Kids usually meet the phonics p sound in their fifth week or so of Jolly Phonics Group 1 — after s, a, t and i — somewhere around age 4, in the first term of Reception or kindergarten.
It’s a fun one to teach because it’s so physical: little puffs of air that kids can actually feel on their hand. Here’s the official action, word lists, a few short activities, and a free worksheet to print.
How /p/ Is Made
/p/ is a voiceless stop: press the lips together, then release them with one small puff of air. Keep it short — say “p”, not “puh”. The Jolly Phonics action is to pretend to puff out candles on a birthday cake while saying p, p, p. As a cue song, try counting candles out loud: “one puff, p! two puffs, p! three puffs, p!” — it keeps the sound short and stops the “uh” from creeping in.
/p/’s voiced twin is b — the lips do the same thing, but with b the voice box switches on. Have your child rest a finger on their throat while they say each one; no buzz means /p/. The letter shapes p, b, d and q also get mixed up on paper more than the sounds do, so it helps to always start the letter p at the top of the line and pull straight down before adding the round part on the right.
Story Time: Baby Panny Learns to Pop
Danny’s family welcomed a new baby, and Danny got to help pick his nickname: Panny. Every evening he knelt by the crib and coached him, “Say papa, Panny — pa, pa, pa!” For weeks all the baby could manage was a little puff of air, “p… p… p,” popping his lips together like a tiny candle-blower. Danny didn’t mind the wait; he kept practicing the puffy p sound right along with him, until one evening Panny finally popped out a real “papa” — and the whole house cheered.
Download the Free Jolly Phonics 42 Sounds Chart
Get all 42 Jolly Phonics letter sounds on one free printable chart PDF — in teaching order with an example word for every sound.
Three Short Games for /p/
- Puff hunt (2 minutes): walk room to room finding things that start with /p/, like a pillow, a pencil or a plate.
- Listen and mark (3 minutes): use the picture below, say each word slowly, and have your child mark it only when they hear /p/ at the start.
- Build a word (5 minutes): use the three flashcards below to spell pan, saying each sound — p, a, n — before blending them together.
Flashcards for the build-a-word game (see the full phase 2 phonics flashcards set for more):
Words to Read and Spell
/p/ at the start
- pan
- pot
- pin
- pen
- pig
- pop
- pad
- pup
/p/ in the middle
- happy
- apple
- puppy
- upper
- hopping
- supper
/p/ at the end
- cap
- cup
- top
- mop
- tap
- stop
- lip
- hop
Blend these one sound at a time: p-i-n → pin, p-o-t → pot, p-e-n → pen, p-u-p → pup.
Free Letter P Tracing Worksheet
Here’s the letter /p/ tracing worksheet to practice: Free!- Printable Letter P p Tracing Worksheets
Our printable animal-tracing sheet gives more room to practice once your child can already form p on their own.
Watch: The /p/ Sound in Action
Before and After /p/ in Jolly Phonics
/p/ comes right after the /i/ sound and just before the /n/ sound in Group 1. See the Jolly Phonics complete guide for the full 42-sound teaching order.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my child say “puh” instead of “p”?
It’s a common habit — the puff of air naturally wants an “uh” after it. Model the sound slowly and praise any attempt that keeps it short; it usually corrects itself with practice.
What is the Jolly Phonics action for /p/?
Pretend to puff out candles on a birthday cake while saying p, p, p — three short puffs work best.
How is /p/ different from /b/?
The lips move the same way for both, but /b/ turns the voice box on and /p/ does not. Resting a finger on the throat makes the difference easy to feel.
What comes after /p/ in the Jolly Phonics order?
The /n/ sound follows /p/, completing the six sounds of Group 1: s, a, t, i, p, n.
