Phonics games for the whole class on one screen
Free phonics games for the whole class on one screen: letter sounds, CVC word families, digraphs and blends. Ready-made sets, printable worksheets, no student devices.
Phonics sticks when children hear a sound, see the letters and say the word many times, in a short and lively way. Oly gives you that on the board you already have: the whole class plays in teams on one projector, TV or interactive display, and your phone is the remote. Students need no devices and no logins.
Start from one of 20 ready-made phonics sets in the library, from letter sounds to vowel teams, or type your own word list. Every set plays in all of Oly's games, and every set has a printable worksheet with flashcards and answers.
What to practise, step by step
Most phonics programmes follow the same path. Each step has sets ready to play:
| Step | What children learn | Ready-made sets |
|---|---|---|
| Letter sounds | The first sound of a word: s, a, t, p, i, n, then the rest of the alphabet | s a t p i n, m d g o c k, e u r h b f l, j v w x y z qu |
| Short vowels and CVC words | Blending three sounds into words like cat, pen, pig | Short a, short e, short i, short o and u |
| Word families | Rhyming endings: -at, -an, -ig, -op, -ug | -at -an -ap -ag, -ig -in -ip -it, -op -ot -og -ug |
| Digraphs | Two letters, one sound: ch, sh, th, ck, ng, wh, ph | ch sh th, ck ng nk, wh ph tch |
| Blends | Two consonants, two sounds: bl, st, tr, fr | Blends |
| Long vowels | a_e, ai, igh, oa, ee, ue | Long a and i, long o and e, long u |
| Vowel teams and r-controlled vowels | oo, ou, ow, oi, oy; ar, or, er, ir, ur | Vowel teams, ar or er ir ur |
| Sight words | Common words read at a glance: the, said, was | Sight words 1, Sight words 2, 3, 4 |
Each set has 16 words with Oly's own pictures, an example sentence and questions such as "Which word has the ch sound?". You can change any word, or make a set from your textbook page in a minute.
The best games for phonics
Every Oly game works with every set, but some fit phonics especially well:
- Listen and Touch: Oly says a word, students touch its picture. Before they touch, ask the class for the first sound.
- Pop the Word: critters pop up holding pictures; the first team to hit the word Oly said wins the point. Fast listening for young learners.
- Balloon Words: teams guess the word letter by letter, a kind version of hangman. Perfect for CVC words and word families.
- Word Search: two students race on a touch screen to circle three hidden words. Good for spelling patterns like -ck and -ng.
- Memory Match: flip a word and its picture. Ask the team to say the sound before they flip.
- Team Bingo: each team has a 3×3 card of words; everyone listens to every word.
- Word Swat: two students race to touch the right word, one on each side of an interactive display.
- Letter Ring: go round the alphabet; each letter has a clue for a word that starts with it.
A 15-minute phonics routine
- Warm up (2 minutes). Show the flashcards from the worksheet, or the first few pictures on the screen. Say each word slowly and tap the sounds: c-a-t, cat.
- Play (10 minutes). Pick one game. For a new sound, use Listen and Touch or Memory Match; for review, use Balloon Words or Team Bingo. Before each answer, ask the team to say the target sound out loud.
- Write (3 minutes). Hand out the worksheet: write the word under each picture and fill the gaps in the sentences. Answers are on the last page.
Rotate the student who answers every question, so every child says the sounds. Keep the game short and play again tomorrow with the next set.
Ideas for the season
Phonics at Christmas works best with words children already love. Make a set from a winter word list (snow, star, bell, gift, sled) and play Team Bingo with the Winter holidays look switched on. Short words like bell, gift and sled are CVC and blend practice at the same time. More ideas on our page of Christmas classroom games.
When the screen is off
Every phonics set has a printable page with flashcards, a worksheet and the answers. Print the flashcards, cut them out, and play the paper versions: hold up a picture and let teams race to say the first sound, or deal the cards for a game of pairs. See all printable phonics worksheets, or English worksheets by grade.
Frequently asked questions
Are these phonics games free?
Yes. The library sets, all the games and the printable worksheets are free. The free plan plays with up to 4 teams; Oly Pro adds more teams, more AI-made games and more storage.
Do students need tablets or accounts?
No. The game runs on one shared screen and the whole class plays in teams. Your phone is the remote: scan the QR code on the screen and you get the answer, Correct, Not yet and Next. Students never log in.
Can Oly say single sounds like /s/ or /æ/?
Oly says whole words with the browser's voice, which is clear for words but not reliable for single sounds. Say the sounds yourself, and let Oly say the word: children hear both, and they blend along with you.
Which age are these sets for?
The letter sounds, short vowels and word families sets are Pre-A1, for children of about 4 to 7 starting to read in English. Digraphs, blends, long vowels and vowel teams are A1, for about 6 to 9. They work for native speakers and English learners alike.
Can I use my own phonics word list?
Yes. On Make a game, paste your words (for example "ship, shop, fish, dish, shell") or snap the page of your phonics book. Oly adds pictures, sentences and questions, and you can edit everything before you play.
Does it work on an interactive whiteboard?
Yes. On a touch display students touch the pictures and words themselves, and two students can race side by side in Word Swat, Word Search and Match Up. On a projector or TV, the team says the answer and you tap Correct on your phone.