Homeschool must-have supplies

twelve tiny decodable readers with three-letter words and stick-figure art

💖 why I love it: the first time a kid reads an entire book by themselves, it is usually a bob book. every word is sound-out-able, so there is no guessing and no tears, just a huge I did it grin at the kitchen table.

a magnetic whiteboard with color-coded lowercase letter tiles

💖 why I love it: building the word is easier than writing the word when hands are still little, so blending practice stops being a handwriting fight. get a set where vowels are their own color and word families teach themselves.

sandpaper-style cards kids trace with a finger while saying the sound

💖 why I love it: finger, eyes, and voice all working at once is how letter sounds actually stick. two minutes a day with these did more for my wiggliest learners than any worksheet ever did.

a hanging fabric chart with clear pockets and write-on strips

💖 why I love it: this was the hardest working corner of my classroom and it earns its spot at home too: word building, poem of the week, calendar, silly mixed-up sentences. one tool, a hundred lessons.

a banana pouch of letter tiles, no board needed

💖 why I love it: forget the official rules, this is 144 letter tiles for word building, spelling patterns, and waiting rooms. it lives in my purse and has saved more restaurant dinners than I can count.

laminated cards with arrows showing where each letter starts

💖 why I love it: bad pencil grip and backwards letters are so much easier to prevent than to fix, teacher promise. the arrows do the nagging so you do not have to, and a dry erase marker feels like a treat.