THE TOOLS YOU ACTUALLY NEED.

Do you ever get upsold on Instagram? Oh man, do I ever. I once bought a headband that makes your hair look like it’s in sunglasses without the actual lenses. So it’s a square-shaped headband. But does it hold my bangs back… no, technically not at all.

Something I have also been known to get suckered into buying is educational tools. I’ve made all the sensory tables possible, all the letter tiles, and most Lakeshore items to boot. What I’ve found out though, is those items do everything but actually teach your kids. You still have to do this on your own. As time has gone by with Woven Reading I have tried so hard to make it equitable, by this I mean I’ve stood by a mantra. “No Materials Needed” This is true, and I think it can be done. Except for books you have to use those but they are free from the Library. So let’s pretend we’re on an island and you need to teach your child to read, all you have is books what else do you need? Below are the 5 things you need to teach your child to read.

 Dare I say maybe the only ones you truly need to buy...

First:

Magnet letters that make the vowels and constants different colors. (Sidebar: Once in Spanish class freshman year, I asked what a consonant was, I was laughed out of the room… so embarrassing) ANYWAY

The reason for the different colors is because vowels hold a lot of power. They help other letters say different things, so they are important when learning to read hence the different colors. The consonants don’t change their sound as often so they keep a color.

Letters

Second:

A magnetic dry-erase board. This pairs with the letters above because you need a place to have a child manipulate letters. This works because it’s not just a place to write words, it’s a place to work with the letters. Bigger dry-erase boards are invaluable to teaching. This way we can pull out words to pre-practice, work on word families, and draw silly faces. All the things.
Dry erase

Third:
BOB books. These are very VERY simple books to read. Their purpose is to start reading and gain confidence. These are meant for teaching purposes only. I would encourage you to go to your library and have your kid pick out some easy readers or books, they are interested in. So your kid has buy-in. These books are only meant if you are starting, if your child is older and has a base with books then do the option where they buy their own or pick their own from the Library. Remember the 5-finger method ( Count the words on one random page they don’t know how to read yet. If they get up to 4-5 words on a page, then it’s too hard)
BOB BOOKS  

Fourth:

Whisper Phone, this helps your child hear their voice and focuses them on their reading. Helping emphasize mistakes so you can cue them while they read. If you have multiple children it helps focus them to their reading only.

Bonus, This is an excellent accommodation for our friends who have ADD or ADHD. Bonus they really like this, because at the end of the day, kids just want to hear themselves talk.
Whisper Phones

Fifth
A simple way to practice letter shapes. I bought this board on Etsy for too much money. Here in the Amazon link is a simple version. When you pair this board with the correct letter sounds, you've got some serious reading skills starting.

Bonus it’s helping your child gain the hand strength for writing. You can take it anywhere.
Wooden Letter Practice Board

Disclaimer:
I'm linking these on my Amazon affiliate page, which means you support me. Thanks!

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