SH Picture Circle Worksheet

A consonant digraph asks a child to hear two letters as one sound, and this sh picture circle worksheet gives first graders six chances to do it. The letters s and h stop being two separate sounds and start working together as the single /sh/ heard at the front of shell and at the end of brush. Students say each picture name out loud, listen for that one sound, and circle the pictures that carry it. Because the pictures are not labeled, the answer has to come from the ear rather than from spotting two letters printed on the page.

The page has two short parts. In the first part, students name six pictures — a shell, a cup, a leaf, a shoe, a brush and an apple — and circle the three whose names hold the sh sound. In the second part they read three sentences with a missing word and circle the word that belongs in the blank. Every choice in that section contains sh, so children have to read the whole word and think about meaning instead of hunting for the digraph. Print it, hand it out, and let students say the picture names to a partner before they pick up a pencil.

What’s Included

• One printable first grade consonant digraph worksheet, ready to photocopy
• Six unlabeled picture items for listening, naming and circling
• Three sentence items, each with two sh word choices
• A complete answer key on the final page

Three Reasons This Helps Kids

• Saying the picture names aloud ties the sound to the spelling, which is exactly what reading a digraph asks a child to do.
• The sentence items carry the skill out of single words and into real reading, so students practice decoding and meaning at the same time.
• Short, uncluttered pages keep first graders working instead of scanning, and the answer key lets them check their own thinking.

Ideas for Teachers and Parents

Use the sh picture circle worksheet as a warm up before a small group phonics lesson, or as a quick check the day after you teach the digraph. Ask students to add one more sh word of their own on the back of the page. At home, hunt through the house for sh objects — a shelf, a dish, a toothbrush — and write the list together. The page also works well as morning work, as an early finisher activity, or in a literacy center where partners take turns naming the pictures and explaining their choices.

Related Resources

• CH, SH, TH Beginning Sounds Worksheet
• Consonant Digraphs Worksheet
• Beginning Digraphs Fill in the Blank Worksheet
• 44 Sounds of the English Language Video Lesson