Teaching Digraphs Sh, Th, and Ch through Multi-Sensory instruction
Some children struggle with learning digraphs when they begin to read. They sometimes confuse the sounds of sh, th, and ch. Consonant digraphs occur when two consonants that are next to one another represent a single sound. The most common consonant digraphs are: sh, ch, and th.
Teaching digraphs is fun and effective for children if we teach them using multisensory activities. Using salt dough or play dough gives a 3 D representation of the diagraphs which often helps students remember these letter combinations better. Another helpful multisensory activity is to make tactile letters using sandpaper or felt. I have included a play dough mat in each multi-sensory digraph pack I made. Also,as an educator, I find it helpful to to have key pictures and words to associate with these tricky sounds. I designed posters specifically for introducing this concept to students. If you would like to use them in your classroom or homeschool you may download the for free here
Other great activities to practice digraphs can be found in the Multi-sensory packs I made for teaching my students. There are a lot of activities available out there, but many activities focus just on the auditory aspect of the diagraphs. I designed my practice packs so that my students must decode the words in the worksheets.
I specifically used short vowel words with diagraphs so students must read the words and pay attention to the vowels and not just match pictures. I also have included a specific phonemic awareness word list and sound mat for teachers to help children to focus on the sounds in words. If you would like to use these materials with your students please go to my store and check them out for yourself. Here is the bundle of all 3 packs and each pack is also sold separately.
