Jolly Phonics Complete Guide: All 42 Sounds [Free Worksheets & Activities]

If you are looking for the best way to teach your child to read, Jolly Phonics is one of the most trusted and effective programs available today. This complete guide walks you through all 42 letter sounds organized by teaching phase, with links to free printable worksheets and activities you can use right away. Whether you are a parent teaching at home or a classroom teacher, this page has everything you need to get started with Jolly Phonics and help your child become a confident reader.

What is Jolly Phonics?

Jolly Phonics is a systematic, synthetic phonics program developed by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham in the 1990s. Unlike traditional methods that teach letter names first, Jolly Phonics focuses on teaching letter sounds from the beginning, giving children the tools to decode and read words independently. Used in over 100 countries, the program is designed primarily for children ages 4 to 7 and can be adapted for younger or older learners.

What makes Jolly Phonics stand out is its multi-sensory approach. Each of the 42 letter sounds is introduced with a physical action (kinesthetic), a short story (auditory), and a catchy song (auditory/visual) — engaging multiple senses simultaneously to help every type of learner succeed. The program teaches 42 sounds, not just 26 letters, including digraphs like sh, ch, and th, where two letters make one sound.

The 5 Key Skills of Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics builds five essential skills that work together to create confident, independent readers and writers:

1. Learning the Letter Sounds — Children learn the 42 sounds of English (not letter names). For example, they learn /s/ as in “snake,” not the letter name “ess.” Each sound is taught with its corresponding action, story, and song to engage multiple senses.
2. Learning Letter Formation — Alongside each sound, children practice writing the letter or letters that represent it. Correct pencil grip and formation direction are emphasized, connecting reading and writing from day one.
3. Blending (for Reading) — Pushing individual sounds together to read a word. For example, /c/ + /a/ + /t/ = “cat.” This core reading skill is introduced as soon as children know their first few sounds.
4. Segmenting (for Spelling) — The reverse of blending. Children listen to a whole word and break it into individual sounds for spelling. For “dog,” they identify: /d/, /o/, /g/. Critical for independent writing development.
5. Tricky Words — Words like “the,” “said,” and “was” that do not follow regular phonics rules. These are taught separately, helping children recognize the irregular parts while still applying phonics knowledge to the regular parts.

Jolly Phonics Sound Order by Phase

Sounds are not taught alphabetically. They are organized into seven phases, with the most useful and commonly occurring sounds taught first. This allows children to start reading simple words within just a few days of beginning the program.

Phase 1 — s, a, t, i, p, n

These six sounds are taught first because they combine to form many simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. After learning just these sounds, children can already read and write words like sat, pin, tap, tin, nip, pan, sit, and nap. This early success is a powerful motivator.

• The S Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The A Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The T Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The I Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The P Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The N Sound — Worksheets & Activities

Phase 2 — ck, e, h, r, m, d

Phase 2 greatly expands decodable vocabulary. With 12 sounds combined, children can read words like hen, red, mad, deck, mend, trick, and stamp. Note that ck is taught as one sound, appearing in short words like kick and sick.

• The C/CK Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The E Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The H Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The R Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The M Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The D Sound — Worksheets & Activities

Phase 3 — g, o, u, l, f, b

These sounds complete the short vowel set and add common consonants, opening up words like log, fun, big, flag, plug, frog, and bluff.

• The G Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The O Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The U Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The L Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The F Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The B Sound — Worksheets & Activities

Phase 4 — ai, j, oa, ee, or

Phase 4 is a milestone — children begin learning digraphs (two letters making one sound) and long vowel sounds. The sounds ai (as in rain), oa (as in boat), and ee (as in tree) introduce the concept that sometimes two letters work together to make a single sound.

• The AI Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The J Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The OA Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The EE Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The IE and OR sounds — coming soon!

Phase 5 — z, w, ng, v, oo (short), oo (long)

This phase introduces the two versions of oo: the short sound in book and look, and the long sound in moon and food. Children also learn that ng is one sound (as in ring and sing), not two separate sounds blended.

• The NG Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The OO (short) Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The OO (long) Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The Z, W, and V sounds — coming soon!

Phase 6 — y, x, ch, sh, th, th (voiced)

Phase 6 covers some of the most important digraphs in English. Children learn ch (as in chip), sh (as in ship), and both versions of th — the unvoiced sound in thin and the voiced sound in that. The sounds /y/ and /x/ are also introduced.

• The CH Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The SH Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The TH, Y, and X sounds — coming soon!

Phase 7 — qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar

The final phase covers remaining sounds, including vowel digraphs and r-controlled vowels. These are often the trickiest sounds, but by this point, children have a strong foundation. Sounds include ou (out), oi (oil), ue (blue), er (her), and ar (car).

• The QU Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The OU/OW Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The ER Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The AR Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The AIR Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The EAR Sound — Worksheets & Activities
• The IGH Sound — Worksheets & Activities

How to Teach Jolly Phonics at Home

Parents can teach Jolly Phonics effectively at home without any special training. Plan to introduce 1 to 2 new sounds per week, covering all 42 sounds in approximately 5 to 7 months. Keep sessions to 10-15 minutes daily at a consistent time to build a routine. Short, consistent sessions are far more effective than long, infrequent ones.

Engage multiple senses during each lesson: show the letter visually on a flashcard or whiteboard, say the sound clearly and sing the Jolly Phonics song, perform the action for each sound, and let your child trace the letter in sand, salt, shaving cream, or playdough. Form letters with pipe cleaners or write them in the air with big arm movements.

Start blending practice as soon as your child knows the first six sounds (s, a, t, i, p, n). Use magnetic letters or write letters on paper. Point to each letter, say its sound, then slide your finger under the word and blend the sounds smoothly. Begin with simple CVC words: s-a-t becomes “sat,” p-i-n becomes “pin,” t-a-p becomes “tap.”

Keep learning playfully — do sound hunts around the house for objects starting with the day’s sound, form letters with cookie dough, write with chalk on the sidewalk, and use our free printable worksheets linked throughout this page for structured practice.

How to Teach Jolly Phonics in the Classroom

A daily 15-20 minute phonics session should follow this structure: quick flashcard review of known sounds (3-4 minutes), introduce the new sound with story, action, and song (5-6 minutes), guided blending of 3-5 words on the board (3-4 minutes), segmenting practice where children identify sounds in spoken words (3-4 minutes), then independent worksheet or phonics game time.

Differentiate for all learners: give advanced students longer CCVC/CVCC words and decodable readers. Provide struggling learners extra repetition through small-group blending practice and hands-on multi-sensory activities. For English language learners, pre-teach vocabulary from the stories, use picture cards alongside letter cards, and allow extra processing time. Assess regularly with sound checks, blending checks, and simple dictation exercises.

Free Jolly Phonics Resources on This Site

• Jolly Phonics: Teaching Letter Sounds — Complete Guide — Detailed strategies, tips, and printable resources for teaching each sound.
• Free Tracing Letters Worksheets (A-Z) — Letter tracing for every letter of the alphabet, perfect alongside phonics teaching.
• Alphabet Worksheets Collection — Letter recognition, matching, and writing activities.

Each sound page linked in the phase sections above includes free printable worksheets, tracing activities, coloring pages, and word lists. All resources are free to download and print. We regularly add new sound pages, so bookmark this page and check back often for the latest additions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start your Jolly Phonics journey with Phase 1: The S Sound, or visit our complete teaching guide for step-by-step instructions on getting started. Just 10-15 minutes of daily practice will produce remarkable results over time. Your child’s reading journey starts with a single sound — and you now have everything you need to guide them through all 42.