alisoncooks Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 If your children manipulate fidgets during school time, what ones have you found to be the best? Specific brands you like? Tangles, hairy tangles, stress balls, etc? What does your child reach for again & again? My oldest needs some sort of physical outlet during school hours....we have a wobble disc, but I need something to keep her hands busy during phonics lessons (which are proving to be *very* challenging for us...) Thanks for any suggestions. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 For my DD, it's sharpening pencils. I provide cheap pencils and hand sharpeners that catch the shavings because otherwise, she'll sharpen her good pencils to a nub in a single lesson. I've yet to find any fidget that seems to work as well as sharpening pencils for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I have found that sensory input of any kind is good for my DD, so these don't all keep her fingers busy, but they seem to provide the same calming effect. Gum Model Magic clay A foot massager Drinking from a straw Necklaces with several beads to twirl Silly putty Also, take this with a grain of salt since I know nothing of Phonics Pathways, but make sure that your instruction is allowing her enough physical interaction with the concepts. Letter tiles are better for teaching these kids than discussions, and games that involve jumping from one vowel to the next will gain you much more learning progress than a worksheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyslexicParent Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 The school tried all kinds of fidgets, including an "indestructible" toy which DD promptly destroyed! She is currently using therapy putty, so she picks her nose, :ack2: ears :bigear: and nails less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Thanks for the suggestions. We do use a lot of silly putty in our house. And gum.... though I never thought about drinking from a straw, might try it. DD is a thumb-sucker/nail chewer, too.... and we've been having a heck-of-a-time breaking that habit, but I never really connected it to her overall fidgeting/busy-ness. Hmmm, now to scold less and replace those with other (more productive) things... RE: sharpening pencils. My DD loves to do that too. I never thought about the kind with a shavings-catcher, duh! LOL, I just banned hand-held pencil sharpeners because I kept finding piles of shavings around the house... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Our best putty has been what we got from the OT because it's stiffer than silly putty and there's a lot of it so you can do more. And it doesn't dry out like clay or play-do. Lately, mine are going crazy for the hot rice bags--rice sewn into a cotton sack and heated up in the microwave. Nice and warm for chilly laps. We need to make more, so each child has one, because they are fighting over them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 a strip of velcro (rough side) on the underside of desk/table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mukmuk Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I really like the strip of velcro idea :thumbup1: , tks! It occurred to me in the Sensory processing rant thread that ds is also sensory seeking (in addition to being sensory avoiding). He loves to bite his finger nails and fidget with his fingers. Fidget toys have been useless though, as he's seeking a sensation through his fingertips. I spoke to him about the velcro idea and he loves. Now to implement ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 If you're having a lot of sensory-seeking, you might like to get an OT eval and start getting some OT. They could help you create a home program for a sensory diet. Also there's the book The Out of Sync Child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mukmuk Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Thanks, OhE. Ds went to OT from near 6 to 8yo, when he "graduated". These past few months has seen a revival of various issues, although disposition wise, he's in top form. I have a copy of The Out of Sync Child and need to thumb through again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I really like the strip of velcro idea :thumbup1: , tks! It occurred to me in the Sensory processing rant thread that ds is also sensory seeking (in addition to being sensory avoiding). He loves to bite his finger nails and fidget with his fingers. Fidget toys have been useless though, as he's seeking a sensation through his fingertips. I spoke to him about the velcro idea and he loves. Now to implement ... The velcro is good in a situation when child is in a group of his peers. The fidget is there, but not so obvious that the child stands out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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