Teaching the /g/ Sound: Hard vs. Soft G with Speech Therapy Activities
We are going to practice saying the /g/ sound in words, phrases, and a story today.
Before we start, let’s learn the difference between the hard and soft G.
The letter G can make two different sounds.
Hard g, as in “go”
To make the hard /g/ sound, bring the back of the tongue up to the roof of your mouth. The tongue should tap against the soft spot known as the soft palate. Quickly pull the tongue down and release air over the tongue. Turn your voice on by vibrating your vocal folds. This quick movement, burst of air, and voicing produce the /g/ sound.
Soft g, as in “germ”
The soft g sounds like the letter J sound, but is spelled with a g as in “germ.”
To make the soft g sound, round the lips and bring them forward. Raise the tongue up so the blade brushes against the bumpy ridge behind the teeth. Turn the voice on and release air over the tongue as you bring your tongue down.
We also talked about this when we practiced Initial /j/ Words with Julie in the Jellybean Jungle.
Practice hearing and feeling the difference.
Three of these words make the hard g, and three make the soft g (answers below).
Say each word and tell whether it makes the hard g or the soft g sound.
gorilla
giraffe
game
goal
gem
gingerbread man
Initial G in Words
This initial G game has 15 words that start with the /g/ (hard g) sound.
Practice each one as you follow the path for the girl to get to the ice cream truck.
Tip: Make sure you are making the sound in the back of your mouth, and not in the front behind your teeth like a “d”.
Initial G in Phrases
Look at these cute little ghosts.
Say the following phrases and find the ghost that expresses that emotion.
silly ghost
sad ghost
angry ghost
sleepy ghost
happy ghost
surprised ghost
Can you think about a time when you felt one of these emotions?
Initial G in a Picture Sceen and Short Story
Use the following /g/ words to make up some sentences about the scene below.
Then read (or listen to) the story about the picture.
Picture Scene G Words: girl, gate, goose, garden, goat, gift, garbage collector, garbage truck
Silly Hidden G words: guitar, gumballs, goldfish, gummy worm
Gaby the Gardener and the Goat with a Gift
Gaby was a girl who loved to garden.
Every morning, she gave her garden a good, long watering.
“Good morning, goose!” Gaby called.
Her goose gave a giddy honk and waddled over to the gate, waiting to go for a walk.
Just outside the garden, stood the neighborhood goat.
He had a golden gift.
“Can you guess what it is?” he called out.
“For me?” Gaby giggled.
The goat gave her the gift — it was her favorite game!
Just then, Gavin, the garbage collector, greeted her from across the road.
Gaby waved back. “Good job!” she shouted.
“I just got a new game. Stop by when you’re done if you’d like to play.”
“Sounds good”, he replied. Then he was gone.
Gaby, her goose, and the goat went for a walk while they waited for Gavin.
“What a good, good day,” Gaby smiled.
Wh Questions
(answers below)
1. What does Gaby love to do?
A. Go swimming
B. Garden
C. Go shopping
2. Who walked over to the gate with a honk?
A. The goose
B. The goat
C. The garbage collector
3. What did the goat bring Gaby?
A. A glove
B. A game
C. A garden tool
4. Who greeted Gaby from across the road?
A. Greg the grocer
B. Gavin the garbage collector
C. Gary the gardener
5. What did Gaby do after she got the gift?
A. Took a nap
B. Went to the park
C. Went for a walk with the goose and the goat
Hard G: gorilla, goal, game
Soft G: giraffe, gems, gingerbread
Gaby the Gardener and the Goat with a Gift: B, A, B, B, C