ADHD fidget toys might provide the solution you have been looking for for some time. As we have pointed out before, sitting still to learn might not be the best plan for ADHD children. A great way to get your kids moving is through the use of fidget toys.
Fidget toys might not solve all your problems with your hyperactive and easily distracted child. Still, ADHD fidget toys might provide some release for both stress and energy and help your child to even learn better.
In this post, we outline five different types of ADHD fidget toys, and why they might be the solution you are looking for.
#1 Beating Stress: ADHD Fidget Toys to Calm
Sometimes, we all need something to help calm us down. Ever heard of the stress ball?
People love stress balls because they act as a type of adult calming fidget toy. Stress balls help calm your nerves and brain by releasing pent up feelings through flexing your hands.
Stress balls provide calm soothing relief through a simple quiet action. People keep buying stress balls because they simply work as a calming device.
For ADHD fidget toys, you want to take the same concept and apply it to your child. Many ADHD children feel overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions that drive them every which way. Help them to calm and focus through releasing some stress and energy through calming fidget toys.
ADHD fidget toys that calm could include a color changing light ball or sensory squishy gel pad or squeezy basketball. Other ideals might include using flexible foot band for kids to use with their feet, simple pipe cleaners, key chains, or plastic nut and bolt toys.
Calming fidget toys for ADHD should be quiet and engage either sight or touch or both. They provide a calming way to release energy for your ADHD child.
#2 Tactile Learners: ADHD Fidget Toys with Feeling
When it comes to effective ADHD fidget toys, it’s important to understand ADHD and learning styles. Many children with ADHD learn best through touch and feeling. They are tactile learners. Fidget toys work so well for children with ADHD because touching something with their hands or mouth helps them to focus and expel energy.
Since many children with ADHD learn best through touch, fidget toys that focus on tactile stimulation provide a great energy release. The best tactile ADHD fidget toys include sensory bars that can be placed on a child’s desk, sensory brushes, or balls with sensory elements. You could always give your child Boinks or tactile balls like a Koosh ball.
To best help your tactile learner focus give their hands something to engage with. Tactile ADHD fidget toys provide a great outlet for kids who need sensory touch.
#3 Staying Focused: ADHD Fidget Toys to Keep Alert
Fidget toys for ADHD can provide much more than just a positive way for your child to release energy. Fidget toys have also been shown to effectively increase focus and attention. This means fidget toys can help in a classroom setting to actually increase alertness and focus.
You might be tired of your ADHD child getting into trouble at school. Many times, ADHD children get into trouble in the first place because they cause or create distractions when they lose their focus. If this applies to your child, fidget toys that help with alertness might be the right solution for you.
If you want to increase focus, try some fidget toys such as hand puzzles or a slinky. Some other fidget toys for alertness include Klicks and Pop Toobs.
Before sending your child off to school with fidget toys, be sure to talk to their teacher about their appropriate use in the classroom. By having their teachers on board, fidget toys for ADHD can provide an effective way to increase focus in the classroom.
#4 Fighting with Fingers: ADHD Fidget Toys with Resistance
For some children, they want not only to feel and touch something, but they want to push and pull against a resistive force. Simple hand motions against light resistance can give a child an energy release and an objective to focus on. For children who need a little more than just sensory feeling, try resistive ADHD fidget toys.
Fidget toys that provide resistance might include silly putty, play dough, or a low resistance stress ball. Other simple options you might consider could be resistance rings or rubber bands.
Whatever you settle on, you want to look for something with slight resistance that is pliable and shapeable. Finding the right fidget toy with resistance can provide effective focus when you need it for your ADHD child.
#5 Something to Chew On: ADHD Fidget Toys to Sink Your Teeth Into
Probably more of us than would like to admit it can remember chewing on our number #2 pencils or erasers back in elementary school. We would do this on a daily basis or particularly when taking tests. There is a reason most of us can remember doing this as children: chewing things can help increase focus and release energy.
For some children the best fidget toys for ADHD would include things to chew on. We may have chewed on our pencils as kids, but, fortunately, now you have better options for your children.
For kids that work better with chewing on things, you might try out dentist approved chewable bracelets, necklaces, and jewelry. You can even buy specifically designed chewable rulers and pencil toppers. For a quick fix, you can talk to your child’s teachers about letting them even chew gun.
Depending on your child’s personality, chewable fidget toys for ADHD might just provide the fix you need. If you have doubts about a particular chewable toy, you should consult your child’s dentist first. With the number of options available, though, you will most likely be able to find a right fit for your child.
Using ADHD Fidget Toys as Part of Your Management Plan
Many parents with ADHD children feel the constant struggle of trying to keep the ADHD symptoms in line. As a result, many parents almost start to see ADHD as a constant war or steady struggle. We get it. We understand.
Finding effective ways to manage ADHD symptoms in your child can present challenges. This gets all the more complicated when you factor in all of the environments that your child interacts with. ADHD management expands from the home to the school environment to community events and other places.
One reason fidget toys for ADHD can be so effective is because they can be used in almost any environment that your child goes to. You can find ways to use them at home or in the classroom or almost any other setting. We would recommend getting a few fidget toys for ADHD and trying them out.
Use them as just one aspect of your larger ADHD comprehensive treatment plan. We believe that you will see positive results. Use the tools here to help you more effectively manage ADHD symptoms on a daily basis.
