Spelling Tray

Order and organization are pivotal in a young child's developing mind, and this spelling tray provides as a visual and physical aid for helping pre-K and kindergarten kids learn to read and spell their first words and count to 5.

One of the first methods of learning to read or spell in the English language is to teach CVC words, which are those little 3-letter words that follow the same rule: consonant, vowel, consonant, eg. "cat", "sun", "hop" (and the vowel sound is aways the short version). They then progress to CVC+e (like "came", "game", "lame", where the letter "e" affects the pronunciation of the middle vowel, changing it to the long version). Finally they master consonant digraphs and blends, like "ch", "br", "ph", "ck", "qu" or "dr" forming 5-letter words like "black", "crack", "phone", "skirt" or "drum".

This tray helps children understand that each letter has a place, and works exceptionally well when teaching rhyming, as you can put the final letters of the word (in our example "at") and then lay the first consonants out under the first square to illustrate that different words that rhyme (in our example "cat", "rat", and "sat"). This can be done with the CVC+e words, as well as the consonant blends or digraphs.

The tray can also be used to help teach early numeracy for 1-5, by either filling with salt or sand and practicing number formation, or putting numbers in the squares with corresponding mini counters.

Or you could even use it to store loose parts.

THE DETAILS

The tray measures 16 inches long by 4.5 inches wide and can be comfortably held by an average-sized preschooler or kindergartener, making it easy and manageable for them to move when transporting from a shelf to a work space. It is made of one solid piece of locally sourced Canadian maple and is finished with vegan wax and oil.

The tray is designed to fit our Reversible Alphabet Cards

It also fits the numbers from our Number Puzzle and the letters from our Alphabet Puzzle.

Please note that because wood is a natural material with different grains, your tray will most likely look different from the ones pictured. We do our best to make each tray similar but the beauty of nature is that it is wonderfully unique.

CLEANING

We recommend using only dry sensory materials with the tray. The finish is resistant to mild liquid, but is not meant for intense dunking. Spot clean with a damp cloth and let air dry. Markers and crayons are not recommended.