Jolly Phonics Group Four: Sounds, Actions and Words to Read
Group Four of Jolly Phonics teaches the sounds ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or. Each sound comes with a story, an action and a song to help your child remember it, then gets used straight away for blending into real words.
The 6 Sounds in Group Four
rain
Cup your hand behind your ear
jelly
Wobble like jelly
boat
Put your hand over your mouth — oh!
pie
Salute
sheep
Make long ears like a sheep
corn
Make donkey ears
Group 4 is where digraphs (two letters making one sound) start appearing properly — ai, oa, ie, ee and or are five of them. This is a genuine step up in difficulty, since children now have to recognise a pair of letters as a single sound rather than sounding each letter separately.
Words Your Child Can Read After This Group
With these new digraphs added to Groups One to Three, your child can now read words like:
Practising Group Four at Home
- One sound a day, with two minutes of revision of everything learned so far.
- Say pure sounds, not "suh" or "tuh" — see our full guide to how to say each sound correctly.
- Use the action every time. It's a memory trigger, not just for fun.
- Blend as soon as you have three or four sounds from this group — don't wait until the whole group is finished.
This fits inside our full 15-minute daily phonics routine, part of the complete guide to teaching phonics at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sounds are in Group 4 of Jolly Phonics? +
Group 4 is ai, j, oa, ie, ee, or.
What words can my child read after Group 4? +
Words such as rain, jam, boat, tie become readable, along with any words combining these sounds with sounds from earlier groups.
How long should we spend on one group? +
Most children learn about one new sound a day with daily revision, so one group takes roughly a week, followed by ongoing practice while moving on to the next.
Should we move on if my child hasn't mastered every sound yet? +
A little unevenness is normal. If your child is clearly stuck on more than one sound in the group, spend a few extra days revising before moving on, rather than pushing ahead.