A Comprehensive Year-Long Jolly Phonics Plan
- Kim Woodford
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
A clear, joyful roadmap for teaching reading with confidence
Jolly Phonics is one of the most trusted, research-aligned phonics programs because it teaches children how reading works—systematically, explicitly, and joyfully.
This year-long plan walks you through:
What sounds to teach
When to teach them
Which Jolly Phonics songs to use
How to structure daily lessons
How to support both early and struggling readers
This plan works for:
Homeschool families
Parents teaching reading at home
Pre-K–2 classrooms
Small-group intervention (even in grades 3–5)
What Makes Jolly Phonics Effective?
Jolly Phonics follows the Science of Reading and is built around:
42 letter sounds (not letter names first)
A specific teaching order
Multisensory learning (songs, actions, movement)
Early blending for reading and segmenting for spelling
Children begin reading real words quickly, which builds confidence and motivation.
The 42 Sounds: Teaching Order (Official Jolly Phonics Sequence)
Group 1
s, a, t, i, p, n
Group 2
c/k, e, h, r, m, d
Group 3
g, o, u, l, f, b
Group 4
ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or
Group 5
z, w, ng, v, oo (short), oo (long)
Group 6
y, x, ch, sh, th (voiced), th (unvoiced)
Group 7
qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar
Daily Jolly Phonics Lesson Structure (15–30 Minutes)
Each lesson should follow the same predictable routine:
Song + Action (introduce or review sound)
Sound Identification (hearing it in words)
Blending Practice (reading words)
Segmenting Practice (spelling words)
Application (reading or writing)
Consistency matters more than length.
Year-Long Jolly Phonics Scope & Sequence
Month 1: Foundations + Group 1 Sounds
Sounds: s, a, t, i, p, n
Songs Introduced:
s – “The snake is in the grass”
a – “Ants on my arm”
t – “The tennis ball”
i – “Inky the mouse”
p – “Puff out the candles”
n – “Nnn, nnn, nnn”
Skills:
Listening for sounds in words
Oral blending (s-a-t → sat)
Beginning CVC words
Correct letter formation (optional focus)
Example Words:
sat, pin, tap, nap
Tip:
Do not rush. Mastery here sets the tone for the entire year.
Month 2: Group 2 Sounds
Sounds: c/k, e, h, r, m, d
Songs Introduced:
c/k – “Castanets click”
e – “Eddy elephant”
h – “Huff and puff”
r – “Rrrrrr”
m – “Mmm mmm”
d – “Ding dong”
Skills:
Blending longer CVC words
Reading short decodable sentences
Segmenting for spelling
Tricky Words Introduced:
I, the, to
Month 3: Group 3 Sounds
Sounds: g, o, u, l, f, b
Songs Introduced:
g – “Gently tap”
o – “Orange”
u – “Uh, uh, uh”
l – “Lllll”
f – “fffff”
b – “Bounce the ball”
Skills:
Reading with confidence
Blending without sounding robotic
Writing simple sentences
Example Words:
flag, blob, golf, lung
Month 4: Group 4 (Vowel Digraphs Begin)
Sounds: ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or
Songs Introduced:
ai – “Rain on the plain”
j – “Jelly on a plate”
oa – “Goat in a boat”
ie – “Lie down and sigh”
ee – “Bee in a tree”
or – “Born with a horn”
Skills:
Long vowel recognition
Reading longer words
Matching sounds to spellings
Important:
Continue reviewing earlier sounds daily.
Month 5: Group 5 Sounds
Sounds: z, w, ng, v, oo (short), oo (long)
Songs Introduced:
z – “Zzzzz”
w – “Ww ww”
ng – “Thing on a string”
v – “Vvvvv”
oo (short) – “Look at a book”
oo (long) – “Pooh at the zoo”
Skills:
Comparing vowel sounds
Hearing ending sounds (ng)
Increasing reading accuracy
Month 6: Group 6 Sounds
Sounds: y, x, ch, sh, th (voiced), th (unvoiced)
Songs Introduced:
y – “Yoyoyoyo”
x – “X marks the spot”
ch – “Choo choo”
sh – “Quiet please”
th (unvoiced) – “Thank you”
th (voiced) – “This and that”
Skills:
Digraph mastery
Mouth positioning awareness
Reading with expression
Month 7: Group 7 Sounds
Sounds: qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar
Songs Introduced:
qu – “Quickly”
ou – “Ow!”
oi – “Oil in the soil”
ue – “Climb the mountain”
er – “Teacher”
ar – “Start the car”
Skills:
Diphthongs
R-controlled vowels
Decoding longer words
Month 8: Tricky Words & Alternative Spellings
Tricky Words:
said, was, have, one, two, come, some
Skills:
Orthographic mapping
Identifying “heart words”
Alternative spellings (ai/ay/a_e)
Month 9: Fluency & Automaticity
Focus:
Repeated readings
Reading with expression
Reader’s theater
Goal:
Sounds and words become automatic, freeing the brain for comprehension.
Month 10: Independent Reading
Focus:
Decodable → authentic texts
Reading stamina
Self-correction strategies
Month 11: Review & Mastery
Focus:
Full sound review
Spelling confidence
Reading growth celebration
Month 12: Summer Reading Support
Focus:
Reading for enjoyment
Audiobooks + print
Journals, labels, recipes, signs
How Much Phonics Each Day?
10–15 minutes: new sound or review
5–10 minutes: blending/segmenting
10–20 minutes: reading practice
Short, consistent lessons are more effective than long ones.
Final Thoughts
Jolly Phonics works because it:
Follows a clear sequence
Engages the whole child
Builds real reading skills—not guessing
Resources from Amazon to get started fast:
When taught consistently, it gives children the tools they need to read for life.
You can also visit the Jolly Learning website, the official website for teaching the Jolly Phonics curriculum.
This Jolly Phonics blog post may include affiliate links to learning materials, books, and resources I recommend for supporting early readers. If you choose to make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share resources I believe are helpful for children, families, and educators.
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