The Best Ways to Practice the CH Sound

Today we’re talking about one of those sneaky consonant digraphs that kids often struggle with. Have you ever had a student confidently read chip as ship or mix up chair with share?
If so, you’re definitely not alone. The CH sound is one that can trip up even your strongest young readers and writers.

Words with the CH Sound: Teaching Ideas — You’ll love using these decodable readers in your classroom!

For classroom teachers working hard to build strong phonics foundations, mastering words with the CH sound is an important step in helping students connect spelling to sound. Once my students have mastered most letter sounds, we typically move onto blends and digraphs. You can help boost their confidence at both the word level and the sentence level by teaching the CH sound explicitly.

Today, we’ll explore:
1. The different sounds of CH in English words
2. Some practical ways to help young children decode and encode CH words
3. Low-prep ideas for articulation and spelling practice
4. Ready-to-use tools and word lists you can bring into your classroom

I’ll also share a fun, low-prep resource that can make phonics practice simple, structured, and effective for all your students.

Why is CH So Tricky?

The CH digraph looks simple. It’s just two letters with one sound. However, in the English language, it doesn’t always behave consistently.

Classroom teachers and speech-language pathologists know that CH can represent different sounds depending on the word’s origin. Notice in the notes below that different languages influence sounds.

Here’s a quick comparison:

/ch/ as in chair, chip, lunch, and teacher (most common in English words)

/sh/ as in chef, parachute, and machine (words of French origin)

/k/ as chorus, character, school, and anchor (words of Greek origin)

To be honest, I didn’t even think of these different sounds myself until I started writing this blog post. I often forget how confusing our language is until I’m teaching my Parent English Class! It’s no wonder that kids get confused. When they are first learning to read and spell, they often rely on patterns and CH is a rule breaker!

Besides that, many elementary kids also struggle to hear the difference between these sounds. For children with articulation or phonological disorders, the CH sound can be especially tricky. Speech therapists and speech-language pathologists often include CH in their early articulation targets and minimal pairs work.

In other words, teaching CH requires explicit phonics instruction. Hopefully, you have a Science of Reading-aligned curriculum to help guide you. It also requires clear articulation modeling so students can connect how the sound feels in their mouth with the letters they can see on the page.

Teaching the CH Sound the Science of Reading Way

Again, when it comes to teaching specific speech sounds like /ch/, explicit and systematic instruction is key. Here’s a classroom-tested approach that combines phonics, speech awareness, and fun:

1. Start with sound discovery

Begin by helping students hear and feel the CH sound. Use a sound wall like this UFLI-Aligned Sound Wall with Mouth Pictures—to show the mouth shape and airflow. Students can look in mirrors and notice that the tongue touches the ridge behind their teeth and releases air suddenly: ch, ch, ch.

Pro tip: Encourage students to “catch” the sound with their hand in front of their mouth to feel that puff of air! I always use the Sound Wall to introduce new sounds to my students. It can be so helpful to have them feel the way their air is blocked and then released with a stop sound or to feel their throat to determine if it is voiced or unvoiced. If you want to learn more about the Sound Wall, head here.

2. Introduce the CH digraph

Use visual aids and word cards to show that C + H make one sound. Explain that CH is a consonant digraph, not two separate sounds. You can look at simple words and the word position.

Display printable spelling lists or curriculum word lists that feature CH in the initial, medial, and final positions:

Initial position: chair, chip, cheese, cherry
Medial position: teacher, kitchen, catcher
Final position: lunch, beach, peach, torch

You can create a word document or use Spellzone course lists for quick reference.

3. Build connections through decoding and encoding

Once students can identify the sound, move to word level decoding. Have them read short simple sentences that include CH words, like:

“The chip is on the bench.”
“The teacher ate lunch.”

Then switch to encoding. Dictate a few CH words and have students spell them. The back-and-forth between reading and spelling really reinforces their understanding of how letters represent sounds.

4. Reinforce with decodable readers

The easiest way to give students meaningful practice with CH words is through decodable readers that include the target sound in context.

Your students will love the Science of Reading Aligned Decodable Readers: Digraphs Set—each story features controlled text that highlights digraphs like CH, SH, and TH.

These books are:

Perfect for home practice or small-group instruction
Great for private practice or speech therapy sessions
Aligned with the Science of Reading (no guessing, just decoding)

And yes, they include lesson plans, word lists, and printable materials so you can focus on teaching, not planning.

If you’re just getting started, don’t forget to grab the FREE short vowel decodable readers set from my home page. It’s the perfect way to see how your students are reading before the digraphs!

Words with CH Sound Tips: Add movement and play

Learning sound words shouldn’t feel like a worksheet marathon. Try these creative ways to make CH practice engaging:

Tongue twister challenge: “Chad chose a cheese chunk.” This is such a fun way to sneak in articulation practice. Try thinking of your own or let the kids come up with some!
Articulation word lists + drawing: Students illustrate CH words they read aloud. The CH can be at the end or beginning of a word.
Online games or card centers: Try this Editable Math and ELA Card Game to easily create CH sound games that kids can play during small groups!.
Center rotations: Mix in hands-on CH spelling practice with your Science of Reading Centers Bundle.

Your elementary kids will have a blast while reinforcing sound-spelling connections. The best learning happens when it’s both fun and meaningful!

Words with CH appear everywhere in everyday language, from “lunch” and “teacher” to “chocolate” and “bench.” By giving your students structured, sequential practice, you’re setting them up to succeed not only in reading class but across subjects. Your students will feel great about tackling a list of words or common words in the texts they are reading.

Other simple ideas to help you Incorporate CH practice:

Morning message: Highlight new words with the CH sound.
Centers: Rotate CH reading, writing, and sorting activities using different words.
Word study: Compare CH to SH or TH as part of a minimal pairs lesson.
Anchor charts: Create an anchor chart with your first grade or kindergarten students with great explanations of the digraph.

And when your students start spotting CH words during independent reading? Celebrate it! That’s a sign they’re transferring their phonics and language skills into real reading fluency.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to simplify your digraph instruction while keeping it Science of Reading-aligned, check out the Science of Reading Aligned Decodable Readers: Digraphs Set.

Each reader targets a specific phonics pattern (including CH, SH, and TH) and pairs perfectly with word cards, spelling lists, and home practice pages.

Don’t forget, you can grab the free short vowel decodable readers to start your sound-spelling journey. Then move seamlessly into the CH digraph set when your students are ready!

And if you’re looking for a complete year of sequential, decodable reading practice, don’t miss the Science of Reading Decodable Readers Mega Bundle. It’s a total time-saver for teachers who want to build a strong phonics foundation, one sound at a time.

Teaching the CH sound doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right visuals, structured word lists, and decodable practice, you can help your students master this common (but tricky!) digraph in no time.

Whether you’re introducing CH in kindergarten or reinforcing it with elementary students, remember: