Jolly Phonics Letter Formation: Pencil Grip, Letter Families and Common Mistakes
Letter formation is the second of the 5 skills of Jolly Phonics: learning to write each letter correctly, starting at the right place and moving in the right direction. Children learn the formation of each letter at the same time as its sound, first in the air, then by tracing, then with a pencil. Jolly Phonics teaches a relaxed "froggy legs" pencil grip and a clear starting point for every letter, so that handwriting is neat, quick and easy to join later.
This guide covers the pencil grip, how letters are grouped by shape, the most common formation mistakes and how to fix them. It's part of our guide to the 5 skills of Jolly Phonics.
Why Letter Formation Has to Be Taught
Children don't learn correct formation just by seeing letters. A letter that looks right on the page may have been drawn backwards, from the bottom, or in several separate strokes. These habits slow children down and make joined handwriting much harder later. Once a habit is set, it's difficult to change, so correct formation is taught from the very first sound.
The Jolly Phonics Pencil Grip
Jolly Phonics teaches the "froggy legs" grip: the pencil rests between the thumb and first finger, with the other fingers tucked underneath. The hand rests on the table and the child sits upright.
Signs of a good grip: relaxed fingers, the pencil moving easily, and the child can write for a few minutes without complaining of a sore hand.
How Letters Are Taught
For each new sound, children:
Watch the teacher form the letter on the board
Air-write it with their finger, saying the formation aloud
Feel it, by tracing a raised or textured letter, or in sand or salt
Trace over dotted letters
Write it independently
With this approach, most children form their letters correctly after about the first twelve weeks.
Letter Families: Grouping Letters by Shape
Many letters start with the same movement. Teaching them as families helps children form them correctly.
"c" family
Start at the top, curve round anticlockwise
c, a, d, g, o, q
Down-and-up
Straight down, back up, and over
r, n, m, h, b, p
Long ladder
Straight down, sometimes with a flick
l, i, t, j, u, y
Zigzag
Diagonal strokes
v, w, x, z, k
The letter c is especially important because its curve is the start of many other letters. That's why it's taught early.
The Most Common Formation Mistakes
o drawn clockwise
Makes joining difficult later
Start at the top, go round anticlockwise, like c
d started from the top of the stick
Leads to b–d confusion
Start d like c, then up and down the stick
b and d reversed
Common reading and spelling error
Teach at different times; say "b: stick first, then the ball"
m and n with no downstroke
Letters look like humps without a stem
Start with a straight line down, then back up and over
Letters started from the bottom
Slow, uneven writing
Mark a green dot where each letter starts
Capitals mixed into words
Messy, hard-to-read writing
Practise lower-case first; capitals only at the start of names and sentences
Four-Line Books, Two-Line Books and Cursive
Many schools in India and the Gulf use four-line notebooks and introduce cursive writing early. This does not conflict with Jolly Phonics. The key is still the correct starting point and direction of each letter.
- Jolly Phonics materials use a pre-cursive style (small tails), designed to make the move to joined handwriting easier.
- If your child's school uses a different handwriting style, follow the school's letter shapes, but keep the Jolly Phonics principles: correct start, correct direction, one smooth movement where possible.
- On four-line paper, show which line each letter sits on and which letters go above or below the middle lines (tall letters like b, d, h, k, l, t; tails like g, j, p, q, y).
Left-Handed Children
The grip is the same for left- and right-handed children. Left-handers find it easier if the paper is tilted slightly to the right and they sit on the left side of a right-handed partner, so elbows don't bump.
Fun Ways to Practise Letter Formation at Home
- Write letters in sand, salt or shaving foam with one finger
- Make letters from play dough, then trace them
- Air-write big letters with two fingers, eyes following the fingers
- "Rainbow write": trace one letter in several colours
- Write on a whiteboard, which children find easier to erase and retry
Say the sound every time the letter is written. This links formation to the 42 sounds of Jolly Phonics, so writing and reading grow together.
What Comes Next
Correct formation supports segmenting: once children can hear the sounds in a word, they need to write them quickly and clearly. Formation also matters when children learn alternative spellings, where two letters make one sound.
Our small-group online Jolly Phonics classes check formation for each child, and the full method is taught in our Jolly Phonics teacher training course.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is letter formation in Jolly Phonics? +
It is learning to write each letter correctly, starting at the right point and moving in the right direction. It's the second of the five Jolly Phonics skills.
What pencil grip does Jolly Phonics teach? +
The "froggy legs" grip: the pencil between the thumb and first finger, with the other fingers tucked underneath and the hand resting on the table.
Why does my child write b and d the wrong way round? +
Reversing b and d is very common in young children. Teaching them at different times and starting d like c helps. Most children grow out of it with correct practice.
Should my child learn cursive with Jolly Phonics? +
Jolly Phonics uses a pre-cursive style that leads naturally to joined writing. If the school teaches cursive, follow its shapes but keep correct starting points and directions.
At what age should children start writing letters? +
Most children start forming letters at around age 4, alongside learning the letter sounds, beginning with air-writing and tracing.
How long does it take to learn letter formation? +
With daily practice alongside the letter sounds, most children form letters correctly within the first few months.