their voicing during this activity!
• If you have a board game that uses a spinner, have the child see if they can move the spinner using the explosions of air from their mouths.
• Have the child tilt their head back and look up at the ceiling.  By doing so, our tongues tend to fall into the back of our mouths into the position we need to make the “g” sounds
• Challenge the child to an imaginary water/juice/milk drinking contest.  See you can making the “g” gulping noise the most times in 10 or 30 seconds!

G Sound Overview

If you are looking for tips and tricks on how to produce the perfect G sounds; click the link below:

Virtual Materials for Each Level of Artic Practice:

Target the G sound at the isolation level with 3 different activities: Isolation Animation, Pop the Bubbles, and Click the Button!

Target G at the syllable level with our virtual flashcards!

We have three activities for targeting G at the word level: 1.) Classic flashcards with initial, medial, final, and mixed sets. 2.) Minimal Pair Sliders 3.) Name the Photos (Have the computer give you feedback on your sound productions!)

G phrase flashcards with sets targeting G in the initial, medial, final, and mixed positions!

Target G at the sentence level with our rotating sentences activity!

Our G story is full of G target sounds and tongue twisters! Read it yourself or play it out loud and then repeat it back!

We have two ways to target G at the conversation level: 1.) Silly story scenes full of G target words. 2.) Conversation starter questions.

G Virtual Materials

List of All the Free G Sound Virtual Activities and Games

G flashcards, g progression cards, g soccer shootout, g escape from dragon's dungeon, g fish's flight to freedom, g witch's brew, g summer sundae dash, g fall apple quest, g halloween candy chompers, g thanksgiving treats, g cupid's valentines candies, g marshmallows' mad dash, g unicorn artic derby, g train track dash, g space race, g flashlight finder, g feed the bear, g pumpkin carving, g build-a-snowman, g thanksgiving dinner, g tic-tac-toe, g candy land, g connect 4, g battleship, g artic ninja, g volt runner, g artic clicker, g pizza jumper, g artic cruiser, g space invaders, g spot the differences, g treasure hunt, g crossword, g word find 1, g word find 2.

G Boom Cards

List of All the Free G Sound Downloadable and Printable and Games

G artic qr scavenger hunt, g artic progression cards, g artic spot the match, initial artic g flashcards, medial artic g flashcard, final artic g flashcards, g articulation carrier phrases, g articulation word find, g articulationtic-tac-toe, g articulation coloring sheet, g cartoon character flashcards, g articulation dice, g articulation flipbook, g artic bingo, g artic candyland, g artic cariboo cards, g artic battleship, g articulation connect 4.

G Printables

Free no-prep, virtual, and downloadable options available!

Free SLP articulation word lists, flashcards with pictures, downloadable PDFs and more!

Materials target the G sound in the initial, medial, and final positions!

Whether you are looking for printable, no-prep, or virtual materials, FreeSLP offers free G sound activities for students of every level!

We hope these G articulation activities and exercises for speech therapy help your child / student learn how to make s sounds!

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• Apr 7, 2020

"G" Practice and Resources

Here you will find practice and resources for the "g" sound (words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and tongue twisters). As always, these are from the Home Speech Home site. Feel free to check out the "Activities" post in Articulation Nation to get more ideas on activities. If you're doing 5-minute therapy then use these for a quick at-home drill session for practice.

As stated with the "k" sound please do not have the child practice the sound incorrectly. Work on getting the sound for five or ten minutes and if the child is getting frustrated and experiencing little success move on to a different sound or come back to it a different day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHtCHUlTsTA

"G" Picture Words Initial "g"

Medial "g"

Final "g"

"G" Word Lists Initial "g"

"G" Phrases Initial "g"

"G" Sentences Initial "g"

"G" Paragraphs

"G" Tongue Twisters Granny's gray goose goes last Gus goes by Blue Goose bus Great gray geese graze gaily daily Gale's great glass globe glows green The glum groom grew glummer

More Resources Home Speech Home's 4-Part Video Series on teaching the "g" sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP1nJomr9E4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNzK3-e7aRc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2IgGK6X0co

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlKlG0wBhSg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0nX4OObrQ

• Articulation Nation

Recent Posts

"S" and "S"-blends Practice and Resources

Here you'll find practice pictures, word lists, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs (bonus tongue twisters at the end!). Here is a short video on correctly producing "s" - however, many children are a

"R" and "R"-blends Practice and Resources

Here are great resources and practice sheets from others! I am not going to reinvent the wheel and all of the material posted here is compliments of those I pay credit to! The sites that I direct yo

"V" Practice and Resources

Here you will find words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and tongue twisters for the "v" sound. Most of these resources come from Home Speech Home. The "v" sound is similar to the "f" sound except

Teaching the Sound of Letter G

Teaching the Sound of G. Image courtesy of www.pronuncian.com

“Dess what Mommy?” “Where is the dod?, “When are we donna be there?” Are these familiar questions around your house? Is your son or daughter making a “d” sound in place of a “g”? Or, leaving the “g” sound out all together? If so, don’t fret. Most children under the age of five have some trouble correctly pronouncing certain sounds and words. While most children will usually mispronounce words at some point in her growth, the majority of children outgrow these mispronunciations and master correct sounds by certain ages. And, to make things even more complicated for your young child, there are two distinct sounds of “g” that he or she must perfect: a hard g and a soft g. Is there a way to help guide your child? YES! Here are some tips and tricks for teaching your child the sound of letter g.

Rules for Teaching the Sound of The Letter G

There are rules determining whether or not the sound of letter “g” is hard as in “good”, or a soft sound as in “giant”. The most common rule to remember how to pronounce the sound of the letter “g” is to pay attention to the letter following the “g” in that particular word. However, like many other rules in the English language, there are exceptions. Here are a few key rules:

• Hard g before a consonant (as in g lad or g reat)
• Hard g before a back vowel ( g o, g arden, g um)
• Hard g at the end of a word (bi g , fro g , le g )
• Hard g if it’s a Hebrew name ( G ideon, G iliad)
• Hard g before a front vowel in most words of Germanic origin ( g ift, g et, g ild)
• Soft g for a word of Greek origin that starts with gy- ( gy mnasium, gy mnastics, gy roscope).
• Soft g before a front vowel if the word has a Romance origin ( g eography, g iant, g inger, g eneral)

As we mentioned, there are always exceptions. Can you think of words that include both a hard “g” sound and a soft “g” sound? How about the words language, or garage! The sound of “g” is also called a “ voiced sound ” — one in which the vocal chords vibrate. Rachel’s English does a great job demonstrating how to correctly pronounce the sound of the letter “g”.

When Can I Expect My Child to Perfect the Sound of G?

The short answer is usually around the age of three. The longer answer is it depends. There are certain speech development milestones  that your child is expected to meet, according to his or her age. Our friends at Mommy Speech Therapy have a terrific graphic that spells out speech milestone expectations. This Speech Sound Development Chart from Goldman Fristoe outlines what age your child should be expected to perfect each sound in the English language.

Speech Sound Development Chart by Goldman Fristoe. Image courtesy of Mommy Speech Therapy

It is during the first 3 years of life, when your child’s brain is developing and maturing, that is really the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. All children vary in their development of speech and language skills. The milestone checklist serves as a guide to determine the normal development of speech and language skills birth to age 5. Of course, the rate of development is different in every child, as some may hit these benchmarks early, or some may be later than the norm. Don’t be alarmed if your child is not achieving these milestones exactly as they are presented on the chart. Instead, these guidelines are there to help doctors and other health professionals determine if your child is on track or if he or she may need extra help. Sometimes a speech delay or articulation disorder may be caused by hearing loss, while other times it may be due to a speech or language disorder.

Go On, Get Practicing!

One tip that may be useful is to have your child practice gargling water. When you gargle water, your tongue is in the same correct position as it needs to be to correctly pronounce the sound of the letter “g”. Give it a try! Also, don’t forget that you are your child’s best role model. Practice saying the “g” sound around the house in conversation, read books together and emphasize that sound (both the soft and hard sounds). Soon enough, your child will be “giddy” that he can make the perfect sound of “g”.

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245+ G Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Reading Passages

As promised here are the words for your unlimited use .

If you know others who can use our lists ...

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We also offer a free  5 part video series  on Teaching the G sound.

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Buy the G Word Flashcards for $4.99

merry-go-round

Initial G by Syllables

game tokens

garden hose

gas station

Medial G by Syllables

chuck wagon

beginner's luck

investigate

magnificent

prolongation

significant

togetherness

egotistical

Final G by Syllables

clothes bag

deviled egg

garbage bag

laundry bag

plastic bag

prairie dog

punching bag

sandwich bag

sleeping bag

card catalog

carry-on bag

gift catalog

prescription drug

seeing-eye-dog

SEE ALSO:   The Best Free App for Speech Therapy

Initial G Phrases and Sentences

old garbage

white ghost

gold pieces

pet goldfish

golf course

pretty goose

play guitar

My favorite game is checkers.

Their house has two garage doors.

Take the garbage out today.

I work in my garden on Saturday.

I need to fill my car with gas.

The gate was shut.

Don't look, there's a ghost!

He is bringing a small gift.

The girl is sitting on the pink chair.

He is ready to go.

I kicked the ball and made a goal.

The baby goat stayed by it's mom.

There are many gold pieces.

I won the goldfish at the carnival.

They are all playing golf.

The goose has brown feathers.

Can I play your guitar?

I like blue gum.

Medial G Phrases and Sentences

weather in August

chinese dragon

soaring eagle

foggy street

juicy hamburger

jogging trail

juggle balls

heavy luggage

strong magnet

dirty pigpen

cute pigtail

noisy sea gull

sweet sugar

small tugboat

My birthday is on August 20th.

Mountain lion is another name for cougar.

The statue was of a dragon.

A soaring eagle was looking for food.

It was so foggy we couldn't see where we were going.

Let's get a hamburger for dinner.

They go jogging on Tuesdays.

She likes to juggle at the beach.

Someone left their luggage here.

The nails were stuck to the magnet.

The pigpen was full.

The pigtail looks cute on her.

The sea gull almost flew into me.

Don't put too much sugar in the lemonade.

We saw a tiger at the zoo.

The tugboat can pull large ships.

The dog is sitting in the wagon.

I do yoga to relax my mind.

Final G Phrases and Sentences

colorful bug

checkered flag

grilled hot dog

She only bought one bag of groceries.

I want the big egg.

The bug landed on my arm and I blew it off.

We need to dig a bigger hole for the post.

My dog is a German Shepherd and Black Lab mix.

Please cook the egg yolk.

He waved the checkered flag.

The frog caught the fly with its tongue.

I want mustard on my hot dog.

She gave him a tight hug.

He hoped his leg wouldn't cramp.

He made the seat out of a log.

My mug needs a refill.

The pig was laying in the mud.

Use the rag to clean the floor.

There is a big rug in my house.

She wore a black wig to the costume party.

G Reading Paragraphs

Gus gives a gift.

Once there was a goose named Gus. Gus liked to play games, chew gum, and give gifts. Everyone who knew Gus, knew that he gave great gifts.

Once he gave someone a guitar. Another time he gave his friend a new set of luggage. All of his friends agreed that the best gift that Gus ever gave was a year's supply of hamburgers.

One day, Gus was tugging around a wagon with a gigantic bag in it. He tugged on the wagon from Mr. Dog's farm all the way to Mrs. Frog's wig shop. Everyone in town saw the wagon with the gigantic bag in it, but no one knew who would get the bag.

Doug was a good friend of Gus. Doug was busy planting green beans, grapes, and gooseberries in his garden. He didn't see Gus coming toward his house and tugging the wagon behind him.

When Gus finally reached Doug in his garden, Doug said, "Why are you pulling that wagon Gus?"

Gus replied, "I came to give you a gift Doug."

Doug was very excited and felt like an important person. He knew that Gus gave good gifts.

When Doug took the bag off of the gift, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a big stack of eggs! Doug was so happy that he ran over to Gus and gave him a big hug.

Doug loved to eat eggs every morning. He knew how to cook eggs in many different ways. Doug thanked Gus for the nice gift and said, "I will buy you a nice gift one day."

Then they both said goodbye and Gus went home.

Each year Gary would play golf in August. He would get his golf clubs from the garage and drive to the golf course.

On his way, he would pass Farmer Gil's goose and pig farm. When he got to the golf course he bought a hot dog, a bag of chips, and a big mug of hot chocolate.

He played his best game while chewing sugar free gum and using the mug with the green dragon on it. He wanted to do that again. He grabbed his golf bag and dragon mug and headed for the first hole.

Man with the Gold Guitar

When Gabe began learning to play the guitar, he thought it would be easier than chewing gum. After his third lesson, his head was foggy from everything he learned. Then he met the man with the gold guitar.

He said his name was "Golden" but Gabe thought it was something else. 

Golden taught Gabe to set goals while he learned how to play the guitar. Golden gave Gabe a small flag with the words "Set Goals" on it that he could keep with him as a reminder. Gabe kept it with his guitar and used it every time he learned a new lesson.

After that, he never saw Golden again. Some people say Golden was a nice ghost who liked to help people.

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with producing the "G" sound.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Doing home practice will help your child make much faster progress toward correct production.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week.

This is not enough time  for your child to overcome an articulation disorder with the "G" sound. But with high caseloads...

...it's all SLPs can do.

There's  only so much time  in the day.

Every day that your child goes without practice  it becomes more and more difficult  to correct an "G" error because he/she continues to say it incorrectly. 

SEE ALSO:   The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

We know life is busy , but if you're reading this you're probably someone who cares about helping their loved one as much as you can.

Practice 5-10 minutes whenever you can, but try to do it on a consistent basis (daily).

Please, please, please use this list to practice.

It will be a great benefit to you and your loved one's progress.

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Initial G Sound Words for Speech Therapy

Free initial g sound words for speech therapy printable flashcards featuring words with the "g" sound can be a useful tool for improving pronunciation and vocabulary. some of the flashcards included in this worksheets are:- game, goose, garden, glass, guitar, glass, ghost, girl, gum, gift, grape, grass, goat and garlic..

Download Printable Free Initial G Sound Words Articulation Flashcards

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How to Elicit (Teach) the K & G Sounds {Part One: Elicitation Techniques}

May 21, 2013 by Katie Filed Under: Articulation & Phonology (aka Speech Sounds) , K & G Tips , Sound Elicitation Techniques 14 Comments

Welcome to the next installment of the Eliciting Sounds Series. You can check out the other posts in this series HERE . now, let’s get started on the /k/ and /g/ sounds! (There are affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

MY Tips for Eliciting the K & G Sounds

Here are MY tips for eliciting the /k/ and /g/ sound that I personally have found effective:

• Having the child lean his head back so the tongue slides back to the oral cavity. Sometimes having the child actually lay on his back is needed. 
• For tricky kids who are fronting, I have found that using a Dum Dum or Mini Tootsie Pop to told the tongue tip down and THEN tell the child to make the sound, will allow for the back of the tongue to move up and make the /k/ or /g/ or a close approximation. I learned this trick in grad school and have used it many many times!
• I always use gestural cues to cue children on which sounds we are working on. For the /k/ and /g/ I point to the throat. I will also lean my head back for an additional visual cue to get the tongue back and up.

Visual Aides

Just like for the /r/ sound, a fantastic 3 dimensional visual aide I like to use when teaching sounds is the  Jumbo Mighty Mouth Hand Puppet  from SuperDuperInc. I also have used play doh to make a tongue and mold it into the shape it needs to be in for a given sound (you see this on my Tips to Teach the /r/ Post )

Proprioceptive Elicitation Tools

You can use some different items to assist in providing a child with some tactile/proprioceptive feedback when teaching the /k/ and /g/. Here are a few examples!

Books That Go Over Elicitation Techniques

Your fellow slps weigh in: their tips.

• Lay down on your back. Gravity helps pull the tongue back. ~Jocelyn, New York
• For most students I use a tongue depressor to guide placement of the tongue for /k/, explaining to the student that they need to keep their tongue tip down. For some I have even combined the instruction to put their head back or to make the “throat clearing” sound. Once I am able to elicit a good glottal I teach the student how to use the tongue depressor to elicit the sound independently. We then work on practicing with and without the tongue depressor until the student is able to produce a “good /k/”. For some students this takes quite a while as they need a lot of practice to shape their glottal production into an intelligible production of /k/, working on making sure that the sides of their tongue are on the bottoms of there top teeth. ~Christina, Michigan
• Most effective tip – Use tongue blade to hold down tongue tip; others – have child put head back so that tongue naturally falls back, have child pretend to gargle or growl like a bear ~Paula, West Virginia
• One method – talk about making a “surprise face” (mouth wide open, tongue tip down) and say “aahhhh”.  Then tell the child to keep tongue tip “right where it is” on the bottom teeth, and make the “cough sound” right here, (tapping my throat as a visual). ~Michele, Pennsalvania
• I use a pediatric spoon or tongue depressor (or, in a pinch, cue the student to use his/her own finger) to hold down the front of the tongue while producing /g/ or /k/.  This gets their tongue in appropriate position — back up, front down.  We practice that a few times, then move to producing words while using the prop, so the child can get a feel for how the word should be produced.  This has been successful with my students with hearing impairment, as well! ~Anonymous
• For both /k/ and /g/, I like to use a dum dum sucker. I will put the sucker right on the top of the tongue tip and then push the tongue all the way back so that the back of the tongue is touching the throat. I will have the student say k and g in isolation 5-10 times before I release. Then I will move to the word level and have him say the word a few times with the sucker in his mouth. The goal is to move away from the sucker and have him produce the k and g on his own in isolation before moving to words. ~Brea, Michigan
• Tactile cues, like feeling the throat. Two fingers in the mouth stacked one on top of the other, keeps your mouth open and makes creating an error sound /t/or/d/ difficult, also easy to fade back to one finger in the mouth, then on the lip, then independently. ~SLP, Minnesota
• For most of the young kiddos, I find it helpful to take away from too many “details” regarding phonemic awareness. For example, I work with the birth to three population and discussing “throat” “voice off” “coughing” all the good go-to’s for preschool and up is too complex for the really young ones. Therefore, I sneak it in via “Dino walk!” Walk like a Dino /k/, /k/, /k/…this is an exaggerated walk of course made partially stomping and “crashing” /k/ sound. The kids love it. You can also find an easy template for Dino feet and trace onto foam or simply laminate. Lay the “tracks” down and then let the kids /k/ /k/ /k/ along the way. As they move up to words, put pictures card along the path. ~Anonymous
• I use a dum dum lollipop to.hold the tongue down,push it back, etc. The kids get it and any parents that come in understand and can do the same at.home.   I teach preschoolers so this is usually the older ones ~Lisa, Pennsylvania
• I show them the tip of my tongue and ask them to touch the tip of their own tongues.  Then I tell them that we make /t/ and /d/ with the tips of our tongues. Then I show them the back of my tongue. I also use a mouth puppet called “Mighty Mouth” so they can see and touch the tip and back of the tongue. Then I show them how I can make the back of my tongue touch the top of my mouth and say, /k/ and /g/.  Then I let them try it out on “Mighty Mouth”.  After they do this a few times, I have them try it on their own tongues while looking in a hand held mirror. I’ve also had them fake cough and feel where their tongues touch when that happens and then try the sound at the same spot.  sometimes this works. Also, tipping their heads back while trying to get the back of the tongue up, to the roof of the mouth, works sometimes, too. ~Ann, Massachusetts
• Pretend like you are going to swallow your tongue! (But please don’t: we’ll need that tongue for more talking!) Then try saying the sound you make, way back in your throat. Here, watch me. ~Suz, North Carolina
• I find that targeting /g/ first can help elicit /k/ without direct instruction. ~Aby, Iowa
• Open up the mouth BIG, sometimes hold the chin, demonstrate the movement with my hand, tongue depressers to hold tongue tip down. ~Anonymous
• If a child is fronting their /k/ and /g/ sounds, I use a tongue depressor to hold the tongue tip down so that the back of the tongue moves up and makes contact with the soft palate (instead of the fronting moving up to make contact with the alveolar ridge).  I start at syllable level, then move on to CVC words (that do not contain: blends of the target sounds, the target sound in the position we are not practicing, and /t/ or /d/ sounds).  I slowly reduce the use of the tongue depressor, and try to let the child be as independent as possible using it.  Eventually, I just let the child hold the tongue depressor as a reminder.  This technique works well (at the word level) with kindergarten and first graders I’ve used it with.  It has been a little harder with the preschoolers I’ve worked with. Once the child becomes more proficient at /k/ or /g/ in initial and final positions, I move onto the medial position and multisyllabic words; then onto short phrases, sentences, etc. Some CVC words I like are: /k/ initial Cage, cup, comb, kiss, come; corn, king (although they have blends in other sounds, so it depends on the child); car (if the child has trouble with /r/ sounds I won’t use this word).  CV words I like are: key, cow /k/ final book, shake, bike, back, sick, knock, sock, hike; lick, look, rock, rake (if the child has trouble with /l/ or /r/ sounds I may leave these out). /g/ initial go (CV), gum, gas, game, ghost; goal (leave it out if the child has trouble with /l/) /g/ final egg (VC), hug, bag, mug, pig, big, bug, wig, jog; leg, log, rag, rug (leave out if child has hard time with /l/ or /r/ sounds). I use the cards available at mommyspeechtherapy.com as well as some I’ve made myself and I always try to reinforce with a game (like Chipper Chat by Super Duper) unless I’m doing a 5 minute artic in the hallway. ~Erica, Ohio
• Having the child cough, or lay on floor for gravity to move tongue back for K.  For G have the child pretend they are drinking water. ~Becky, Nebraska
• Coughing works for me. Cough out the word…cough + up = cup ~Anonymous
• 1)  Work on eliciting final /g/ first.  That sound implies the /g/ in all other positions as well as the /k/ sound.  2)  Tip of tongue stays down while back of tongue jumps up to make the /k/ or /g/. 3)  The water drinking sound (imitate gulping water /g/, /g/, /g/) ~Anonymous
• I have students lay down on the floor under a table on their backs.  We shine flashlights up at pictures that I have Velcroed (speling??) or taped underneath the table.  They are usually having so much fun they relax and forget about the sound at times and I have often gotten /k/ in a CV or VC syllable this way! I have had success shaping /k/ from /h/ as well.  The student says an extended /h/ and then coughs and at times an isolated /k/ will pop out. ~SLP, New Hampshire
• My youngest kids like to touch their throat and k k k cough ~Suzanne, Texas
• I use animals cut in half to demonstrate a visual concept of front and back.  Then we talk about front and back sounds we make, which has really been a great initial activity for the beginning of therapy.  I have also had success with having my students use their pointer finger as a ‘hook’ to hold their own tongue tip down while making the /k, g/ in isolation. ~Jenn, Florida
• One thing I stumbled on in desperation that has worked surprisingly well is to have kids produce the sound with their mouths open WIDE. It is more difficult to produce /t/ and /d/ without some degree of lip closure, and easy to produce velar sounds. Also, if fronting does occur, it is very visible in front of a mirror with your mouth wide open! I do this at the word level or at the syllable level, pairing with vowels like /a/ so the mouth can stay open wide for the entire word/syllable. Sounds strange, maybe, but it has worked really well for me for some tricky velar fronters! ~Anonymous
• 1.  Often K is more stimulable than G.  I don’t tell the child we are working on a speech sound; I just tell him we are making a sound.  “Do this!”  Then I make a long, loud KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK sound in the back of my throat with my mouth open and encourage imitation. 2.  If that doesn’t work I have the child watch my mouth and I make the same sound in short bursts.  I have my mouth open slightly so he can see I am not using the tip of my tongue; OR 3.  I have the child do an H sound in a loud, but voiceless, manner: HUH-HUH-HUHKKKKKK.  I attach that KKK to the end of the HUH.  I might tap behind the child’s jaw (TMJ) at the same time to provide some tactile cues. 4. If these don’t work I lie down on my back and have the child do the same so that the tongue wants to move back with gravity.  Repeat step 1. 5.  If the child is making T for K at this point I have the child press the tip of his tongue down while making that exaggerated, crunchy KKKKKKKK sound.  I am still not mentioning K if the child fronts.  Having his mouth open wide makes it harder to do a T if fronting’s an issue. 6.  I use a mirror OR have the child and I look at ourselves in the camera on the iPad at any point where I think it will help. 7.  I sometimes do bombardment, then discrimination, if the child is still not getting a decent K sound, but honestly, I usually get K with Step 1.  For discrimination I use the LinguiSystems Apraxia program manual cues and pictures for T and K. I make a K or T sound and point to the corresponding picture from LinguiSystems for T (ticking clock) and K (dinosaur crunching dry leaves).  Then I start having the child point to answers as I exaggerate the sounds, including an open mouth for K.  Mini milkchocolate M&Ms are often very motivating for close listening. 8.  I may work on K until it’s in all positions of single words 90% while independently naming pictures before starting G, because at that point it’s usually very easy for the child to do. ~Jennifer, Pennsylvania
• Sometimes I try letting my kids try imitating me making noise as I drink juice.  The younger ones have trouble hearing the sound so that helps them hear that /g/  sound and if you try doing it without drinking they realize it is a /g/.  It doesn’t always work but I have had some success with it and the boys love the mess and noise so they don’t feel like it is ‘speech stuff’ ~Cee, North Carolina
• I give them a toy camera and have them lie on their back in bed at night and make the /k/ sound of the camera clicking (old school!). Lie on their back and make a static noise which you can shorten and sharpen.  Once it is sounding like a /k/, I put my hand under their head and slowly bring them up while they keep making the sound.  When it stops being a k (or static) then we go back down and try and get a bit higher next time! Hum happy birthday using mmmmm and then nnnnn and then ng and I can usually get a quick /k/ afterwards! ~Anonymous
• Keep mouth open as wide as possible and try ….gets tip of tongue out of the way.  If old enough, I have them gargle to get used to moving the velum…then “dry gargle”.  Usually I have the parents do this at home as part of teeth brushing time.  Then they can model a/k,g/  with a very wide mouth.  Wierd but works for many!! ~Kristie, Oklahoma
• I use a lollipop as a tongue depressor to hold the child’s tongue down and tell him to make his “back”sound. ~Leslie, Texas
• I have pushed a raisin onto the end of a straight pretzel to create a little “tool” for holding the tongue tip down and pushing gently back to help the child elevate the back of the tongue.  This has worked almost every time to elicit the sound.  Once the child has the feel for the movement needed, he/she can usually replicate it.  And they like eating the “tool”! ~Mary, Washington
• I use dum-dum suckers to elicit the /k/ and /g/ sounds. They are small and fit right behind the bottom teeth and help hold the tongue tip down (and kids don’t mind them like they do tongue depressors). I hold the tongue tip down and have them say /k/. When they are able to do it in isolation, we move to “ke.” It usually only takes a few trials before they remember to keep tongue tip down. I like this much better than laying on their back or other “coughing” type because it doesn’t have the glottal fricative sound that coughing tends to produce. ~Mary, North Dakota
• One thing I have found useful in eliciting /k/ and /g/ sounds is to hold down the tongue tip with a tongue depressor while the child practices the target sounds. Another “trick” is to have the child lie flat on his back while he makes the /k/ and /g/ sounds. This will help the child get a “feel” for the correct placement before beginning sounds in words. ~Leigh, Alabama
• I use a tongue depressor on the tip of the tongue! ~CC from Oregon
• -use a flavored tongue depressor to hold tongue tip down; if no flavored t.d., put a little sugar or pixie stick sugar on it -or use a flat lollipop, pretzel stick, candy cane, toothbrush, etc to hold tip down -have child use their own finger to hold tip down (lots of handwashing needing but gives them control of the situation) -gargle with water then try to “dry” gargle (guh, guh, guh) ~Liz, New York
• Put a dum dum in the bottom of the mouth. It sort of pushes the tongue up and back. I’ve also heard lying on a slight decline (head down) works, but I haven’t personally had success with this. ~Anonymous
• Tongue depressor… Have them say “kangaroo” ~Anonymous
• Have child hold teeth open approx. 1 inch. Keeping teeth open instruct then to imitate your production of the /k/. ~Susan, Indiana
• -Have the child lay on their back on the floor and look up at the ceiling. This position helps to naturally move their tongue in the back of their mouth. -Instead of using a tongue depressor to aid in correct tongue placement for k/g try using a lollipop (I like using Dum-Dum’s because they are cheap and small enough for little mouths). Most of my clients  will work extra hard to say their sound when they are reinforced with candy and it seems less invasive to my kiddos who are anxious about the doctor/anything going in their mouth. ~Olivia, Pennsylvania
• I have used a toothette or even a dum dum lollipop to help keep the front of the tongue down when first targeting the /k/ or /g/ sound in isolation. ~Anonymous
• -If you’re struggling just to elicit any back sounds you can use coughing (especially for /k/), growling (especially for /g/), or dry gargling (for /g/) ~Kelsey
• After teaching auditory discrimination between t/k, I’ve used a tongue depressor and mirror and talked to the studen about how there are tippy sounds like /t/ and throaty sounds like /k/. I’ll have them stick out their tongue while looking in the mirror and touch the tip of their tongue. That’s where we say tippy sounds. They’ll imitate /t/. Then, I’ll touch a little further back (not too far!) and talk about how that part of the tongue makes the throaty sound and I’ll model /k/. I also put my hand on the back of their head and talk about that’s where their tongue goes. We’ll also swallow together and “feel” our tongue hit the “back of our head.” I’ve also had success with having a student either (1) tilt their head back on my hand while swallowing to feel their tongue fall back. They try the sound or (2) lay on the floor and try swallow/feel tongue fall back.David Hammer (a wonderfully amazing SLP with a ton of therapy ideas and information on childhood apraxia of speech) has named this sound the “throaty” sound. I have my students put their hands on their throat while saying their “throaty” sound. He’s come up with clever names for all the speech sounds. ~Anonymous
• This is a tip for eliciting /k/ at the word level in the initial position.  Pairing /k/ with /h/ immediately following results in an easier transition to the vowel, without reverting back to sound in error (works well for fronting).  This also works with /f, s/ if stopping is involved. ~Kyle, Ohio
• I start with /g/ in isolation as something about the voicing makes it clearer.  I am very careful not to call it the “g” sound because kids will automatically do /d/ for that.  I tell them we’re going to do exercises to make their tongue strong.  We do a couple of tongue touches so they get the idea of copying me.  Then I hold the tip of their tongue down with a tongue depressor and have them copy a /g/ sound. I make sure they are opening their mouths as wide as possible. ~Katie, Illinois
• *Use a tongue depressor to hold the tongue tip down and slightly push it back. or *Start with /h/ to get the idea of a back sound.  Then move to “gargling.”  It sounds like a velar fricative.  This can be done with or without water and sounds really harsh on the voice but it’s just temporary.  Next, try to make the gargles shorter.  I’ve found that the shorter bursts get close to /k/ and you can praise the closest until success is achieved. ~Manda, Illinois
• I have a student who is severly apraxic and I had tried everything under the moon to elicit the /k/ and /g/.  Both his first and last name started with /k/.  First I tried having him lay on the floor (I left my door open in case passer by wondered what was up!)  I then used a tongue depressor to help push his tongue back into the proper position.  He didn’t like this, so I had to come up with a different method.  I read about the nutella spot where you take a dab of nutella and place it behind the lower teeth and have them lick it off.  Do this for a week.  The next week tell them to put there tongue at the nutella spot and then have them make the /k/ sound.  We’ve been moderately successful with this technique.  His /k/ is still closer to a velar fricative.  He is so apraxic that he just cannon coordinate his tongue for proper closure.  I’m always searching the net for different ways that I haven’t thought of yet! ~Leanne, Iowa
• Using a dumdum or tongue depressor to push front of tongue down / back of tongue up. Making glug glug sounds (as long as they’re not pharyngeal sounds). Lie on your back on the floor. Look up at the ceiling ~Daphne, Toronto

Links to other Tips and Tricks for K & G

Looking for more? Here are links to other posts on the subject of /k/ and /g/:

• Eliciting Sounds /k/ by Dean
• Therapy Ideas for /k/ and /g/  by Lauren Nelson PhD at Speech Pathology dot com
• Stimulation Ideas for the /k/ and /g/  by Pam Marshalla
• How to Teach the /k/ and /g/ Sounds from Mommy Speech Therapy
• How to Teach the /k/ Sound by Chicago Speech Therapy
• 12 Ways to Teach Your Child the /k/ Sound by Home Speech Home
• How to Elicit the /k/ Sound in Young Children  from Speech Language Resources

Check back tomorrow for Part Two, where I share some products, programs and resources for eliciting and treating the K & G! 

Don’t want to miss future posts? You can have posts delivered via email! just click  HERE  (be sure to watch for the confirmation email). You can also follow along on  Facebook  and  Pinterest  for even more speech and language information and fun!

About Katie

Katie is a licensed, credentialed and certified pediatric speech-language pathologist and mom to four (8, 6, 3 and 6 months). Her passion for educating, inspiring and empowering parents of children with all abilities led her to start her blog playing with words 365 where she shares information about speech & language development & intervention strategies, parenting, photography and a little about her family life too. Katie has been working in the field of speech pathology for 12 years and is certified in The Hanen Centre’s It Takes Two to Talk ® and Target Word ® programs and holds a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). In addition to blogging and being a mommy, Katie works part time in her small private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can follow her on Facebook , Pinterest and Twitter .

May 21, 2013 at 7:34 pm

this list is so helpful! thank you!

May 22, 2013 at 12:04 pm

I am so glad!

May 22, 2013 at 3:24 pm

May 22, 2013 at 8:56 pm

YAY! Love hearing this!

December 2, 2013 at 7:34 pm

I was wondering if Michele who posted this comment “One method – talk about making a “surprise face” (mouth wide open, tongue tip down) and say “aahhhh”. Then tell the child to keep tongue tip “right where it is” on the bottom teeth, and make the “cough sound” right here, (tapping my throat as a visual). ~Michele, Pennsalvania” had any evidence based practice to support it. After working with a child for 5 weeks and having no luck her tip worked and I was hoping for some EBP to back it up 🙂

January 27, 2014 at 12:58 pm

Love this list- I have tried so many with a very committed fronter! Interestingly, he can produce velars, but only in a blend (kl, kr, gl, gr). I have tried minimal pairs, using colored blocks to represent the sounds and “taking away” the l or r, but have had no luck in shaping it out or eliciting just the velar. He is now in 2nd grade and we’ve been working on this (along with other issues- all other artic issues have resolved) since he was a kindergartener. Suggestions would be appreciated!!

February 6, 2014 at 5:23 am

Hi- I am working with a 4 year old. His language is above average and he’s very smart. He demonstrates phonological processes. We first worked on /s/ blends and he got them immediately and carried them to conversation quicker than I would expect. Now, with fronting, I am having serious problems! I cannot, for the life of me, get a /k/ or a /g/. I’ve tried every single method listed on this site, and NOTHING! He’s starting to get frustrated. The problem is, I’m not sure which sounds to move to next, because the only sounds left in error are later developing sounds. I tried /L/, and he’s having trouble with that too. Any thoughts?

February 6, 2014 at 5:09 pm

Melanie, what phonological approach are you using? Remember…in phonology it is NOT about developmental articulation norms…it’s about the processes. I like to use Cycles and highly recommend Hodson’s books. Regarding the velars…sometimes the child simply isn’t ready…you may need to just take a break on them.

February 20, 2014 at 8:38 am

I am using cycles. It was great for s-blends. His mom wants me to see him twice per week, but I feel like I am wasting my time because he is not stimulable for ANY more sounds.

February 20, 2014 at 1:43 pm

What sounds does he have left?

February 24, 2014 at 5:40 am

The sounds he has left are /k/ and /g/, /l/, /r/, and all /l/ and /r/ blends. I finally got him to stop using /t/ for k…. now he is using a combination of a cough and /h/ sound… i think that is progress, right? I just have to learn to how to shape that into a good /k/.

February 24, 2014 at 10:30 am

It’s tough because k/g can be hard for some kids. Sounds like you are on the right track though!

February 25, 2014 at 9:49 am

May 23, 2018 at 6:56 am

Not sure if the comments are read anymore…but I have a very tricky student. He can say /k, g/ in medial and final positions, and in the initial position…except with /ae/, /I/, /i/ vowels! It is the oddest thing. His attention is pretty poor which doesn’t help. We’ve segmented the words but just can’t get past that stage. He is 4 years old. Any suggestions?

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