How to Pronounce ‘g’ Sound | Montessori Language Lesson

This pronunciation language lesson is designed for 3-6-year-old children to help them pronounce the letter ‘g’ correctly using its phonic sound.

Learning phonic sounds is important for children as this helps them read faster and more fluently. This is the first step in learning spelling and vocabulary. In our previous video lesson, we learned about phonics, the importance of learning phonics, and the phonic sound of the letter ‘f’. This video lesson is the 8th in a row of learning the sound of letters.

Why is it Important to Learn the Pronunciation Using Phonic Sounds?

Phonics is a proven way of teaching that helps children read effectively. It teaches children to decode letters of the words easily when pronounced verbally and teaches them how words are formed.

Learning phonics helps the child prepare for more complex reading and reciting. It also teaches the science behind word formation and pronunciation to avoid errors that will hinder their communication.

What is the Sound of ‘g’?

The vocal cords pulsate while producing the ‘g sound’ /g/. In other words, to produce the sound of the /g/, the air is prevented from leaving the vocal tract for a split second. When the back of the tongue lifts and presses against the soft palate at the back of the mouth. The sound is pronounced when the air is released. The amount of aspiration used to produce a /g/ is less than that for a /k/.

How to Pronounce the Letter ‘g’ with Examples:

The letter ‘g’ is pronounced in two distinct sounds – hard like g in glass and soft like g in a gem. Let us understand this rule with examples to help the child understand the difference in pronunciation.

An important rule to understand the sound of the alphabet ‘g’ is to pay attention to the letter that follows the letter ‘g’ in the word

Hard g sound

Hard g or /ggggg/ is produced in two ways:

If a consonant follows the letter ‘g’, then the g sound is hard, like in glass, grapes, glove, etc.
If the letter ‘g’ comes at the end of the word, then‌ the ‘g’ sound is hard like in frog, leg, jug, etc.

Soft g sound

Soft ‘g’ sound is produced:

If the letter ‘g’ is followed by the letters ‘i’, ‘e’, or ‘y’ like in gym, gem, giraffe, giant, etc.

Exception: Words like get and give.

How to Introduce the Pronunciation of the ‘g’ to the Child?

Invite the child to the table and tell them, today we are going to learn the sound of the letter ‘g’ produces.
Show the child how the letter ‘g’ looks like and what is the sound of the letter ‘g’.
Say it several times by producing the soft /g/ sound as shown in the video.
Ask the child to repeat the sound after you.
Show the child a picture or miniature of words starting with g such as glasses.
Repeat the sound of g every time while showing the image of the glasses.
Now show another picture that starts with g and again pronounces the letter ‘g’ sound.
Encourage the child to make the sound of ‘g’ whenever the picture is shown to them.

Other Activities to Introduce the Phonic Sound of ‘g’ to the Child

Recite a rhyme that has a hard sound of ‘g’ as in – Green Grass Grows around the Gate. And here we can focus on the sound of ‘g; repeatedly.
Making a grape stack- make balls with green crepe paper and with every ball stack them on each other while emphasizing on the hard sound of g.
Trace out capital and small letters ‘G/g’ on a paper/ rice tray and let the child stick some grass on the capital alphabet and glitter on the small alphabet. Each time the child sticks grass or glitter, speak out loud — /g/ grass and /g/ glitter.
Making a giraffe face on a paper plate and coloring it could be a fun idea while pronouncing the soft /g/ sound.
You can create a sensory bin on the garden theme that can be a playful idea for outdoors during a pleasant day.

You can even create your own activity to introduce the sound of g to the child

Watch the video to learn how to introduce the sound of the letter ‘g’ using words and repeat it many times so that the child can hear and pronounce the words accurately.

How to Pronounce Letter ‘g’