I don’t know about you, but I see these things EVERYWHERE! What are they, where did they come from, how did they get so popular and seriously…what’s the appeal?
If your a parent of a youngster or if you are a teacher, chances are you know exactly what these things are. If you are a teacher, you have probably taken a few of them away in class already. If you are a parent, you have heard the words…”I want a Fidget Spinner, I want a Fidget Spinner, I want a Fidget Spinner !” Well I finally had to know what these miracles of science and fun were.
It seems that it is a type of stress relieving toy. A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the center of a design made from any of a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper and plastic. It does exactly what it sounds like…it spins. as you hold it with your two fingers, either index and thumb or middle finger and thumb. They were originally designed to be a stress receiving toy, but have caught on with the young crowd as being the cool “in thing” to have. They are being banned across the nation school, as they have become pretty distracting in the classroom as the children play with them, obviously when they aren’t supposed to be. I know, weird a kid would do that right? Kids love them and come in a variety of different colors, patterns and shapes. Some of them even light up. What could be distracting about that?
On the flip side, some are arguing that they can be used to manage ADHD. It’s along the same principal as tapping a pencil, shaking your leg, or something of that nature. It’s not at the point yet where a doctor will prescribe a fidget spinner, but a psychologist could certainly recommend it as a viable option to help control the effects of ADHD.
I may be showing my age here…but fads have come and go. Some of them lasted a few weeks, some were around for months. With fidget spinners costing $20 or more depending on which one you get, I wonder how long these will last?
If you would like to read more on Fidget Spinners…CLICK HERE.