Sound of the Week: CH

July 21-25
Sound of the Week: Ch
Theme: Ch

Are you ready for sound of the week /ch/??  When I made the decision to take a break from the letter/sound of the week project...well, let's just say it was a little longer than I had intended!  But here we are.  So, let's hear three cheers for "CH"!

Image from the LiPS Program by Lindamood-BellFrom a speech perspective, /ch/ is a “fat pushed” sound.  Just like /j/, we make /ch/ with “fat” and round lips.  The tongue flattens, trapping the air between itself and the roof of the mouth.  The air is then released in an explosive wide puff.  /ch/ is a quiet sound (no voice).  Hold your hand to your throat as you say it; no vibration from the vocal cords.

For literacy carryover (reading and spelling), talk about "Helper H" joins 'c' to help make the 'ch' digraph (and sound). 

In therapy:  We will be reading about chimps doing the cha-cha, playing with chomping chipmunks, and exploring the speech sound 'ch'.

Suggestions for home:  Sprinkle ‘ch’ throughout the week.  Pick out a variety of activities that appeal to your child (and you!).  Kids learn best through active and meaningful experiences.  And multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• Cha-Cha Chimps  by Julia Durango
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom  by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault  [Kindle Edition]
• Ah-Choo  by Christine Taylor-Butler
• Chugga Chugga Choo Choo  by Kevin Lewis  [Kindle Edition]
• Mac and Cheese  by Sarah Weeks  [Kindle Edition]
• Charlie Who Couldn't Say His Name  by Davene Fahy
• Chicken Said, "Cluck!"  by Judyann Ackerman Grant
• Chicks and Chickens: Learning the Ch Sound  by J. Lou Barnes
• Chicky Chicky Chook Chook  by Cathy MacLennan
• Baa-Choo!  by Sarah Weeks  [Kindle Edition]
• Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden  by Kathy M Miller

For older kids:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  by Roald Dahl
• The Chocolate Touch  by Patrick Skene Catling
• The Chalk Box Kids  by Clyde Robert Bulla

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - CH:  Consider adding some ‘ch’ foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
    chocolate     cheese     chips     chicken     cherries     chops     Chex

    chestnuts     chutney     Chinese take out     chowder     Chop Suey

    chick peas     churros     Chow Mein     chilli     Cheetos     Cherrios

Feeling adventurous?  Make a cherry pie with your child!

ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt:  how many ‘ch’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?

Field Trip:  

• Zoo/Aquarium:  can you find any animals with ‘ch’ in their name?
• Children's Museum

Family Movie Night (watch and then work on story retell activities):

• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Sensory Play:

• Cha-cha-cha!  Learn to dance the Cha-Cha. 
• Chalk!  Sidewalk or inside to practice making letters and drawing.  Or get artsy with spray chalk or scented sidewalk chalk paint.
• Does your child love to play Candyland?  Swap out the cards with these cards targeting /ch/ words made to go with Candyland.
• Get moving with cheers!  Try these or make up your own.
• Play matching games (like memory), saying "match" or "no match".  Check out this outdoor version.
• Checkers or Chess
• Use a butter knife to "chop" playdoh
• make a paper chain (is it too early to start counting down to school???)

APPS

Many apps developed for targeting speech production skills include the /ch/ sound.  Check out my list of speech apps HERE.

Erik X Raj (SLP) has developed several apps for school age children working on speech (the more common persistent speech sound errors, including /sh/), but also incorporating other language skills.  They go beyond many of the 'typical' speech apps available.  Probably not a good fit for preschoolers or children with more involved speech/language disorders, but if your child is ready, give them a look: 

• Charades Articulation
• Listen Close Articulation
• Multiple Choice Articulation
• I Dare You Articulation
• Secret Mission Articulation
• Open-Ended Articulation
• Word Search Articulation

Do you have other ‘ch’ ideas?  I’d love to hear!

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