Phase 4 phonics

Welcome to our collection of phase 4 phonics teaching resources! Whether you're a seasoned phonics expert or just getting started with phase 4, you'll find plenty of practical ideas, engaging activities and tried-and-tested approaches to support your teaching.

Phase 4 phonics and the National Curriculum

The National Curriculum for England and Wales states that phase 4 phonics consolidates children's knowledge of graphemes through reading and spelling words with adjacent consonants and multiple syllables. No new graphemes are taught; instead, the focus is on blending and segmenting longer words.

Understanding phase 4 phonics

Phase 4 phonics introduces no new sounds but focuses on adjacent consonants in words like 'trap' and 'milk'. Taught in Reception summer term (ages 4-5), children progress from simple CVCC words ('tent') to CCVC ('swim') and more complex combinations ('trust', 'scrunch'), building confidence with longer words.

Consolidating prior knowledge

Before diving into adjacent consonants, it's crucial to ensure children are secure in their phase 2 and phase 3 knowledge. Regular revision of previously learned graphemes and phonemes helps build a solid foundation for phase 4 work.

Blending and segmenting

Children practise blending and segmenting words with adjacent consonants, starting with simple examples and gradually moving to more complex combinations. This skill is essential for both reading and spelling.

Adjacent consonant words

These are words containing consonant clusters like 'st', 'nd', 'mp', 'nt'. Children learn to recognise and manipulate these clusters in both initial and final positions within words.

Polysyllabic words

Phase 4 introduces longer words with more than one syllable, such as 'children', 'farmyard' and 'lunchbox'. These help children develop their ability to tackle more complex vocabulary.

Tricky words

New tricky words are introduced in phase 4, including 'said', 'have', 'like', 'some' and 'come'. These words can't be decoded using phonics alone and need to be learned by sight.

Nonsense words

Practising with nonsense words (like 'spog' or 'trest') helps children develop their pure blending skills and prepares them for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.

Top phase 4 phonics resources

Here’s a round-up of our most popular teaching resources and activities for phase 4.

• Spelling word lists – phase 4
• CVC loop game
• Consonant blends challenge pack
• Final consonant blends game
• Br and bl sort!

Browse the full collection below for more ideas and ready-to-use materials. Discover more phonics resources in our curated collections for phase 2, phase 3 and phase 5, or trying our popular A flying start to phonics teaching pack.