How to Teach wh to Young Kids
THE WH DIGRAPH:
The digraph that I am going to discuss today is wh. The sound of wh is hw. It is a combination of the sound of h and w. First you round your lips then open it wide and blow the air with the sound wah. Just like the sound of someone who is surprised.
It is important for the kids to know the sound of w and h then explain to them how to blend both sounds to form a distinct sound which is sounded as hw. When the children learn to sound out every letter, reading phonics becomes easier for them.
The sound of wh is hw....
Let’s read words that have the initial wh:
- what
- when
- which
- where
- whip
- who
- whose
- whisk
- whose
Recommended Reading:
- How to Teach the l blends to Young Kids
When we put together two consonants, we form a sound called consonant blends. The l blends are initial blends because they are found at the beginning of the word like fl in flower and bl in black. - How to Teach the R Blends to Young Kids
The R blend is the contrast of the L blend so it is good if you pair both blends in the activity sheets that you let the children do. Contrast is a good way to teach the kids about word association. - How to Teach the Consonant Digraphs nk and ng
Digraphs nk and ng are digraphs found at the end of words. Before introducing the words with nk and ng; remember to teach the children how to blend the letters to form a distinct sound. - How to Teach Hard and Soft th to Young Kids
Th could be hard or soft. It could also be initial, medial or final. But for young kids; you only teach the simple topics so as not to confuse and bore them.
ACTIVITIES FOR wh DIGRAPH:
Reading
Reading is a must activity for young learners since this will teach them to read more fluently. The more the children read, the more fluent they become in reading. One more advantage of reading activity is that the children will be trained to understand what they are reading especially if you explain the meaning of what they are reading.
To make reading more alive and interesting for the young readers, always do the choral reading before the individualized reading. The choral reading will help the slow readers and shy kids gain more confidence in them.
Copying
Always let the children copy what you have taught them. This activity will not only train the children to copy properly but it will also help them retain what they have learned.
Story Telling
Story time is a fun activity that young children love to do. Whether they are listening to you relate a story or they are reading the story; this is a very helpful activity that will enhance learning for young kids.
Here’s a short story for the kids to read.
Why Did the Whale Whine?
There was once a pretty whale that lived by the wharf. The whale loved to watch as the water whooshed and whisked over the wharf.
One day, a very strong wave was whooshing and whisking like a mad elephant. The whale was frightened and scared.
The strong wave didn’t stop so the whale went for cover behind the wharf.
Suddenly, the strong wind rushed like a big whip and the whale whined. All the other whales rushed to see who made the sound.
The short story contains several words with consonant blends. You can ask the children to identify these words. These are why, pretty, whale, whine, there, wharf, watch, whooshed, whisked, strong, whooshing, whip, whined, whales, rushing, frightened, scared.
When the children can identify the words with consonant blend; this shows that they have understood their lessons.
Do not forget to ask questions to the children. This will further enhance learning. Asking questions can be oral or written. Either way, both are effective methods of teaching young children. Sometimes the children are already too tired to copy and answer very long sentences so you can let them answer orally.
Reciting rhymes and poems
Keep the poem or rhyme short if you want the children to have fun reciting the rhyme or poem. If possible, let the kids read the rhyme or poem and let them have fun with the words they read. This will help them learn more about the initial wh.