use pennies to keep students engaged in the blending drill
Are your students reluctant to point to the cards during the blending drill, or get tired of doing the drill the same way every time?
I sometimes get a pile of pennies (or flat marbles work well too) and have the student take one from the pile (or if it’s too tempting for them to play with, you can pass them one at a time, if necessary).
Then students do the drill as usual, using the penny or marble to touch each card and blend, then drop it in a baby food jar when the word has been blended.
marbles work well for this too
The pennies and marbles make a nice ring when they hit the jar, and there is a sense of accomplishment to see the jar fill up.