Pop It toys have become all the rage at schools, especially elementary schools. I see students walking down the halls, sitting in class, and getting off of the bus playing with it them. Why are they so popular? Why do kids like them so much? After watching my daughter play with them and taking the time to play with them myself, here are my insights on these fun little fidgets.
They Have a Calming Rhythm: Think about the time you swam in the ocean, went for a walk, or rode a bike at the same pace. All of these things have a calming element to them. They cause your mind and body to connect. Your heart slows down and your breathing begins to regulate and calm down. You feel calm and at peace as you focus on the task at hand. You think of nothing else as you get lost into what you are doing. Pushing on a pop it provides the same calming experience for students. It helps them self regulate, calm down, and focus on the task at hand.
They Are Satisfying to Pop: When was the last time you popped bubble wrap? Even as adults, it is still fun and satisfying in some way. When I was a kid, I would even jump on the packing bubble wrap . When I first became introduced to pop its, I had a bubble wrap flash back. The awesome thing about pop its is that you can have a bubble wrap experience over and over again, simply by turning it over.
They Cause Feelings of Accomplishment: Children often make line and counting patterns in their pop it toys. Many children have come to me to show me how they popped ever other row, every third pop, or every other pop. They compare their designs with each other and find ways to show different patterns. It is a fun way to see how many different patterns they can make out of them.
Some creative things we an do as educators is to implement them into our elementary classroom. Math concepts: patterns, skip counting, or basic multiplication. Writing: How else can we use the a pop it? Science: What makes the pop it so flexible? Social Emotional: How can we use a pop it to support hard feelings? It seems like pop its are here to stay for a while… let’s have some fun with them!
Here is an affiliate link below if you would like one for your class or home 🙂