Wet Dry Try App

Handwriting Without Tears is a handwriting curriculum for grades K through 5.  The program can be taught simply by parents and in just 15 minutes a day.  

 I have certainly heard of Handwriting Without Tears for many years , but it is one product that we had not yet had the opportunity to use in our homeschool.  Because of this, I had never heard of their "Wet, Dry, Try" method of teaching children to write letters and numbers.  In case you haven't heard of it either, here is a video that demonstrates it:


I love how the student gets repeated practice of each letter in such a fun way!  And now Handwriting Without Tears has developed the Wet Dry Try App based upon this method.   

The Wet Dry Try app is available for iPad and Android deviced with a 7" or larger screen.  It's available to download for only $4.99.  It is meant to be used as a supplemental tool along with your handwriting program.  Our family is not using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum but we recently got to review the Wet Dry Try app and have been using it for the last few weeks.

One of the features about this app that I appreciated right away was the ability to add multiple users and customize the settings for each user.  I decided for the purpose of this review that I would mainly use this app for L4 who is just learning to write her letters.  Once your student clicks on his/her name she is able to play with this app in one of two modes. 

The first mode of play is called 'Pick and Play' and starts with the screen above.  Your student may choose any capital letter (there is another screen for numbers) and practice writing that letters on the screen using the 'Wet Dry Try' method.  First, they will hear voiced instructions and see the letter being written on screen.  Then they will choose the "wet sponge" to trace over the letter.  Afterwards they will choose the "paper towel" to dry the letter.  And finally the student will choose "chalk" to write the letter.

Your student will hear words of encouragement and correction as they are writing the letters as well as some background music (both of which can be turned off from the settings page).  They will receive a star when they have completed a letter correctly.  Once they receive three stars a "flashcard" will appear on the home page to indicate that they have mastered that letter.

The second mode of play is 'HWT's Winning Order'.  This mode of play is very similar to the first except that your student must follow the order that HWT has laid out, completing one letter at a time before unlocking a new letter.   I wanted L4 to use this mode of play the most so that she could get repeated practice before moving on to learn a new letter.  She has really enjoyed using the Wet Dry Try app and asks daily if she can "do school on the iPad".  She's completed more than half of her letters in this game and been awarded with stars and flashcards by using this app just a few minutes a day 3 or 4 times a week.

I would definitely recommend the Wet Dry Try app from Handwriting Without Tears.  Personally, I would happily pay $4.99 for an app that is educational, works well, and will get repeated use.  Since I plan to use this with both my 5 year old and 3 year old as well I think it is a great value.  I hope that HWT plans to make more apps in the future...especially one for lowercase letter practice!

Please check out the TOS Review Crew for more reviews of this app as well as reviews of the full Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.
 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product through the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. Pin It Now!