CH sound practice for kids

CH starts like T and ends like SH: the tongue briefly blocks the air behind the top teeth, then releases it with rounded lips — the sound of a sneeze or a train.

"Choo-choo!" is the easiest possible warm-up. Pairing a quick T with SH (t-sh, t-sh) shows how the sound is built.

Common swaps are SH for CH ("sheese" for cheese) or T/TS ("tsair" for chair).

Many U.S. children produce CH reliably somewhere around age 4 to 5.

Every child is different, and age ranges from research are guides, not deadlines. If your child is frustrated, hard to understand, or you're unsure, ask a speech-language pathologist.

Start with words your child already knows and likes. Mix positions once the start of the word feels easy.

• Say the word clearly and a little slowly — let your child hear it first
• Invite one or two tries; no more than that per word
• Praise the effort ("great try!"), not only the perfect ones
• Ten words is a full session — stop while it's still fun
• Same time most days beats a long session once a week

Line up chairs or pillows as train cars. Each CH word adds a car; finish with the whole train chugging around the room.

In SoundSprout, CH is the world of Bramble Burrow, guided by Bo the Badger. Pick it as your child's practice sound and they get a new ten-word mission every day, with each word modeled by a warm narrator. SoundSprout is not speech therapy. It does not diagnose, evaluate or treat speech disorders, and it does not replace a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). It supports home practice.