jenbrdsly Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I'm going to sound like I work for Target but I don't :tongue_smilie: Anyhow, the Target near us has some toys in the Dollar Spot that would work really well as fidget toys. (Pictures and explanation here.) If you have a child with ADHD, or kid who is neurotypical but squirmy, these can be great learning tools to help children focus. I use to use things like this in the classroom when I was a ps teacher. Has anyone else tried using fidget toys with success? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerbread Mama Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I have never used fidget toys, but I am looking into them now for my youngest child (and now I'll be hitting Target's dollar spot!) Can you tell me a bit about using them as a teacher? I find it hard to wrap my mind around letting him do something else while trying to, say, read to him. How do they pay attention if they are focused on something else? I know that is probably because I DON'T have that same neurological set up, mine is the tune out everything but the thing I'm doing right now type :tongue_smilie: I grew up with teachers who wanted to look up and see you looking back at them if they were reading to you, they'd have lopped off our heads if we'd been fidgeting with anything... I did let him go color during read aloud today, and was sure he wasn't listening, but then he got up to go to the restroom and said, "Wait. Don't read until I get back." Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 It's all about "feedback". There is apparently a lot of research to back this up too. The general ideas is that if a child is sitting on a chair that spins, or on a half-bouncy disc, or holding something to play with in his or her hands, that it provides feedback to the brain and then lets the brain pay better attention. Feedback is also important with preschoolers which is why it's better for 3 year olds to use crayons instead of markers (you have to press harder). I don't know if this is related or not, but they came out with this study last year that said a very quick indicator of whether or not a child should be tested for ADHD is to have them make the "OK" sign with one hand. If the other hand also moves, then that's a red flag. So maybe ADHD kids need more movement in general to focus. (I'm just guessing here.) In my classroom I'd led kids hold fidget toys whenever we did anything that required them to sit still, and pay attention. It really worked well. They were excited to sit still and listen, because they knew they got to choose a learning tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtney.byrum Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Wonder if ours has those too. On a side note - DD can make the OK sign with one hand but DS does end up moving both hands and he is our ADHD child so I find that interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 How do they pay attention if they are focused on something else? Having something to fidget with (or doodling in class, or knitting and other kinds of handwork) can help keep attention in the present so one's attention doesn't drift away entirely. :) My boys pay better attention if they have something to occupy their hands (lunch or drawing) while I read. I do not have ADD, but I bring my cross stitch projects to work on during the boys' piano lessons so that I don't start daydreaming. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 My kids regularly use Thinking Putty while I read aloud. I also let them draw. My younger daughter crochets friendship bracelets sometimes too. We've also used legos in the past (a very small quantity on the table). http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Sensitive-Hypercolors-Twilight-Putty/dp/B001BS53O8/ref=pd_sim_t_2 None of us are ADHD or ADD, but we have plenty of extra mental energy. I hardly leave my house without a knitting project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Oooh! Thanks for reminding me about Thinking Putty. I had totally forgotten about that. We are not Waldorf people ourselves, but I seem to recall the Waldorf philosophy teaching kids to knit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Love this Jen!!! I have been meaning to pick up the thinking putty and this reminded me. I'll have to try both of these out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 The Office Playground is a wonderful site for fidgets. Their prices are good but their shipping is a bit high. I like to place orders of around $80 or so at a time so I get a decent deal. It is a great place for stocking stuffers/Easter Basket fillers/Birthday party prizes/etc. They have many items that we keep for dd5s sensory box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 My son who has aspergers and sids has used them for years and years... he has learned SO MUCH holding on to these little "toys" while pacing around, back and forth, back and forth, in circles, etc. He is very smart. He's been in ps since 2nd grade and just this week, in 5th grade, is completely OUT of special education services. I think the best thing for him in all his upbringing has been allowing him fidget toys and to let him pace... his proprioceptive (sp) sense really needed that... So, YEAH for FIDGET toys!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 The Office Playground is a wonderful site for fidgets. Their prices are good but their shipping is a bit high. I like to place orders of around $80 or so at a time so I get a decent deal. It is a great place for stocking stuffers/Easter Basket fillers/Birthday party prizes/etc. They have many items that we keep for dd5s sensory box. I'm glad you shared that link. I'm going to keep that in mind the next time I need to buy a present for my 14 year old nephew who has severe Autism. He's really hard to shop for, but I bet a basket of a lot of those fidget toys would be something he would enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) Wow! Will totally try this with DS2. Thanks! (Edited to add that I gave him the OK test and he failed. LOL) Edited April 14, 2012 by Lilymax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Love this Jen!!! I have been meaning to pick up the thinking putty and this reminded me. I'll have to try both of these out! Be careful with the thinking putty. It does stain. I have bright pink stains on sheets and carpet from it. I threw away clothes stained from it. I liked it a lot, but threw it away because it was too risky for our family to have in our home. We did try all of the stain removal suggestions, but they did not work on the color we had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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