Jolly Phonics is a multisensory methodology designed to teach children to read and write (literacy) in English in a fun and effective way, from a very young age. Through the use of sounds, gestures, images, and songs, this approach allows children to naturally associate letters with their corresponding sounds, facilitating the learning of phonetic reading. Widely used in many countries, Jolly Phonics is a particularly effective method for the early years of education, helping children develop fundamental phonetic skills that will enable them to read and write fluently.
Jolly Phonics, the teaching of phonemes
Jolly Phonics is based on the teaching of phonemes (the individual sounds of language) rather than focusing on the letters of the alphabet by themselves. Students learn 42 phonetic sounds in English, which include the traditional sounds of individual letters and combinations of letters that produce new sounds, such as "sh", "ch" or "ai". For each phoneme, children learn an action, a song, and an associated image, which facilitates the retention and understanding of the sound. This multisensory approach, which involves the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, ensures that students not only recognize the letters but also understand the sounds they represent and how they combine to form words.
The process is divided into five key skills:
- Learn the sounds of the letters: children learn the phonemes in English instead of the names of the letters.
- Form words: they combine these phonemes to read words.
- Sound identification: children learn to identify sounds at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of words.
- Spelling: through games and activities, they practice writing words using the sounds.
- Irregular words: students also learn the exceptions to the phonetic rules, that is, those words that do not follow the traditional phonetic guidelines.
Advantages of Jolly Phonics
One of the main advantages of Jolly Phonics is its multisensory approach, which involves different forms of learning to help children better understand and retain the sounds of English. Students not only see the letters, but also hear the sound, associate a physical gesture with that sound, and practice it through songs and games. This method, highly interactive, is ideal for children with different learning styles, as each activity appeals to a different modality (visual, auditory…).
Another advantage is that Jolly Phonics teaches progressively, starting with simple sounds and advancing to more complex ones. This allows children to develop a solid foundation in phonetic skills before facing more complex texts. In addition, the use of games and dynamic activities keeps students motivated and engaged, fostering a positive attitude towards language learning.
Jolly Phonics in the classroom
In the classroom, Jolly Phonics is introduced through short and engaging sessions that combine direct teaching and practical activities. A typical day in a class using this method might start with the presentation of a new phonetic sound. The teacher teaches the sound using an image and an associated song, and then the children practice the gesture that represents that sound. Next, the students work on sound recognition games and, finally, try to write simple words using the phonemes they have learned.
Teachers use visual materials such as flashcards, workbooks, songs, and interactive apps that allow children to learn while having fun. The method also encourages group participation and collaboration among students, creating an inclusive and positive learning environment.
Origin of the Jolly Phonics method
Jolly Phonics emerged in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s, developed by Sue Lloyd and Sara Wernham, two teachers who were looking for a more effective and engaging way to teach phonetic reading. Based on their classroom experience, they created a program that involved students through actions, images, and sounds to make learning English more accessible. This approach soon gained popularity due to its positive results, and since then has been adopted in schools around the world, both in English-speaking contexts and in other countries where English is taught as a second language.