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Parent / Teacher Guide

Jolly Phonics is for children aged 3 to 6

Jolly Phonics is a thorough foundation for reading and writing. It uses

the synthetic phonics method of teaching the letter sounds in a way
that is fun and multi-sensory. Children learn how to use the letter sounds
to read and write words.
This guide provides advice for parents and teachers. It explains the
principles behind Jolly Phonics so that your understanding of the
teaching, and your ability to help a child, is much greater.
All the material is suitable for use in school. Much of it is also well
suited to use at home; those items have been marked with a * . The
items can be used together, or individually.

Jolly Phonics includes learning the irregular or tricky words such

as said, was and the. Together with these materials you should also
use storybooks.
Parental support is important to all children as they benefit from
plenty of praise and encouragement whilst learning. You should be
guided by the pace at which your child wants to go. If interest is being
lost, leave the teaching for a while and then come back to it later.
Not all children find it easy to learn and blend sounds. Extra practice
will lead to fluency in reading and help your child manage at school.
The five basic skills for reading and writing are:
1. Learning the letter sounds
2. Learning letter formation
3. Blending
4. Identifying sounds in words
5. Spelling the tricky words

Although the skills are covered separately

in this guide they will be taught together.

1. Learning the letter sounds

In Jolly Phonics the 42 main sounds of English are taught, not just
the alphabet. The sounds are in seven groups. Some sounds are written
with two letters, such as ee and or. These are called digraphs. oo and
th can each make two different sounds, as in book and moon, that
and three. To distinguish between these two sounds, the digraph is
represented in two forms. This is shown below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

s, a, t, i, p, n
c k, e, h, r, m, d
g, o, u, l, f, b
ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or
z, w, ng, v, oo, oo
y, x, ch, sh, th, th
qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar

Each sound has an action which helps children remember the

letter(s) that represent it. As a child progresses you can point to
the letters and see how quickly that can do the action and say the
sound. One letter sound can be taught each day. As a child becomes
more confident, the actions are no longer necessary. There is a list
of all of the letter sounds and their corresponding actions on page 8
of this guide.
Children should learn each letter by its sound, not its name. For
example, the letter a should be called a (as in ant) not ai (as in aim).
Similarly, the letter n should be nn (as in net), not en. This will help
in blending. The names of each letter can follow later.
The letters have not been introduced in alphabetical order. The first
group (s, a, t, i, p, n) has been chosen because they make more simple
three-letter words than any other six letters. The letters b and d are
introduced in different groups to avoid confusion.
Sounds that have more than one way of being
written are initially taught in one form only.
For example, the sound ai (rain) is taught first,
and then alternatives a-e (gate) and ay (day)
follow later. Examples can be found in the
Jolly Phonics Word Book.

2. Learning letter formation

It is very important that a child holds their pencil in the correct way.
The grip is the same for
both left- and right-handed
children

The pencil should be held in the tripod grip between the thumb and
first two fingers. If a childs hold starts incorrectly, it is very difficult
to correct later on.
A child needs to form each letter the correct way. The letter c
is introduced in the early stages as this forms the basic shape of
some other letters, such as d . Particular problems to look for are:
the o (the pencil stroke must be anticlockwise, not clockwise),
d (the pencil starts in the middle, not the top),
there must be an initial downstroke on letters such as m and n.
The Jolly Phonics DVD, Jolly Stories and Finger Phonics books show the
correct formation of each letter. A good guide is to remember that
no letter starts on the baseline.
In time a child will need to learn joined-up (cursive) writing. It helps
the fluency of writing and improves spelling. When words are written in
one movement it is easier to remember the spelling correctly. Jolly
Phonics uses the Sassoon Infant typeface which is designed for children
learning to read and write. Many of the letters (such as d and n)
have an exit stroke at the end to make it easier to transfer into
joined-up writing.
(Check your schools policy as many schools do not teach joined-up
writing early on.)

3. Blending
Blending is the process of
saying the individual sounds
in a word and then running
them together to make the word.
For example, sounding out d-o-g and making dog. It is a technique
every child will need to learn, and it improves with practice. To start
with you should sound out the word and see if a child can hear it,
giving the answer if necessary. Some children take longer than
others to hear this. The sounds must be said quickly to hear the word.
It is easier if the first sound is said slightly louder. Try little and
often with words like b-u-s, t-o-p, c-a-t and h-e-n. There are lists
of suitable words in The Phonics Handbook and the Jolly Phonics
Word Book.
Remember that some sounds (digraphs) are represented by two letters, such as sh. Children should sound out the digraph (sh), not
the individual letters (s-h). With practice they will be able to blend
the digraph as one sound in a word. So, a word like rain should be
sounded out r-ai-n, and feet as f-ee-t. This is difficult to begin with
and takes practice. The Jolly Phonics Regular Word
Blending Cards can be used in class to improve this
skill.
You will find it helpful to be able to distinguish between a blend
(such as st) and a digraph (such as sh). In a blend the two sounds, s
and t can each be heard. In a digraph this is not so. Compare mishap
(where both the s and h are sounded) and midship (which has the
quite separate sh sound). When sounding out a blend, encourage
children to say the two sounds as one unit, so fl-a-g not f-l-a-g. This
will lead to greater fluency when reading.
Some words in English have an irregular spelling and cannot be
read by blending, such as said, was and one.

Unfortunately, many of these are

common words. The irregular

parts have to be remembered.

These are called the

tricky words.
5

4. Identifying sounds in words

The easiest way to know how to spell a word is to

listen for the sounds in that word. Even with the
tricky words an understanding of the letter sounds
can help.

Start by having your child listen for the first sound in a word. Games
like I-Spy are ideal for this. Next try listening for the end sounds, as
the middle sound of a word is the hardest to hear.
Begin with simple three-letter words such as cat or hot. A good idea
is to say a word and tap out the sounds. Three taps means three
sounds. Say each sound as you tap. Take care with digraphs. The
word fish, for example, has four letters but only three sounds, f-i-sh.
Rhyming games, poems and the Jolly Songs also help tune the ears
to the sounds in words. Other games to play are:
a) Add a sound: what do I get if I add a p to the beginning of ink?
Answer: pink. Other examples are m-ice, b-us, etc.
b) Take away a sound: what do I get if I take away p from pink? Answer: ink. Other examples as above, and f-lap, s-lip, c-rib, d-rag, p-ant,
m-end, s-top, b-end, s-t-rip, etc.

5. Spelling the tricky words

There are different ways of learning tricky spellings:
1) Look, Cover, Write and Check. Look at the word to see which bit
is tricky. Ask the child to try writing the word in the air saying the
letters. Cover the word over and see if the child can write it correctly.
Check to make sure.
2) Say it as it sounds. Say the word so each sound is heard. For
example, the word was is said as wass, to rhyme with mass, the
word Monday is said as M-on-day.
3) Mnemonics. The initial letter of each word in a saying gives the
correct spelling of a word. For example, laugh - Laugh At Ugly
Goats Hair.
4) Using joined-up (cursive) writing also improves spelling.
6

Storybooks
A child will benefit greatly from a love of
reading for pleasure. This can come from being read to.
Once a child has begun to learn the letter sounds they will be able
to pick them out in words. They should then move on to working out
whole words through blending. As a result it is easier if reading begins
with storybooks that use simple words. The Jolly Readers can be
used to provide this progression.
Once there is fluency in reading, the most important skills for a
child will be comprehension and the understanding of more
words. This can be developed by asking a child questions about a
story they have just read.

About Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics has been developed by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham,
who were primary/elementary school teachers at Woods Loke Primary
School in Lowestoft, England.
Independent studies find that, after one years teaching, children
taught with Jolly Phonics have an average reading age around
12 months ahead of their actual age. Their spelling age is usually
slightly further ahead. Boys typically do as well as girls.

Jolly Phonics is multisensory and has

been developed so the adult can use it
confidently and easily, even at the end of
an exhausting day!
Jolly Learning Ltd is an independent
British publisher, founded in 1987.

The Actions
s
a
t
i
p
n
c k
e
h
r
m
d
g
o
u
l
f
b

Weave hand in an s shape, like a snake, and say ssssss.

Wiggle fingers above elbow as if ants crawling on you and say a, a, a.
Turn head from side to side as if watching tennis and say t, t, t.
Pretend to be a mouse by wriggling fingers at end of nose and squeak i, i, i.
Pretend to puff out candles and say p, p, p.
Make a noise, as if you are a plane - hold arms out and say nnnnnn.

Raise hands and snap fingers as if playing castanets and say ck, ck, ck.
Pretend to tap an egg on the side of a pan and crack it into the pan, saying eh, eh, eh.
Hold hand in front of mouth panting as if you are out of breath and say h, h, h.
Pretend to be a puppy holding a piece of rag, shaking head from side to side, and say rrrrrr.
Rub tummy as if seeing tasty food and say mmmmmm.
Beat hands up and down as if playing a drum and say d, d, d.

Spiral hand down, as if water going down the drain, and say g, g, g.
Pretend to turn light switch on and off and say o, o; o, o.
Pretend to be putting up an umbrella and say u, u, u.
Pretend to be a lollipop and say llllll.
Let hands gently come together as if toy fish deflating, and say ffffff.
Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b, b, b.

ai
j
oa
ie
ee or

Cup hand over ear and say ai, ai, ai.

Pretend to wobble on a plate and say j, j, j.
Bring hand over mouth as if you have done something wrong and say oh!
Stand to attention and salute, saying ie, ie.
Put hands on head as if ears on a donkey and say eeyore, eeyore.

z
w
ng
v
oo oo

Put arms out at sides and pretend to be a bee, saying zzzzzz.

Blow on to open hand, as if you are the wind, and say wh, wh, wh.
Imagine you are a weightlifter, and pretend to lift a heavy weight above your head, saying ng...
Pretend to be holding the steering wheel of a van and say vvvvvv.
Move head back and forth as if it is the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock, saying u, oo; u, oo. (Little
and long oo.)

y
x
ch
sh
th th

Pretend to be eating a yoghurt and say y, y, y.

Pretend to take an x-ray of someone with a camera and say ks, ks, ks.
Move arms at sides as if you are a train and say ch, ch, ch.
Place index finger over lips and say shshsh.
Pretend to be naughty clowns and stick out tongue a little for the th, and further for the th
sound (this and thumb).

Make a ducks beak with your hands and say qu, qu, qu.
Pretend your finger is a needle and prick thumb saying ou, ou, ou.
Cup hands around mouth and shout to another boat saying oi! ship ahoy!
Point to people around you and say you, you, you.
Roll hands over each other like a mixer and say ererer.
Open mouth wide and say ah. (British English)
Flap hands as if a seal and say ar, ar, ar. (Nth Am English)

4
5

qu
ou
oi
ue
er
ar
8

Resources for the home

*Suitable for use at home

My Jolly Phonics*

New!
The My Jolly Phonics kit is an extensive range of Jolly Phonics materials
that have been carefully developed to be used at home and in particular
with children who are at the early stages of reading and writing. The kit
is packed full of multi-sensory resources enabling the child to explore
and learn in a fun and enjoyable way. All items are contained within a
bright canvas case which the child is able to carry.
Also included in the kit is a product guide for
parents, which provides background information
on Jolly Phonics and how the products can be
used in the home.
Items included in the kit:

Jolly Phonics Activity Books 1-7

Jolly Phonics DVD
Jolly Phonics Games CD (Single User)
Jolly Songs
Jolly Stories
Jolly Phonics Letter Sound Poster
Plus FREE triangular grip pencils (red, yellow, blue &
graphite) and an eraser

Jolly Phonics Activity Books 1 - 7*

Let your child discover the letter sounds with Inky Mouse and her
friends, through 7 fun-filled activity books. These 36 full colour page A4
books (including 2 pages of stickers) cover all of the 42 letter sounds.
There is a story for each of the letter sounds as well as the letter sound
action.

In addition each book contains a range of engaging activities including:

Colouring Handwriting practice Puzzles Mazes Games Craft
activities Word & picture matching Flashcards Word lists.
With clear, straightforward instructions children are taken through the
fun activities with minimum adult supervision.
The Jolly Phonics Activity Books guide children through the early stages
of reading and writing in a fun and enjoyable way, building confidence
and gaining essential skills along the way. Ages 3+.

Jolly Stories*

Join the adventures of Inky Mouse and her friends.

Follow them through seven stories as they learn the
42 letter sounds. This beautifully illustrated board
book has 40 spreads, each covering one or two letter
sounds. Each spread has a number of words for
reading and spelling, and a Jolly Phonics action. A
large letter is embossed, so that it can be felt by children.

Jolly Phonics Games CD*

Enter the interactive world of Inky Mouse and her

friends as they help your child to learn to read and
write. With 20 fun activities, children will be able to
practice the five skills in Jolly Phonics. The games
come in different levels, easy, medium or hard, ideal
for children (ages 3-6 years) at all levels of early
reading.

Jolly Phonics DVD*

The DVD covers all the letter sounds and the five
basic skills for reading and writing. There are fun
bonus activities for children, a Using Jolly Phonics
footage for adults and a section explaining the letter
sounds of English, ideal for those learning English as
a foreign or second language.

Finger Phonics Books 1-7*

Ideal to use with your child after watching the DVD.

Each of the seven books deals with one group of
letter sounds. Cut-out letter shapes show childrens
fingers the correct formation, while the actions help
them to remember the correct sound.

Jolly Phonics Magnetic Letters*

A tub of 106 lower case magnetic letters.

Consonants are in red and vowels are in blue.
Contains digraphs.

11

Jolly Phonics Workbooks 1-7*

A fun way for children to build on the skills theyve
learned. The seven books cover simple letter
recognition, joined-up writing and the alternative
spellings of the vowels. Strategies for tricky spellings
and challenging puzzles for developing phonic skills
are also provided. Ages 4+.

Jolly Songs*

A collection of songs set to popular tunes for each of the

42 letter sounds in Jolly Phonics. These songs are sung
by children on the audio CD. Perfect for use at home,
one-to-one teaching or small groups. Includes recordings
of all the 42 letter sounds.

Jolly Phonics
Letter Sound Poster*
A poster showing the 42 letter sounds, each with a
reminder of the action. Useful for home, or classroom
revision with older children.

Stencilets*

Stenciliets help young children with their pencil control

and letter formation. They clip the paper firmly inplace and are made of durable, washable plastic.

Jolly Phonics Puppets*

Bring the Jolly Phonics characters of Inky Mouse,
Bee and Snake to life with these three soft, plush
puppets.

Jolly Phonics Read and See*

These themed word books help children practice

sounding out and blending once theyve learned the
letter sounds. An illustration of each word they read is
hiding under a flap.

Jolly Readers*
Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Interesting storybooks for children who are just ready to read. Controlled
vocabulary enables them to read the words from their letter sound knowledge.
There are only a few essential tricky words, and these are shown at the back
of each book. There are three series, Inky Mouse and Friends, General Fiction
and Nonfiction. There are 6 different books in each series pack.

Jolly Dictionary*
Designed to help children improve their reading and writing, and become
independent learners. The 6,000+ age-appropriate words have carefully
selected definitions that children find easy to read and understand. The awardwinning Jolly Dictionary is beautifully illustrated throughout, often using the Jolly
Phonics characters to help clarify examples.

Divided into 4 colour sections to help children

learn how to use the dictionary

A unique Pronunciation
guide for each word using
joined digraphs and
showing the stress

ard

gh

e of Edinbukr A
o

En
glish

o
Language B

uk

DE
SU

INNER

13

Classroom
Resources

Jolly Phonics
Starter Kit

Everything classroom teachers need to get started with Jolly Phonics. A set of materials is contained
in a bright carrying case for neat and easy storage:

The Phonics Handbook

Jolly Phonics DVD
Jolly Phonics Wall Frieze
Jolly Phonics Cards

The Phonics Handbook

Jolly Phonics Word Book

Finger Phonics Big Books 1-7
Jolly Phonics Letter Sound Strips
JP Alt Spelling & Alphabet Posters
JP Tricky Word Wall Flowers

The best place to start when teaching Jolly Phonics to a class. The Phonics Handbook is a complete
resource for teaching reading, writing and spelling.

Jolly Phonics Word Book

Finger Phonics Big Books 1-7

JP Letter Sound Strips

JP Alternative Spelling
& Alphabet Posters

A bank of words listed according to letter

groups, initial and final consonant blends,
alternative vowel spellings and tricky words.
A set of 30 strips for each child to help them
remember the spelling of sounds. Letter
sounds are on one side and alternative vowel
spellings on the other.

Jolly Jingles

An enjoyable and interactive way to reinforce

the letter sounds and develop reading skills.
Each page gives the words to the Jingle,
the action for the letter sound(s), and the
traditional tune used. Comes with an audio CD
sung by Canadian children.

JP Tricky Word Wall Flowers

Enables teachers to create a bright wall

display reminding students of the tricky words
they have been taught.

Jolly Phonics Pupil & Teachers Books

These big books allow letter sounds to be

introduced to the whole class. They have the
same content as the Finger Phonics books.

A two-poster pack with alternative vowel

spellings on one and alphabet letters on the
other.

Jolly Phonics Cards

Four sets of flashcards for whole-class use:

letter sounds, blending words, alternative
vowel spellings and tricky words.

Jolly Phonics Wall Frieze

Comes in seven illustrated strips which can be

put up together or individually. The strips can
also be cut up into separate letter sounds.

Jolly Phonics Tricky Word Hat

A plush hat that can be used with the Tricky

Word Wall Flowers. Includes a bag of 72 small
velcro pads for attaching the words.

These books can be given to each child who can work through a variety of activities, which develop key
literacy skills. Guidance for the teacher is provided in the Teachers Book.

The Grammar Handbooks 1 and 2

These books introduce grammar, spelling and punctuation for the two years after Jolly Phonics. There
are 36 lessons in each book and lots of photocopiable games and activities. They include actions
for each area of grammar.

Jolly Grammar Big Books 1 and 2

These books allow new grammar concepts to be taught to the whole class.

Jolly Phonics
Classroom Kit

Contains a comprehensive set of classroom resources for teachers to use with

their class. It provides resources for teaching children to read and write from
learning the letter sounds, alternative spellings and tricky words and decodable
reading books. All the items are contained in a bright case for neat and easy
storage.
All these resources in a single box:
The Phonics Handbook
Jolly Phonics DVD
Jolly Phonics Word Book
Jolly Phonics Big Books, set of books 1 - 7
Jolly Phonics Letter Sound Strips
Jolly Phonics Cards
Jolly Phonics Alternative & Alphabet Posters
Jolly Phonics Tricky Word Wall Flowers
Jolly Phonics Wall Frieze
Jolly Phonics Puppets
Jolly Phonics Tricky Word Hat
Finger Phonics set of books 1 - 7
Jolly Phonics Resources CD
Jolly Jingles (Big Book and CD)
Jolly Songs (A4 Book and CD)
Read & See Pack 1 (all 12 titles)
Read & See Pack 2 (all 12 titles)
Jolly Readers Level 1, Complete set (all 18 titles)
Jolly Readers Level 2, Complete set (all 18 titles)
Jolly Readers Level 3, Complete set (all 18 titles)
Jolly Readers Level 4, Complete set (all 18 titles)
Plus FREE PowerPoint presentation CD and 30 Parent Guides

15

For more information

visit our website

www.jollylearning.co.uk

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at jollylearning

Jolly Learning Ltd

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Chigwell, Essex, IG7 6DL, UK
Tel: 020 8501 0405
Fax: 020 8500 1696
Email: info@jollylearning.co.uk

www.jollylearning.co.uk

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Tel: 1-800 488-2665
Fax: (802) 864-7626