Reading Manipulatives – a company run by teachers for teachers

After years of laying the groundwork, Nancy Walentas launched Reading Manipulatives in 1996. Nancy actually began developing holistic, hands-on materials in the 70s in order to teach literacy skills to the wide range of students she serviced as a Reading Specialist. The positive response and tremendous skills gains students made when utilizing her materials launched her into a career of manipulative materials development.

Nancy taught practical reading courses for the University of Virginia and the University of Colorado in which teachers learned to create and use individualized, hand-on materials to build literacy skills. Her collaboration with many teachers ultimately led to the products offered by Reading Manipulatives. These are the types of outstanding materials that teachers made in less hectic and stressful times. Ironically, the active involvement fostered by manipulatives is more beneficial than ever due to the pace and interactive nature of life today.

Reading Manipulatives has grown dramatically because once teachers and students try these materials, they come back more. Our products are used with students of all ages and abilities. Individualized, student-centered manipulatives are amazingly effective with preschoolers through adults, and they address all types and levels of literacy skills.

The teachers at Reading Manipulatives want you to see how motivation and skills soar when manipulatives are added to daily instructional routines. That is why we are offering a variety of worthwhile, downloadable resources for free on this web site. In addition, we solicit your feedback since we are continually developing new products and improving current offerings.