K & G
How to make these sounds:
Back (dorsal) top of tongue touches back top of mouth (velum)
"K" is quiet (voice off), "G" is loud (voice on)
Tips:
Exaggerate your open mouth while you make the sound, and point toward the back of your mouth to show them what your tongue is doing. Have them open their mouths
Find out from your child's speech therapist which strategies work best for them.
Contrast the error with the target. Ex: "You said bat, like the animal that flies. This word is back. See how I opened my mouth and put the back of my tongue up?"
Ways to make this homework easier:
Decrease the speed (keep your voice on, but say the sounds in the words slowly)
Decrease length of utterance (ex: If they can't say "make" correctly, have them just say "K"
Model the word before each of their attempts.
Say the word at the same time as them, with them watching your mouth.
Give more feedback, after each production (ex: "Try again, don't forget to put your tongue up in the back" or "You said "make" with a good "K" sound!)
Switch to modeling the practice words (and emphasizing the target sound) instead of having them produce the word.
Ways to make this homework more challenging:
Increase the speed (no speed-talking necessary, but add natural intonation and speed to their productions)
Increase length of utterance (if they can say the word, see if they can use the word in a phrase, then small sentence, then short sentence, then in conversation)
Give less feedback; wait until they are done (ex: "You said 7 out of 10 of those words with a great "K" sound!")
Expand beyond these relatively simple words. Find more words below, or while reading out loud together. (If you practice in other ways than the weekly assignments above, that's great! You can still click on the homework above and just add a couple words about what you did in the optional "comments" section.)