How to make the “c/k” sound:

• Tell the child to bring the back of their tongue(called the dorsum) up to the back part of their mouth(called the soft palate).  Lifting up the back part of our tongue stops the airflow from coming out of mouths!
• Turn off  your voice ( voice is the rumbling in your vocal folds.  Have your child/client place their hand on their/your neck during the production of “c/k” and “g”, and have them feel the difference between the two.  In the production of “c/k”, there should be no rumble or voicing.  While in the production of “g”, there should be a rumbling or voicing.)
• Next we lower our tongue and push air out explosively at the same time!

Tricks and Tips for producing the “c/k” sound:

• Tell the child we are going to trap the air from escaping using the back of our tongue.  We need to make a hump or a hill using the back of our tongue and bring it to the roof of our mouth.
• A fun and tasty way to teach the child where to put their tongue for a “c/k” production is to put some Nutella, peanut butter, sour candy gel, or any other spreadable food they enjoy on the soft middle portion of the back of the mouth(soft palate).  Once the child has felt the spot a few times, have them try to blow out air while lowering the tongue at the same time!
• If your child is replacing their “c/k” sounds with “t” sounds. (“tat” for cat”), try using a tongue depressor to hold down the tip of their tongue which should also help the back of their tongue rise up. 
• Place your hand where the child’s jaw and neck meet, and during “c/k” productions, lightly push up to help remind them to raise the back of their tongue.
• Because “c/k” sounds similar to a cough, try practicing manners and speech in the same activity!  Have the child pretend to cough into their elbow or a tissue.
• To visually show the child how we explosively release air from our mouths to produce the “c/k” sound, hold a piece of string in front of their mouths, and have them try to move the string with the release of air.  It is important to remind them to remember to use their voicing during this activity!
• If you have a board game that uses a spinner, have the child see if they can move the spinner using the explosions of air from their mouths.
• Have the child tilt their head back and look up at the ceiling.  By doing so, our tongues tend to fall into the back of our mouths into the position we need to make the “c/k” sounds!