# Phoneme Practice: /g/ Sound for Toddlers

Little Wheels Talk & Listen provides 25+ minutes of /g/ sound practice through vehicle words, vocabulary themes, and sound-specific games with mic recognition.

## About the /g/ Sound

The /g/ sound is a velar stop consonant—the back of the tongue touches the soft palate (velum) and releases with voice. It pairs with /k/ (voiceless).

### When Children Typically Master /g/
- Emerges: 18-24 months
- Mastered: By age 3-4
- Back sounds develop after front sounds

## /g/ Words in Talk & Listen

### Vehicle Words with /g/
- **garbage truck** - toddler FAVORITE
- **go-kart** - racing vehicle
- **golf cart** - utility vehicle

### Food Words with /g/
- **grape** - fruit
- **gum** - treat
- **granola** - snack

### Action Words with /g/
- **go** - essential verb!
- **get** - acquisition
- **give** - sharing
- **grab** - reaching

### Descriptive Words with /g/
- **good** - positive
- **green** - color
- **great** - praise
- **gone** - absence
- **gross** - reaction

### Animal Words with /g/
- **goat** - farm animal
- **goose** - bird

## How Talk & Listen Teaches /g/

### Layer 1: Vehicle Card Practice
Tap the Garbage Truck (toddler favorite!) to practice /g/ in high-motivation context.

### Layer 2: Category Gateways
Multiple categories include /g/ words for varied practice.

### Layer 3: Phoneme Drill Mode
Select /g/ from the soundboard to see ALL /g/ words across categories. Practice for 25+ minutes on one sound.

### Sound Games with Mic Recognition
Mic-enabled games detect the /g/ sound's voiced velar release.

## Practice Tips for Parents

### Modeling /g/
1. Raise back of tongue to soft palate
2. Build up air pressure
3. Release WITH voice
4. Exaggerate: "guh-guh-GO!"

### /g/ vs /k/ Distinction
- /g/ = voiced (vocal cords vibrate)
- /k/ = voiceless (just air)
- Put hand on throat to feel vibration for /g/

### /g/ vs /d/ (Fronting)
Common substitution: "go" becomes "do"
- /d/ is made at the front (tongue tip)
- /g/ is made at the back (tongue back)
- Practice with visual cues showing tongue position

### Fun /g/ Activities
- Garbage truck play ("Go, garbage truck, go!")
- "Go, go, go!" racing games
- Giving and getting games
- Green color hunts

### Why Garbage Truck is Perfect for /g/
- Highest-motivation vehicle for many toddlers
- Multiple /g/ sounds: "garbage," "go," "green"
- Weekly real-world reinforcement (garbage day!)
- Natural repetition opportunity

## Related Resources
- All phoneme guides: littlewheels.app/llm/phoneme-practice-overview.txt
- Garbage Truck page: littlewheels.app/vehicles/garbage-truck
- Talk & Listen app: littlewheels.app/apps/talk-listen

## About Little Wheels
Little Wheels Talk & Listen provides 25+ minutes of practice per phoneme across 300+ words. Mic recognition games, call-and-response prompts, SLP-informed methodology. One-time $4.99, 100% offline.