Why We Love Wrap Ups

The little math practice tool you've probably never heard of! Wrap-ups!We’re a fairly wireless family as far as the kids go. Our 10 year old has some screen privileges, but mostly so she can hang with her Minecraft pals. Nothing against tech families, it’s just a choice we’ve made for our family. Our kids fight too much over tablets and computer games and the like and it turns us into crazy people! So, we search for non-electronic tools to help reinforce what our kids are learning in school and we’ve found that all 3 of our school aged children – with different learning styles – love Wrap UpsIMG_5200

What are Wrap Ups? Think of them as flash cards that are harder to lose. Wrap Ups are handheld tools shaped much like keys. There’s a string attached that connects information in one column to the answer in the second column. In our math Wrap Ups, the addend or multiplicand is connected with the sum or quotient. Each “key” has a number in the center that serves as an addend or multiplier. For kids who learn well by repetition, this is great as they try to improve their speed and accuracy. Wrap Ups are also great for kids who just need to practice, practice, practice. It allows them to test themselves.IMG_5198

One perk of the Wrap Ups is that they are a self-checking tool. Once the string has been wrapped, kids can turn it over and see if the string lines up with the lines on the back. If there are visible lines there’s a mistake and it’s time to try again. No red pens. No teacher comments. Just an opportunity to learn.Wrap-ups back side

Another thing we love to do with them is take them in the car. Unlike a lot of other learning games, there are no loose pieces to fall between seats.IMG_5206

They also build fine motor skills – any early frustration usually subsides within one or two times of using them. The Wrap Ups we’ve used are math related, but there are Wrap Ups for state capitals, music theory, vocabulary and more.

Children are inquisitive by nature and we have a box of goodies in our kitchen filled with toys/games that stimulate the mind without the kids realizing they’re learning. Wrap Ups were among some of the first items in that box. Now, it’s also filled with Legos, Lego Challenge Cards, puzzles and puzzle books, Boggle, Jr… none of these things look like schoolwork, so they love them! What educational tools do your kids like? Comment below and let us know!

Wrap-ups! The little math practice tool you've probably never heard of!

 


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