/g/ in in the initial position

Practice the /g/ sound with these words:

"gum," and...

"gourd."

To practice /g/ in phrases, ask your child what kinds of gum she sees.  The targets may be, "mint gum," "bubble gum" or "cinnamon gum."

To practice /g/ in sentences, ask your child what she can do with gum.  The targets may be, "I can chew gum," or "I can blow a bubble with gum."

To practice /g/ in conversation, ask your child if she would ever eat a gourd.  Targets may include, "I would never eat a gourd.  Yuck!  I think gourds are gross."

There are plenty of creative tips for making the /g/ sound from gargling water to using a tongue depressor to help push the tongue towards the back of the mouth for the correct movement.  These ideas may not be practical in a grocery store setting, though.  One way to instruct for the /g/ sound is to talk to your child about the movement the tongue needs to make.  The tongue should move backwards in the mouth, and meet the back of the throat (the tongue is really making contact with the soft palate, or "velum," but the back of the throat is easier for a child to understand).  Another way to instruct is using a touch cue.  Have your child feel your throat and jaw area when you make the /g/ sound to help conceptualize the movement.  Then, have her feel her own throat/jaw area while practicing the sound.

Tip: A motivating reward may be to provide your child with gum for strong performance.

What else motivates your child?  Post below!