Jolly Grammar: What It Is and What Children Learn
Jolly Grammar is the programme that follows Jolly Phonics. It teaches grammar, spelling and punctuation in the same active, multi-sensory way: each part of speech gets a colour and an action, so children can see and label the structure of a sentence. It covers parts of speech, tenses, plurals, punctuation, sentence structure, prefixes and suffixes, and a wide range of spelling rules.
Children usually start it at around age 5 to 6, after a first year of Jolly Phonics.
What Jolly Grammar Covers
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Parts of speech | Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions |
| Tenses | Past, present and future |
| Spelling | Short vowels, vowel digraphs, alternative spellings, consonant doubling, plural endings |
| Punctuation | Capital letters, full stops, question marks, commas, apostrophes, speech marks |
| Sentence structure | Building and parsing sentences, syntax |
| Word parts | Prefixes and suffixes |
| Dictionary skills | Alphabet order, using a dictionary and thesaurus |
How It Works: Colours and Actions
Just as every letter sound in Jolly Phonics has an action, every part of speech in Jolly Grammar has a colour and an action. Nouns are black, verbs are red, adjectives are blue. The colour scheme is the one used in Montessori schools, and it lets children mark up a sentence and see its structure at a glance.
See Jolly Grammar parts of speech, colours and actions.
The Levels
Also see: teaching tenses to kids and punctuation for kids.
| Level | Typical age |
|---|---|
| Grammar 1 | 5–6 |
| Grammar 2 | 6–7 |
| Grammar 3 | 7–8 |
| Grammar 4 | 8–9 |
Each level revisits what came before and adds new parts of speech, spelling patterns and punctuation. See Jolly Grammar 1 vs Grammar 2.
Why Grammar Is Taught This Way
Most children meet grammar as a list of definitions to memorise: "a noun is a naming word". They can recite it and still not use it.
Jolly Grammar works differently:
- It's physical. Doing an action for each part of speech makes the category memorable.
- It's visual. Colour-coding a sentence shows structure instead of describing it.
- It's joined to spelling. Grammar and spelling are taught in the same lesson, so children see how word endings change meaning.
- It's cumulative. Every level revisits earlier content.
How Grammar and Phonics Connect
Jolly Phonics teaches children to read and write words. Jolly Grammar teaches them to build sentences and spell accurately as words get longer:
- Plural rules build on segmenting: box → boxes
- Verb endings build on spelling rules: hop → hopping. See spelling rules for kids
- Prefixes and suffixes extend decoding to long words. See prefixes and suffixes for kids
Children who have done Jolly Phonics move into grammar naturally, because the teaching style is familiar.
When to Start
Start after a first year of phonics, when a child can read simple sentences and write simple words from dictation. Starting grammar before reading is secure usually frustrates children, since they're being asked to analyse sentences they can't yet read comfortably.
Older children who missed it can start at any point after a level check.
For Teachers
Jolly Grammar has structured lesson plans, so teachers follow a consistent weekly pattern: teach, practise, apply, revisit. Teacher training for it is a separate course from Jolly Phonics training. See our Jolly Grammar course.
Classes
Our Jolly Grammar classes follow the programme with small groups and regular written work, for children in Grades 1 to 4. See the Jolly Grammar course for children and teachers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jolly Grammar? +
Jolly Grammar is the programme that follows Jolly Phonics. It teaches grammar, spelling and punctuation using colours and actions for each part of speech.
At what age does Jolly Grammar start? +
Usually around age 5 to 6, after a first year of Jolly Phonics. The levels then run to about age 9.
What does Jolly Grammar teach? +
Parts of speech, tenses, plurals, punctuation, sentence structure, prefixes and suffixes, spelling rules, and dictionary skills.
Why does Jolly Grammar use colours? +
Colours let children label parts of speech in a sentence and see its structure. The scheme matches the one used in Montessori schools.
Do children need Jolly Phonics before Jolly Grammar? +
They need to read simple sentences and write simple words confidently. Jolly Phonics is the usual route, but any secure phonics foundation works.
How many Jolly Grammar levels are there? +
Grammar 1 to 4 for children aged roughly 5 to 9, with further levels used by some providers.
Is Jolly Grammar only for schools? +
No. Parents and tutors use it too, and teacher training is available for anyone teaching English to primary-age children.