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have you heard of pop it fidget toys? they are so popular right now! My kids love them and they are great fidgeters!
Did you know that pops are great learning tools? there are so many ways you can use it in the classroom or at home for learning. Today I’m excited to share 15 fun ideas!
what is a pop it?
Before we share the ideas, let’s talk about how great it is! This stress reliever is a silicone toy that is like reusable bubble wrap! you press a bubble and it pops. I have to say that it is much quieter than real bubble wrap! It’s really fun and kind of addictive!
where can you get refreshments?
you can find them at target, walmart, amazon and other stores. if you want to see the ones i have in the pictures just click on the words below.
explode it from 100 squares
circle & square pop
pop it premade alphabet
pre-made numbers, pop it
literacy activities with pop-it fidget toys
1. letters of the alphabet
practice learning the alphabet! sing the alphabet song as you pop each letter.
2. pronounce words
say a word, then pop a bubble for each phoneme. (for example: c-a-t)
3. word spelling
Practice spelling words by popping the letters. you will need to make simple words that do not have double letters. this would be great for kindergarten kids.
4. syllable count
practice counting syllables in words. When children break words into parts or “chunks,” it helps with the decoding process.
Say the word and every time you say a syllable, pop a bubble! (ex: spider, window, hos-pi-tal)
5. knowledge of the word
Word awareness is simply the ability of students to hear words as a unit of sound. words are the largest units of sound, making it the easiest of all the phonological awareness skills. To practice this, say a sentence and have the student pop a bubble for each word. (Ex: I like to eat pizza.) This kinesthetic learning activity is really helpful for children with weak phonological awareness.
math activities with pop-it fidget toys
1. grid 100
if you get a pop-it with a hundred bubbles, you can make a grid of 100! If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy a pre-made 100 grid pop-it on amazon! This is great for number recognition, counting practice and pattern visualization in math. have your students draw the numbers as they count. this will help them count to 100! you can also make them count by ten by popping the column on the right.
2. even and odd numbers
use the same pop it (or a smaller one) to practice identifying odd and even numbers. I love how this shows a pattern and will help kids understand how odd and even numbers work.
3. get the number
Take turns rolling a die and popping that many bubbles. this is a great way to work on one-to-one correspondence and gives meaning to the number you roll. keep taking turns popping bubbles until you run out!
4. addition and subtraction practice
practice addition or subtraction with a pop it. Let’s say the problem is 2 + 2. Have the child draw two, then draw two more. account to find the answer.
5. multiplication matrices
create multiplication matrices with a pop it. Just like drawing an array on graph paper, you do it the same way in the popup. (I love this for kinesthetic learners!) For the 2 x 3 equation, you would get two rows and three columns. then you can see that there are 6 traps and that is your answer.
more activities with pop its
1. how fast?
this is just for fun. Time your child to see how fast they can pop the bubbles!
2. unscramble words
A player chooses a word and draws the letters of that word. the other player looks at the letters that “popped” and tries to figure out the word. you’ll need to make simple words, like cvc words that don’t repeat letters.
3. executioner
Use the pop it with the letters of the alphabet written on it. one person chooses a word and the other tries to guess it. Play like a normal hangman game, but with each letter guessed, pop the letter on the fidget toy.
4. game of marbles
a person places a marble on the back of the pop it. flip it over and have the other person pop the bubbles until they find where the marble is.
5. drops of water
Place water beads in the bubble sections! this is fun for sensory play.
I’m sure there are many more ways to use pop it fidgets! I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
