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. Fluffy Keyrings

I stock this neon version and also a pastel version. You can attach these to a zip on a school bag or pencil case.

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. Finger Monsters

These fit nicely on fingers and your child can pull on the arms, fingers and snout

4. Bendy Monsters

These little toys have wiry limbs that hold the shape they have been bent into. They have fun faces to encourage imagination.

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. Wobbly Wooden Fairies 

These lovely wooden toys have a button underneath to press. The top part (Fairy) is held together with elastic so when the button is pressed, the elastic tightens and the fairy moves.

8. Scented Erasers

Often smelling something will  help a child calm down. I stock lots of scented stationery including gel pens, markers, highlighters, stickers and these erasers.

9. Squishy Banana

These bananas are filled with orbes and are really satisfying to squeeze!

10. Sensory Ball Set

These hard pastic balls won’t roll far or bounce but they are great for rolling between hands or over a table. The patterns on them add to the sensation.

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 the teacher doesn’t mind more noisy fidget toys or ones that move, the following toys might also work for your child:

•  a bouncy egg
• a Jacob’s ladder
• marbles
• rattle magnets
• a footbag/hackysack

But maybe double check with your child’s teacher before sending any of these in.

If you haven’t already stocked up on some fun stationery for your child, check out this blog post.

Thanks for reading and supporting my small, Irish business,

xx Suzie