Highly Recommended Manipulatives for Young Learners (Reading)

Raising a precocious reader takes more than letter writing practice, phonemic awareness games, learning simple vocabulary, and answering questions about stories. The use of manipulative is greatly commended to engage children in hands-on learning. This educational technique banks on the idea that learning is enhanced when students acquire knowledge through active processes that engage them (Hartshorn and Boren, 1991) and this is also supported by both learning theory and educational research in the classroom.

Aside from the strong foundation it provides, learning becomes more fun and it also offers ample opportunities for kids to be challenged. Here are some of the highly- recommended manipulatives for young learners. I also provided links on the title for more product info and prices.

1. SENSORY LETTERS-

These are textured letters to stimulate and enhance memory of the written language. These language symbols are an important pathway to learning how to read and spell.

2. LEARNING RESOURCES ALPHABET SOUP SORTERS-

Support alphabet awareness by recognizing letter sounds and shapes. Also builds early vocabulary, oral language, sorting, and fine motor skills.

3. VERSATILES-

Provides focus on foundational skills and concepts that are easily practiced at home. Engaging puzzle format disguises learning as fun, with immediate feedback for self-checking.

4. READING RODS- 

It is a manipulative-based phonics program that supports essential components of reading first and is a distinct hands-on manipulative to teach literacy. Color-coded, interlocking language manipulatives is the ideal supplement to all phonics and reading programs.

5. EZ READ LETTER TILES-

An essential word building manipulative that can be used in any reading program.

6. CVC WORD BUILDERS ACTIVITY CARD-

Set of 48 CVC cards with picture and color guides for building 3 letter CVC words with CVC Tri-Blocks® Tub. Children follow the progression as they learn to sound out and build words. 3 levels to follow: blue, orange, violet. Teach phonemic awareness, synthetic phonics, spelling. Cards are self-checking with answers on back.

7. SENTENCE BUILDING DOMINOES IN A JAR-

Make hundreds of sentences with these color-coded dominoes featuring nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions, plus punctuation marks. 

8. TUB OF CONNECTING SPELLING TILE 

Familiarize kids with different words while developing mathematical skills. Tiles feature upper and lower case letters along with illustrations to add to the matching fun.

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