Kid needs letters read out (5)
I believe the answer is:
tease
'kid' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'letters read out' is the wordplay.
'letters' becomes 'tees' (I've seen this in another clue).
'read out' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'tees' sounds like 'TEASE'.
'needs' is the link.
(Other definitions for tease that I've seen before include "Rib, annoy" , "Deride" , "Gently mock" , "Gently rib" , "Banter, make gentle fun of" .)