Wet-Dry-Try Showdown: the Activity Vs. the App

Based on the award-winning Handwriting Without Tears® curriculum, Wet-Dry-Try is a multisensory learning activity that teaches students correct letter and number orientation and formation. Available as both a Slate Chalkboard and a handwriting app for iPad, Wet-Dry-Try can be used at home as a parent, caregiver, or occupational therapist, or as part of your classroom curriculum.  

Practicing handwriting skills is as important as ever, and Wet-Dry-Try is a fantastic, proven method of preventing learning loss while away from school. Just 10 minutes of daily practice can help your young writer build lifelong skills.

Wet-Dry-Try helps writers:  

• Master one letter formation before moving on to the next. 
• Build foundational handwriting habits and correct formation for capitals, numbers, and lowercase letters.      
• Prevent and eliminate reversals—one of the most common handwriting struggles for young children. The solution? A smiley face in the corner helps students orient the direction of their letters and numbers. 
• Learn with ease with consistent, child-friendly language 

But which Wet-Dry-Try activity is best for you and your young learner? To help you decide, let's examine the benefits of both the activity and the app.

Wet-Dry-Try App on iPad 

The iPad app experience for Wet-Dry-Try introduces game-based elements along with the hands-on experience of writing on the Slate Chalkboard. Students are motivated to progress through the formation of capitals, numbers, and lowercase letters in simple, step-by-step sequences.  

Students can practice formations accurately with correct start, sequence, and directionality—all based on our research-proven methodology. Students receive verbal guidance and positive feedback from Marcy, a virtual handwriting coach. It's almost like having a teacher in the room! 

Students are motivated to progress through the capitals, numbers, and lowercase letters with a game-based format. They can pick any letter and practice capitals, numbers, and lowercase letters in any order.  

Check out some of the benefits of using the new iPad app version of our tried-and-true handwriting activity: 

• Experience game-based learning in a developmental teaching order with the ability to earn rewards. 
• Personalize your students’ experience with customized avatars.            
• Lefty-friendly settings ensures all writers have an equal experience 
• Flexible levels of difficulty and sensitivity help you tune the activity to your writer’s needs 
   

Wet-Dry-Try Activity on Slate Chalkboard 

Using our Slate Chalkboard, students can learn to write numbers, and capital and lowercase letters in chalk. Students can trace the letter with a wet sponge, dry the letter outline with a cloth or tissue, then "try" forming the letter on their own. Wet-Dry-Try appeals to different learning styles and gives just the right amount of handwriting practice in a hands-on way that feels like fun—not like work. 

Here are some of the benefits of using the hands-on Wet-Dry-Try activity with our Slate Chalkboard with your students: 

• Students can practice formations accurately with correct start, sequence, and directionality. 
• Verbal guidance from a personal handwriting coach provides instant feedback on errors and positive reinforcement. 
• It helps teach older children size and placement of lowercase letters and simulates our Blackboard with Double Lines, which is also a great tool for helping them learn lowercase letter formation. 

No matter which version of Wet-Dry-Try you choose, you have the flexibility to accommodate any student environment—from a single child at home to the classroom, including 1:1, bring-your-own-device, and shared device scenarios.