How to Teach Kids About Digraphs (Fun & Easy Ways)

What Are Digraphs and Why Do They Matter?

If your child has started sounding out words and is now hitting a wall with words like "ship," "chat," or "phone," digraphs are probably the culprit — and the solution. A digraph is simply two letters that work together to make one single sound. The "sh" in ship, the "ch" in chat, and the "ph" in phone are all digraphs.

Understanding digraphs is a natural next step after children have mastered individual letter sounds. It bridges the gap between knowing the alphabet and being able to read and spell real words confidently. Without this knowledge, children often try to sound out each letter separately, which leads to confusion and frustration.

The good news? Digraphs are not complicated once children see the pattern. With the right activities and a little patience, most children aged 4–7 can grasp common digraphs fairly quickly.

The Most Common Digraphs to Teach First

There are many digraphs in English, but you do not need to tackle them all at once. Start with these high-frequency ones:

• sh — ship, shop, fish, brush
• ch — chin, chair, lunch, much
• th — this, that, three, bath
• wh — when, where, wheel, whisper
• ph — phone, photo, dolphin
• ck — back, duck, clock, truck

These appear constantly in early reading books, so mastering them gives children an immediate boost in reading fluency.

When to Introduce Digraphs

Timing matters. Jumping into digraphs before a child is ready can lead to overwhelm, while waiting too long can slow their reading progress.

A child is generally ready for digraphs when they:

• Can confidently identify and say the sounds of most individual letters (not just their names)
• Can blend simple three-letter CVC words like cat, dog, or pin
• Are starting to notice that some words do not follow the simple letter-by-letter pattern

If you have been working through phonics with your child, our CVC 3 Letter Words app is a great stepping stone before moving into digraphs — it builds exactly the blending confidence children need.

Most children are ready to begin digraphs somewhere between ages 4 and 6, though every child moves at their own pace. There is no rush.

A Gentle Way to Introduce the Concept

Rather than explaining digraphs in abstract terms, show the idea visually. Write the letters s and h separately on two pieces of paper. Tell your child that when these two letters are friends and stand together, they stop saying their own sounds and make a brand new sound: "shhhh."

Children find the idea of letters being "friends" charming and memorable. You can even give the pair a little story — "When S and H hold hands, they whisper shhh like they have a secret!"

Fun Activities to Teach Digraphs at Home

The best digraph activities are hands-on, playful, and repeated across different contexts. Here are tried-and-tested ideas that work well at home or in the classroom.

Digraph Sorting Games

Write several digraphs on separate cards or pieces of paper and lay them out on a table. Call out a word (or show a picture of an object) and ask your child to hold up or point to the digraph they can hear. For example, say "shell" and they should point to the sh card.

You can also create simple sorting mats — one column for each digraph — and have children place picture cards in the correct column. This is a great activity for visual learners.

Digraph Treasure Hunt

Write a digraph on a sticky note and challenge your child to find objects around the house whose names contain that sound. Hunting for "ch" words might turn up a chair, a chocolate bar, and the kitchen — a lovely way to connect reading to the real world.

Digraph Flip Books

Fold a small booklet so the pages can be flipped independently. On the left side of each page, write a digraph (like sh). On the right side, list word endings like -op, -ip, -ell, -ark. Your child flips through to make new words and reads each one aloud. It is simple, satisfying, and great for building word families.

Reading Digraph Books Aloud Together

Decodable books that focus on specific digraphs are incredibly useful. After reading a page together, pause and ask your child to spot all the "ch words" or "sh words." This trains them to look for patterns rather than treating every word as a new puzzle. Our post on How to Teach Kids to Sound Out Words (Phonics Made Easy) has more ideas for making phonics practice feel natural and enjoyable.

Teaching Digraphs in the Classroom

For teachers and early years educators, digraphs fit naturally into a structured phonics programme. Here are some classroom-friendly approaches.

Anchor Charts and Word Walls

Create a colourful digraph anchor chart for your classroom wall — one section per digraph, with a key picture to anchor the sound (a ship for sh, a chair for ch, and so on). Encourage children to add new words they discover to the word wall throughout the week.

Digraph of the Week

Rather than introducing all digraphs at once, focus on one per week. Start Monday with an introduction and a few example words. By Friday, children are spotting that digraph in their reading books, their names, and on classroom labels. Repetition over a full week cements the learning far more effectively than a single lesson.

Partner Activities

Pair children up and give each pair a set of word cards. One child reads the word; the other identifies the digraph. Then they swap. Peer-to-peer practice is often less stressful than adult-led drills and keeps everyone engaged.

Digraph Songs and Chants

A short, catchy chant can do wonders for memory. Something as simple as clapping and chanting "SH, SH, ship — SH, SH, shop" helps children internalise the sound pattern. If you play it at the start of each phonics session, children will often start chanting it spontaneously — which is exactly what you want.

Using Technology to Reinforce Digraph Learning

Screens are not the enemy of phonics — used well, they can add variety and motivation to practice sessions. Look for apps and digital tools that:

• Focus on letter sounds rather than letter names
• Include audio so children hear the correct pronunciation
• Offer short, focused sessions rather than open-ended play

If your child is still building their foundational letter knowledge alongside digraphs, the Alphabet Recognition app offers engaging drag-and-drop activities for both capital and lowercase letters — a solid base to return to whenever a child needs a confidence boost.

Keep screen sessions short (10–15 minutes) and follow them up with a physical activity, like the treasure hunt or flip book described above. Mixing digital and hands-on practice tends to produce the best results.

Practical Takeaways for Parents and Educators

Digraphs do not need to be a source of stress. Here is a quick summary of what works:

• Start with the most common digraphs — sh, ch, th, wh — before moving to less frequent ones like ph or gh.
• Make it visual and physical. Letter cards, sorting mats, and flip books give children something to touch and manipulate.
• Use real words in context. Isolated drills are less effective than spotting digraphs in books, labels, and everyday conversation.
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Children need to encounter a new sound pattern many times before it sticks. One lesson is never enough.
• Celebrate small wins. When your child reads "chair" correctly for the first time, make a fuss. Confidence is a huge part of reading progress.
• Do not rush. Some children will fly through digraphs in a week; others will need a month or more. Both are completely normal.
• Connect to writing. Once children can read a digraph, encourage them to use it in their own writing — even invented spelling attempts help reinforce the pattern.
• Keep sessions short and positive. Five enthusiastic minutes beats thirty reluctant ones every time.

Digraphs are one of those milestones that, once clicked, genuinely transform a child's reading. Words that looked impossible suddenly become readable, and that moment of realisation is one of the most rewarding things to witness as a parent or teacher. Enjoy the journey — it is closer than it might feel right now.

Further reading: For evidence-based guidance on how children learn to read, see Reading Rockets.