You’ve reached the tomb, and it’s time to get the treasure! Do you play it safe and take the small pieces of treasure, or risk it all to go for the big score? Every correct answer brings you closer to a golden haul, but one wrong move, and your treasure could vanish through a trapdoor!

In this version, students examine each image and identify the correct digraph that appears in the matching word. Featuring the digraphs /ng/, /sh/, /ch/ and /th/, this game helps build phonics skills and decoding confidence as students learn to recognise common sound patterns and apply them to real-world vocabulary.

Let’s Steal – Which Digraph? NG, SH, CH, TH is ideal for Year 1–2 students learning to identify and apply consonant digraphs. Use it in phonics lessons, literacy centres, or as an engaging independent task using the QR code to reinforce spelling and reading skills in an exciting, risk-and-reward format.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify digraphs /ng/, /sh/, /ch/, and /th/ in common words
• ✅ Strengthen phonemic awareness and decoding skills
• ✅ Improve visual and auditory recognition of sound patterns
• ✅ Build confidence in spelling and word recognition
• ✅ Engage in interactive, high-interest gameplay to support phonics learning

How to Play:

1. Students are shown an image and asked to choose the correct digraph that appears in the related word.
2. A correct answer earns a piece of treasure, which they can choose to keep or risk for a bigger reward.
3. If they answer incorrectly while taking a risk, they lose any unbanked treasure through the trapdoor.
4. The game continues until all questions are answered, with players collecting as much treasure as possible along the way.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during phonics blocks or literacy rotations to target consonant digraphs
• 💡 Great for Year 1–2 students working on spelling and decoding tricky sound patterns
• 💡 Pair with hands-on activities like word sorts or sound hunts focused on the featured digraphs
• 💡 Follow up with writing tasks where students use words containing /ng/, /sh/, /ch/, and /th/

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Let students personalise their experience by choosing from six characters before the game begins
• 💛 Select the number of players or teams at the start of the game to suit individual, paired, or group play
• 💛 Send the QR code home for students to play as a homework or revision task

Let’s Steal – Which Digraph? NG, SH, CH, TH turns phonics practise into an adventure where students earn treasure by identifying the sounds that power their reading success!