A phonics game is easier to manage when the children already know how to play it. Bingo gives you a familiar routine, a clear stopping point, and plenty of chances to hear students say the words. Keep the group small enough that you can listen.
This CH and SH routine is designed as practice after you have introduced the sound and spelling. Choose the pattern your group is currently learning, then use the game to revisit it.
Preview the pictures before handing out counters
Show the calling pictures and name them together. A child might use a different name for a picture, so agree on the intended word before the game starts. This avoids a vocabulary mix-up getting in the way of the phonics practice.
The SH Phonics Bingo has eight boards and two pages of calling cards. I like this option for a table group because you can spend your time listening to the words. The CH Phonics Bingo follows the same format, which makes it easy to keep the routine familiar when you change the target sound.
Play a short round with a little thinking time
Say the word clearly and give everyone time to repeat it quietly. Ask one child to identify where they hear the target sound before the group looks for the picture. Rotate that job so the quickest responder does not take every turn.
Use counters large enough for your learners to handle comfortably. Show how to cover a picture without sliding the other counters around, then practice clearing the board into a small cup.
Bring the letters back into the game
Picture matching gives children a reason to listen, but you will also want them working with print. After the round, choose two or three called words that fit the spelling patterns your group knows. Write them where everyone can see, point out the digraph, and blend the words together.
Then cover a word and ask children to build or write it. Keep this step brief enough to hear each child’s response. Reading Rockets’ phonics overview explains the value of explicit, systematic work with letter-sound relationships.
Pack one routine for two patterns
If both sounds are in your plans, the CH and SH Digraph Bingo Bundle includes the two games in one 20-page PDF. You can use either game on its own; buying both individual sets as well would repeat the same boards.
Finish by asking each child to read one practiced word. That tiny check tells you more about tomorrow’s group than who happened to win bingo.