Having the right reading tutor resources can make all the difference when you’re getting started. When I first left the classroom to become a private reading tutor, I quickly realized how many moving parts there were: certifications, business setup, lesson planning, materials, insurance… the list goes on. Over time, I’ve gathered tools, resources, and valuable information that have made tutoring not just manageable but rewarding!
This post pulls everything together in one place: a tutoring resource hub for anyone starting or growing a reading tutoring business. Whether you’re figuring out how to get certified as a reading interventionist, setting up your business, choosing supplies, or looking for ways to make your reading lessons more effective, you’ll find it all here.
If you’re ready to start (or strengthen) your tutoring journey, this guide will help you build a strong foundation, stay organized, and keep growing as a professional.
Getting Started with Your Tutoring Business
Answers to the top 10 questions teachers ask me about my transition from public schools to private tutoring: If you’re just beginning to think about the possibilities, this post is the place to start.
Things to Consider Before You Launch: Are you ready to stop dreaming and start planning? This post and the free downloadable guide walk you through key decisions to make before you establish your new business.
5 Lessons Learned in My First Months as a Private Reading Tutor: I quickly realized that the business I dreamed of was not something I could fully define until I actually started walking my path. This post is about adapting to the needs of your clients and your local population, and finding ways to use your unique knowledge base to earn a living in a way that brings you satisfaction.
Certification as a Reading Interventionist
Exploring Options for Reading Certification: I personally felt that I needed additional credentials before I made the leap to private practice. Read about reasons why you might seek additional certification and what options are out there.
Tools and Strategies for Effective Tutoring
The posts below highlight my favorite reading tutor resources, tools, and strategies. From my most-used Amazon teaching materials to science of reading-aligned activities and spelling strategies for high-frequency words, you’ll find practical ideas to use with your blossoming readers.
Essential Supplies for a Traveling Reading Tutor: As a dyslexia interventionist working with students in more than one setting, I’ve learned what tools are truly essential and which storage solutions actually work for on-the-go traveling reading teachers. In this post, I share my favorite supplies, including portable teaching tools, smart storage ideas for Wilson teachers, and travel-friendly materials that make reading tutoring on the go easier to manage.
Structuring Your Lessons When You Don’t Have a Program: Are you stuck creating lessons from scratch because you can’t invest in a program with premade materials right now? This post will guide you through building a reading intervention lesson plan that supports struggling readers, even if you don’t have a prepackaged program at your disposal.
Assigning Meaningful Practice Work and Homework: Are parents requesting work to do at home between tutoring sessions? This guide will give you the framework, ideas, and tools to simplify your planning and send home meaningful independent work with confidence.
Talking to Kids About Their Learning Differences: This post shares practical ways to talk about learning differences, including dyslexia. It also includes recommendations for kid-friendly books that help children celebrate their unique brains and build confidence in themselves as learners.
Strategies for Struggling Readers Who Are Not Eligible for Special Education Services: This blog explains how to recognize students who appear to be average readers but are actually compensating for weak decoding skills, and how targeted, high-quality literacy instruction (rather than special education services) can help them fill the gaps and reach their true potential.
Teaching “Sight Words” the Science of Reading Way: This blog is for teachers who want to move beyond rote memorization and teach students to orthographically map high frequency words, strengthening both reading and spelling accuracy.
Strategies for Students Who Guess Words Instead of Decoding: This post is a must-read if you have students who guess at words based on the first letter sound. Help your students develop the good habits required to recognize words with automaticity instead of making guesses.
Resources for Wilson Tutors
Affordable Ways to Renew Your Wilson Certification: If it’s almost time to renew your Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner credentials and you’re feeling a little lost, start here.
Increasing Engagement Without Losing Fidelity: I’ve gathered ten ideas for making your literacy lessons engaging without ditching the routines and procedures that make Wilson so effective. When student motivation starts to wane, incorporate one of these strategies to regain engagement!
Understanding the WIST: As a private reading tutor, I rely on the Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST) to gather baseline data on a child’s reading and spelling skills and to see if Wilson might be the right match for them. Read this post to discover why the WIST is such a valuable tool!
Wilson-Aligned Supplements: If you’re a Wilson tutor, my reading tutor resources on TPT are designed to make independent practice simple and effective, without replacing your lessons. You can assign them between tutoring sessions to keep skills fresh or send them home during school breaks so students don’t lose progress. A select number of bundled products are available on my website, while a broader range of smaller items is available on TPT. (Pricing is consistent across both platforms, but purchases made directly through my site help support my small business.)
Grow and Learn as a Reading Tutor
Explore Keep Reading and Learning’s Dyslexia Resource Hub: a collection of blogs, links, and reading tutor resources you can use to better support students with dyslexia. Use these tools to deepen your knowledge and build confidence in supporting struggling readers.
College-Level Science of Reading Courses to Deepen Your Knowledge: If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of how we learn to read and how to help your students succeed, science of reading courses are the way to go! Browse 8 courses that will help you become a more effective literacy teacher.
Top 10 Books for Learning About the Science of Reading: Over the years, I have returned to a small number of books again and again when I need to understand a student’s learning profile, to help make an eligibility decision, or to improve my teaching strategies. Discover which titles deserve a permanent spot on every reading tutor’s bookshelf.
Wrapping Up: Lessons from My Tutoring Journey
I’m now in my second year as a private reading tutor after teaching in public schools for 18 years, and I can honestly say this work has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. My tutoring schedule is full, and I only work during the school day (those coveted hours that many private tutors aim for!), which feels like a true marker of success.
I’ll continue adding to this resource hub as I discover new tools, refine my systems, and write new posts to support others who are building or growing their own tutoring practice. If you’d like to get updates when new resources or blog posts are added, join my email list below.
