A useful tutoring toolkit does not need hundreds of unrelated worksheets. It needs a small set of clear resources that help you check a starting point, teach one skill, provide supported practice and finish with evidence of what the learner can now do.
Printables work best when they are combined with oral explanation, real objects and brief notes. Choose pages for the learner rather than feeling obliged to complete a pack from beginning to end.
1. A quick starting check
Keep reusable sheets for checking a small number of letter sounds, CVC words, common words, numeral recognition and object counting. Use only the section relevant to the session. The aim is to identify today’s teaching point, not to produce a formal score.
2. Clear phonics practice
Include word cards, blending lines, sound boxes, missing-sound tasks and a few short decodable sentences. A single CVC list can support reading, sorting, word building and spelling, which reduces printing while creating useful repetition.
3. Early number resources
Keep numeral cards, dot cards, ten frames, number lines and count-and-match pages. Add a bag of counters or ordinary household objects. Move between the numeral, spoken number and actual quantity so written work remains connected to meaning.
4. Cut-and-sort activities
Sorting gives the learner a reason to compare examples. Words can be grouped by vowel or word family; numerals can be matched to quantities; sentences can be placed in order. Store reusable pieces in labelled envelopes and pre-cut them when fine-motor effort would overwhelm the teaching goal.
5. Five-minute games
Prepare games that need little explanation:
- find the word or numeral called by the tutor;
- turn over two cards and read or compare them;
- change one letter to make a new word;
- roll a die and build that quantity;
- beat your own accurate score with the same small set.
Games should still show the skill being practised. If winning depends mostly on chance or speed, pause to include a read, build, count or explain action on every turn.
6. A short writing or application task
End the teaching section by applying the skill once: write a CVC word from dictation, read a short sentence, label a picture, build an addition story or explain which number is larger. This reveals whether the learner can use the skill outside the exact practice format.
7. A simple review slip
Use a half-page review with three items: something secure, today’s target and one next-step question. Keep it for your notes or send it home with one precise practice suggestion. Avoid assigning a large worksheet after an already demanding session.
A low-prep session structure
- Reconnect: two familiar questions or cards.
- Check: a tiny sample of the target skill.
- Teach: model one clear strategy.
- Practise: use a printable and one hands-on variation.
- Apply: complete one new example.
- Record: note success, prompt and next step.
Organise by skill, not by date
Use folders such as CVC blending, common-word reading, number recognition, counting, addition and session games. Put answer pages and adult instructions at the front. A small “print next” folder prevents emergency preparation from turning into random searching.
For phonics, begin with the free CVC Starter Pack. For a complete ready-to-print mixed session, the 2-Hour Emergency Tutor Activity Pack combines literacy, early maths, writing, sorting, learner review and answers.