Lesson 25: Hh /h/
Help Your Child Learn to Say, Write, and Read with the Letter Hh!
What Will We Learn Today?
Today we’re learning the letter Hh, which spells the soft, breathy sound /h/—as in hat or hot. In this lesson, your child will learn how to say the /h/ sound, write uppercase and lowercase Hh, and blend and read short words, phrases, and connected sentences using this gentle consonant.
How to Make the /h/ Sound
The /h/ sound is an unvoiced, continuous sound made with a quiet flow of air.
Here’s how to help your child say it:
Open your mouth slightly.
Keep your tongue low and relaxed.
Let the air flow out softly.
Don’t turn your voice on—just breathe out: /hhh/
It should feel like a warm breath on your hand.
Articulate
Say it together:
“Let’s say /h/ like you’re blowing on hot soup—/hhh/!”
Try it long and slow: /hhh/
Ask your child to put their hand near their mouth to feel the air.
How to Write the Letter Hh
Grab your whiteboard and marker!
Uppercase H
Draw a straight line down on the left.
Draw another straight line down on the right.
Then draw a horizontal line across the middle to connect them.
Lowercase h
Draw a straight line down.
From the middle of the line, curve to the right and down to make a hump.
Practice writing on whiteboards, tracing worksheets, or finger-tracing on textured surfaces like sand or felt.
Let’s Practice Reading Words
Blend and read short CVC words with /h/:
had – hip – hen – hand – ham – hot – hid – hint – hat – hum – him – husk
Model slowly:
“/h/ – /æ/ – /t/” → hat
Let’s Practice Reading Phrases
the fat hog
a big ham
a hot hut
a hen and a hog
Encourage pointing, sounding out, and reading each word smoothly.
Let’s Practice Reading Sentences
Dad has a big hat.
The husk is big and hot.
Ken has a hat on his hip.
Ken had to hug his mom.
Ask:
Which word starts with /h/?
What did Ken have?
Let’s Practice Reading Connected Sentences
Het has a pet hen.
The hen hid in a hut.
Het is sad.
“Hand me a hint,” said Het to Deb.
“The hen is in the hut,” said Deb to Het.
Het did hug the pet hen.
Ask comprehension questions like:
Who hid in the hut?
Why was Het sad?
What happened at the end?
Color, Trace, and Write
Use printable worksheets where your child can:
Color pictures with /h/ words (e.g., hat, hen, hand)
Trace uppercase and lowercase Hh
Write the letter independently
[Download the Hh Worksheet Here]
Flashcards – Beginning Sound Focus
Use picture flashcards to help your child hear and match the /h/ sound at the beginning of words.
Examples:
hat
hen
hippo
hammer
Ask:
“What sound do you hear at the start?”
“Which letter spells that sound?”
[Download Hh Flashcards – Beginning Sound Set Here]
Conclusion
The /h/ sound may be quiet, but it plays a big part in early reading! Through breathy articulation, writing fun, and reading practice, your child will build confidence and fluency.
Keep listening—and ask your child:
“Can you whisper a word that starts with /h/?”