'CH' Words: 40 Digraph Words (Chip, Lunch, Watch)
40 ch words your 6- to 8-year-old can hear, spot, read, and sort by position — chip, lunch, watch — in a 10-step session with munch-and-crunch games and a tricky-ch detective round.
Ch words: the letters ch teaming up to make one /tʃ/ sound, as in chip, lunch, and watch. This 10-step parent-led session teaches 40 of them — 16 with ch at the start, 8 in the middle, 16 at the end — for ages 6–8.
The short version
- Ch is a digraph: two letters, one sound — /tʃ/, as in chip, lunch, watch.
- All 40 words are verified true /tʃ/ words, sorted by position: 16 start, 8 middle, 16 end.
- Sorting by position turns memorization into pattern-spotting.
- Munching games keep repetition joyful for ages 6–8.
- A short "tricky ch" round (school, chef) labels the exceptions.
- Age
- Ages 6–8
- Prep
- 10 min
- Play time
- 30 min
- Mess
- Low
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Where
- Indoor
Why kids love this
Every ch word earns a bite of snack, ending with your child crowned CH Champion. The list is sorted by where ch sits in each word — a real "aha."
What you'll need
- 40 word cards (words below, one per card, face-down); 3 baskets; a hand mirror
- A bowl of crunchy snacks (crackers, apple slices, popcorn); paper and crayons
Before you start
Write the 40 words on cards, set the baskets in a row, and shuffle the cards face-down. Practice ch yourself first: say "chip" and feel the burst of air — short and punchy, unlike smooth sh in "ship." Keep it a game, not a test. Funny wrong answers are welcome.
How to do it
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Meet the ch (mirror check). In the mirror, make the ch mouth together: lips rounded and pushed forward, a tiny pop of air — "ch!" Compare with sh: lips rounded, air flowing smooth and long. Say "chip, ship, chip, ship" and feel the difference on your palm.
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The choo-choo warm-up. Be trains: "ch-ch-ch-ch!" in short puffs while chugging around the room. After a few laps, feed the sound into real words: "choo-choo — ch-chip, ch-cheese, ch-chair!"
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Position sort: build the 40-word list. Flip the cards one at a time, read each together, and ask: "Where does the ch live — start, middle, or end?" Sort into the three baskets — CH at the START (16): chip, chat, chin, chair, cheese, check, cherry, choose, chick, chalk, chimney, chest, chicken, child, chunk, charm; CH in the MIDDLE (8): teacher, kitchen, merchant, crutches, inches, luncheon, archery, butcher; CH at the END (16): lunch, watch, catch, match, peach, branch, bench, punch, munch, crunch, patch, ditch, fetch, stitch, ranch, witch. Read each basket back. Same sound every time — it opens, hides inside, or closes the word.
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Munch and crunch munching game. Hold up a card and read it together — if it's a ch word, your child crunches one snack, saying it between bites: "MUNCH!" Sneak in fakes (cat, dog, run, big): no ch, no bite.
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End-ch lineup race. Line the END-basket cards in a row and time how fast your child reads all sixteen — then shuffle and beat their own record.
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Middle-ch treasure hunt. Hide the eight MIDDLE-basket cards around the room. Give clues that don't name the word: "Find the one whose ch is in the middle — the person who helps you learn!" (teacher). Then your child hides cards and makes clues for you.
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Tricky-ch detective round. Say these aloud and play detective: school, chef, chorus, character, stomach. The ch is there, but the sound is an impostor — /k/ in school, chorus, character, and stomach; /sh/ in chef. Sort them into their own pile — most ch words say /tʃ/ like chip, but a sneaky few don't. Meet the rest of the digraph family in alien words phonics practice, where sh, th and ng get their own silly word groups.
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Draw-as-you-say sketch cards. Pick six favorite ch words. Your child draws each one while saying the word on every stroke: "ch-ee-se" while drawing the cheese. Tape the sketches on the fridge.
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Ch-ch-charades. Act out ch words for each other to guess: chomping a chip, pointing at your wrist then eating popcorn for watch, pecking like a chick. No talking until someone guesses.
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CH Champion round-up. Quick-fire finale: read all 40 cards as fast as your child can, then they read them back. End with the oath: "I am the champion of CH! Chip, lunch, watch — I've got them all!" High five.
Make it easier
Use just the START and END baskets; save middle-ch words for another day. Skip Step 7 — exceptions make more sense once the main sound is solid. Read each card yourself first and let your child echo it. If single sounds are still shaky, review single-letter sounds first before tackling digraphs.
Make it harder
Sort by ear: you read the word, they call "start, middle, or end." Dictation: you say a ch word, your child writes it, then checks the card. For the next phonics pattern after ch, try our a_e words list. Sentences from three baskets: "The child ate lunch with the teacher."
Other ways to play it
- Ch chomp monster: "pounce" only on cards with ch.
- Ch ball toss: a new ch word on every catch, no repeats.
- Bedtime ch whisper: whisper the START basket at lights-out.
How it changes by age
- At 6–8, children meet digraphs in early chapter books and spelling lists. The position sort turns a memorization list into a pattern they can see. Ages 4–5 can join Steps 2, 4, and 9 as sound games.
What they're learning
The ch digraph makes /tʃ/ — as in chip, lunch, watch. Positional awareness: the same sound opens (chip), hides inside (teacher), or closes (lunch) a word. Listening for sounds, not letters, via the Step 4 fakes. Keep building with our cvc words list and the phonics hub for what comes next.
Clearing up
Say ch as one short sound: chip, not cuh-hip. Reading ch as /k/ (like school)? Return to Step 1 — the sh/ch mix-up is the most common. One detective round is enough; the 40-word list is the real prize.
Questions parents ask
What is the ch digraph?
How do you teach ch words to a 6-year-old?
What are some examples of ch words for kids?
Why does ch sometimes sound like k?
How is ch different from sh?
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