How to teach jolly Phonics step-by-step

Jolly phonics is one of the most important skills children must master before they start school. It’s also one of the hardest subjects to teach. But don’t worry – we’ve got you covered!

What is jolly phonics?

Jolly phonics is a new method to teach children how to read by teaching them the sounds of the letters. The kids don’t take the traditional 24 letters of the alphabet. Rather, they take 42 graphemes.

how to teach Jolly Phonics step-by-step

What is a grapheme?

graphemes are the sounds made by the letters. This is the table for graphemes in English:

We can classify graphemes in this chart into four categories:

• single-letter graphemes (sounds we shape by one letter)
• Digraphs: sounds that we present by two letters (like tie)
• Trigraphs: Sounds that we present by three letters (like lower)
• Quadgraphs: Sounds that we present by four letters (like a cough)

Teaching graphemes happens according to phases:

Phases take your child from learning letter sounds to reading fluently.

1. phase 1
2. phase 2
3. phase 3
4. phase 4
5. phase 5

Phase 1:

In which he knows the sounds of nature. This is a kind of pre-reading skill for toddlers. We may not go through it in kids’ activities as we are more interested in phase 2.

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Phase 2:

In this phase, the focus is on the perception of sounds. Not all the 42 sounds are introduced directly. Only sounds are made by one letter. Initially, The kid is supposed to be able to see the letter and define its sound (decoding). At the same time, the kid has to know how to form the letter and write it (encoding). In addition, a little blending happens in this stage for some CVC words. Lastly, they learn some highly common tricky words like ‘go’ and ‘the’.

PHONICS SOUND CARDS PHASE2:HOW TO USE THEM EFFECTIVELY?

• Phase two has 5 sets learned in order:

Phase 3:

We introduce the children here to a higher level of difficulty or what we can interpret as sounds that are formed by two different letter sounds coming after each other like /ch/, /oa/, /ai/. Also, we teach children more tricky words like /was/, /me/, /you/ or /they/. Finally, they also learn how to read and blend some CVC words made by these phase 2 and 3 graphemes (graphemes are all 42 phonemes either made by one letter or digraphs or trigraphs).

FREE Download: FREE PRINTABLE PHASE 3 PHONICS FLASHCARDS

• The graphemes of phase 3:

Phase 4:

We expect children now to be more comfortable with blending CVC words. So, we will introduce them now to consonant clusters. These are two consonants following each other like /ng/, /nt/, /st/, /br/. Finally, The students will practice blending CVCC words.

you might like these: OPPOSITES FLASHCARDS WITH PICTURES

• Phase 4 phonics letter sounds:

you might like these coloring pages

Phase 5 phonics letter sounds:

Here the kids take the full year 1 in learning almost the final touches of reading and spelling. At first, we will start teaching them here that some graphemes like /ow/ have two different sounds like in snow or cow. As a fact,  They will learn how not to get confused with that the more they practice and get familiar with the words they use regularly. They will also take some trigraphs like /igh/, and quadgraphs like /ough/ which the children may not be easily able to spell correctly if asked until they use them a lot.

FREE PHONICS WORKSHEETS:

Explore the world of letters and sounds with our FREE printable Jolly Phonics worksheets designed just for little kids! These worksheets are a fantastic and fun way to introduce the joy of reading to your little ones. Packed with colorful images and simple exercises, they make learning phonics an exciting adventure. Whether your child is taking their first steps into the world of letters or needs a bit of extra practice, these worksheets are tailored for their early learning journey. Download your FREE Jolly Phonics worksheets today and spark the love for reading in your little learners!

• CIRCLE THE BEGINNING SOUND
• MATCHING LETTERS TO BEGINNING SOUNDS
• MATCHING LETTERS TO BEGINNING SOUNDS WORKSHEETS FOR PRESCHOOL
• BEGINNING SOUND WORKSHEETS 3

Getting Started with Jolly Phonics at Home

Whether you are a parent supplementing school instruction or a homeschooler starting from scratch, teaching jolly phonics at home is entirely doable with the right approach and a little consistency.

Setting Up for Success

• Create a dedicated space: A quiet, distraction-free area with a small table and good lighting makes learning time feel special and focused.
• Gather your materials: You will need letter flashcards, a whiteboard or paper, and a few simple books with decodable text. Print resources from this page to get started right away.
• Start with the first group: Jolly Phonics introduces sounds in a specific order (s, a, t, i, p, n) rather than alphabetically. This order is intentional — it lets children start blending real words almost immediately.

Daily Practice Routine

Keep sessions short and lively — 10 to 15 minutes daily is more effective than longer, less frequent sessions. Begin each lesson by reviewing previously learned sounds, then introduce one new sound with its action and song. Practice writing the letter while saying its sound, then blend the new sound with known sounds to read simple words. End with a fun activity like a sound hunt around the house.

Tracking Your Child’s Progress

Keep a simple checklist of all 42 sounds and check them off as your child masters each one. A sound is “mastered” when your child can see the letter, say its sound, and write it without hesitation. Celebrate milestones along the way — completing each group of sounds is an achievement worth recognizing. If your child gets stuck on a particular sound, slow down and spend extra time with multi-sensory practice before moving on. Every child learns at their own pace, and patience is your best teaching tool.

For printable phonics resources and more literacy activities, explore our reading and language arts collection.