Digraph detective

Digraph detective

Pick a digraph — sh, th, ch, ng — and go hunting. How many times can you spot it hiding in words on a page, a sign, a cereal box? Detective hats on.

Phonics & Sounds Ages 5-8 Medium energy 10-30 mins

Goal

Train your child's eye to spot digraphs in real text — so they stop seeing two letters and start seeing one sound.

You'll need

  • Digraphs & Trigraphs Flashcards
  • Phonics "sh" words list
  • Phonics "th" words list

How to do it

Choose one digraph to focus on — sh, th, ch or ng are all great options. Say it together a couple of times so it's fresh in their mind.

Then hunt. Open a book, use a word list, or scan whatever's nearby — packaging, posters, signs. Every time they spot the digraph in a word, they point and say the sound. Count how many you find.

Keep it relaxed. You're not testing whether they can read every word — you're just training their eye to notice the pattern. That noticing is half the battle with digraphs.

Grab our resources

Print our digraphs & trigraphs flashcards and phonics "sh" words list to get started.