Word Stretchers

Many children benefit from having a more hands on way of modeling a concept. This word stretcher really works well for my more tactile learners. It's easy to make. All you need is an elastic band, some small, sticky backed Velcro patches, and a set of letters printed on card stock. Put the patches side-by-side on the elastic band, and put the corresponding patches on the back of the letters. These can be used to model stretching out words to isolate their individual sounds and then blending them together by stretching the letters apart and letting them come together.

These patches can also be used on a more solid backing like foam board for holding letters during word work. It's much more sturdy than a flannel board. Here is a set of letters that you can use for this project.