10 Fidget Toys Suitable for School

When I went to school, fidgeting was frowned upon and punished. However, over the past 30+ years, attitudes have changed and it is now understood that some children need to fidget to help them sit still and learn. I don’t know the psychology behind it but I know that at this time of year, fidget toys sell fast on my website as parents prepare to send their children back to school.

Play therapists and educational psychologists endorse the use of fidget toys. They see the following benefits to allowing some children to fidget:

• they can also reduce anxiety and stress,
• enhance dexterity,
• improve coordination and fine motor skills
• assist in the development of muscles of small hands
• and sharpen their focus
• They can be especially helpful for children who have special needs, sensory processing differences, ADD, or ADHD.

And, that’s just to name a few.

From what I can see, the fidget toys that sell tend to be:

• small enough to fit into a pencil case
• static toys that will stay in the child’s hands (ie not bouncy balls or flying gliders or similar toys)
• toys that don’t make noise to distract other children
• sensory in nature, particularly touch sensations.

Not every child needs to bring fidget toys to school and for some, bringing them would be an added distraction to learning, so before considering buying some of these sensory toys to send into school, maybe check with your child’s teacher or someone in the profession.

Here’s are my top 10 fidget toys for school.

1. Scratch and Sniff Stickers

Scratch the surface of these stickers and they smell like the fruit or flavour they illustrate.

2. Moody Squeeze Face

These soft cubes are filled with powder and the are perfect for squeezing and pulling. They each come with a different expression.

3. Crazy Flowgo!

Flowgo feels a bit like connetic sand. Take it out of the ‘timer’ and enjoy the feeling of it moving through your fingers.

4. Sand Timers

Often the sensation of watching sand move through a timer will help your child focus on what they are being taught. This pack comes with 5 sand timers, each one marking a different length of time.

5. Fluffy Light Up Pen

These pens have a fluffy top and in the middle of the fluff, is a plastic heart that lights up when the nib is pressed down.

6. Sticky Stretchy Creatures

These creatures can be pulled and squished. They stick to surfaces and once they have lost their stick, they just need to be washed to work again. Available in four different creatures but sold individually

7. Marbles

The sensation of rolling these between your figures might be all your child needs to help them focus on their lesson.

 

8. Rattle magnets

These are noisier so may be more distracting for other children in the class but they are full to pull apart and feel the force drawing them together again.

9. A footbag/hackysack

These crocheted balls are filled with beans. They are fun to handle and throw and catch.

 

10. Sensory Yeti

These squishy yetis feel amazing. You can pull and stretch them or just squeeze them. Available in four colours/designs.

I hope that your child is enjoying school. If you have a child that needs fidget toys to get along in school, I’d love to hear what other toys have worked for them, as I feel my range is quite small but I’m not sure what else to add and I’d love some parent’s and teacher’s opinions.

If you haven’t already stocked up on some fun stationery for your child, check out this blog post or, if you are looking for specific toys for children with special needs, you’ll find them here.

Thanks for reading and supporting my small, Irish business,

xx Suzie