Easych · j
Charlie chooses cherries and cheese.
Tongue twisters · tʃ · dʒ
Ch and j
Jam, not ham: j is a ch with the voice switched on.
- Age
- Ages 3–11
- Skill
- Speaking · Phonics
- Format
- Printable
Why this sound is hard
the Spanish trapSpanish has ch but not the English j, so a child reading the letter j uses the Spanish jota — jam turns into ham — or slides into a y, and job becomes yob. Russian has both sounds (ч, and дж as in джем), but its ч is soft; the English ch is harder, and both are said with the lips pushed forward.
Where the mouth goes
Both start with a tiny stop: the tongue presses up behind the top teeth, then bursts, with the lips pushed forward. Ch is whispered, like a sneeze: choo! J is the same move with the voice on — a hand on the throat buzzes on jam, not on chip.
The twisters, easy to hard
Listen slowly first, then at normal speed — then say it three times fast against the stopwatch. Dotted words open the picture dictionary.
Mediumch · j
Jolly jugglers juggle jam jars.
Mediumch · j
Mediumch · j· traditional
Cheap ship trip.
Hardch · j
Chuck chases chickens; Jen jumps for joy.
Hardch · j· traditional
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
One card per twister, no buttons — cut them apart for a twister jar.
Practise the same sound
Train the ear first with a listen-and-pick game, then read the sound in words.
Related resources
Lesson Plan · 45 min
My Town Unit: Extra ESL Activities for Kids
Shops, parks and the way to school: children build a town on the board and guide each other through it.
Flashcards
CVC Words List with Pictures for Kids
82 CVC words grouped by short vowel (a, e, i, o, u), 52 with pictures. Tap any word to hear it. Each word family has games and a printable worksheet. Free.