How To Teach The J Sound
To make the j sound round the lips and bring them forward. Raise the tongue up so the blade brushed against the bumpy ridge behind the teeth. Turn the voice on and release air over the tongue as you bring your tongue down.
At What Age Should a Child Say the J Sound?
Most English speaking children can say the J sound around age 4.*
How Do You Practice the J Sound?
It depends.
Understanding why your child is having difficulty making this sound is important. A speech therapist can evaluate to make a diagnosis. The words you choose and activities will vary depending on the cause.
Click here to read more about types of speech sound disorders and treatment
Initial J Word List
giant
giraffe
jack
jacket
jam
jar
jeans
jeep
jelly
jellybean
jellyfish
jet
jog
joke
joy
jug
juggle
juice
jump
jungle
Medial J Word List
pigeon
fire engine
danger
magic
Final J Word List
bridge
cage
change
charge
garbage
language
large
page
sausage
sponge
stage
village
Activity Ideas for Practicing the J Sound
Practice Common Words
Write down a list of words with J that your child uses. Think of as many things (nouns), actions (verbs), and descriptive words (adjectives) as you can.
Nouns: jeans, jelly, jeep…
Verbs: jump, jog …
Adjectives: large…
Games and Toys
Look for games and toys that include a lot of J words.
Jump on a trampoline or jump rope
Say “turn the page” as you read a book
Books
Find books that have J words in them.
Think about characters, places, and objects (nouns)
What J action words does it have?
Does the book use descriptive words (adjectives with J words?)
Make your own J word book!
* Resource
McLeod, S. & Crowe, K. (2018). Children’s consonant acquisition in 27 languages: A cross-linguistic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. doi:10.1044/2018_AJSLP-17-0100. Available from: https://ajslp.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2701897