Fidget Spinners?

[Ponyfan]

I'm seeing these everywhere but can't seem to find where to buy them. Do you have one? What do you think of them?

Ponyfan

[Icicle]

I have ADHD so I can see the appeal of them, that said... a lot of teenagers at my church have them and they are SUPER distracting how they use them (and show them off). I would much prefer a fidget cube, with like the clicking/pushing buttons but that's how my brain likes to relax.

I know in the US you can "easily" find them at 7-Elevens. I use the quotations because it depends on the demand in the area, but apparently they are super abundant around me.

[tulagirl]

I have ordered some off of amazon to help me with high pain levels.   I thought it might help me. I know that sounds odd.  Doctors have told me if you can turn your brain off and onto something else it can stop pain cycles.  When nerves are interrupted in their mad race to send pain signals they have to be interrupted.  This is why it is so good for people who suffer chronic pain to do biofeedback, affirmations that tell the body the opposite of what it feels and stuff like that.  Well, why not try a spinner? I have some ADD as well.  I am no kid though and have no plans on using them where they would irritate people around me.  It seems like kids are notorious for wanting things that do just that. It is always something.

[NovelNerd]

I prefer the fidget cube and this is coming from a teacher. I'm tired of having to take them away because kids are trying to annoy each other, make so much noise so everyone stares, or are convinced they are ninja stars. I actually had put in an order for some and cubes to use for my kids next year that have trouble staying still. I've decided not to give them the spinners. I get it they are kids, but I don't need projectile toys. That being said I'm pretty strict and after the first one I haven't had many issues. I don't think they help the kids focus though as they just end up playing with it and not working. My poor kids with ADHD end up just playing with them and have to be redirected and the ones that can handle work and the spinners seem to be my students that typically don't have trouble staying focused. They spin it in one hand and work with the other. The kids don't like the cubes as much, but I've had an easier time with them.

You can buy cheap versions of both off wish for like $2

Post Merge: May 07, 2017, 04:58:29 PM

I prefer the fidget cube and this is coming from a teacher. I'm tired of having to take them away because kids are trying to annoy each other, make so much noise so everyone stares, or are convinced they are ninja stars. I actually had put in an order for some and cubes to use for my kids next year that have trouble staying still. I've decided not to give them the spinners. I get it they are kids, but I don't need projectile toys. That being said I'm pretty strict and after the first one I haven't had many issues. I don't think they help the kids focus though as they just end up playing with it and not working. My poor kids with ADHD end up just playing with them and have to be redirected and the ones that can handle work and the spinners seem to be my students that typically don't have trouble staying focused. They spin it in one hand and work with the other. The kids don't like the cubes as much, but I've had an easier time with them.

You can buy cheap versions of both off wish for like $2. I've only seen them from the side of teens I'm sure with adults it's less distraction...I hope.

[tikibirds]

I got the cube for my bf because he is a high functioning autistic. He thinks its the stupidest thing ever.

[Midnight_Dream]

Personally I think these are some of the dumbest things ever invented. It does nothing but spin in a circle...yay? In two months you will find millions of these in the trash.

[Ponyfan]

Thanks everyone. I heard somewhere that these are supposed to be a stress reliever. Sometimes I stress out easily as was wondering if these might help due to the motion but I would never use one where it would be distracting to others.  Even the cashier at Walmart had a Fidget Spinner.

I was always scared of ninja stars.


Ponyfan

[Lhianneth]

Thanks everyone. I heard somewhere that these are supposed to be a stress reliever. Sometimes I stress out easily as was wondering if these might help due to the motion but I would never use one where it would be distracting to others.  Even the cashier at Walmart had a Fidget Spinner.

I was always scared of ninja stars.


Ponyfan

Repetitive motion is soothing (which is why many religions pray with beads; rosaries in Catholocism, knotted ropes or beads in Buddhism, etc.). It's relaxing, but also helps you to focus. Having said that, if the spinner doesn't seem a good option for you (I think I'd find it distracting rather than helping me focus, personally), perhaps going oldschool with a beaded bracelet, or a worrystone for your pocket would help? When you're stressed out, you rub the divot in a worry stone, or count the beads on your bracelet.

They're both more subtle than a spinner, but work under the same principle.

Failing that, you could find a pen that's really quiet in its clicking, and use that (which is what some of the buttons on the Fidget Cube were designed to mimic, anyway).

[Icicle]

Personally I think these are some of the dumbest things ever invented. It does nothing but spin in a circle...yay? In two months you will find millions of these in the trash.

For a lot of kids, yeah. But, it does certainly have a purpose for people on the autism spectrum or have something like ADHD. Like Lhianneth says, the repetitive motion is good for relaxing/focusing. For my small hands spinners wouldn't be effective, but the motion certainly would for my ADHD. (I would also likely have used it privately or under a desk, but I am also an adult compared to the teenage demographic that seem to be attached to them right now)

But yeah Ponyfan. You can mimic this sort of thing with a lot of stuff, a fidget cube being one option. I'd like one myself, just can't justify the cost right now. I actually use the legs of my LEGO Batgirl minifig keychain when I'm out, since the legs and arms move, I just move the legs up and down if I'm feeling anxious or when I'm fidgety in the car or in a store.

[BethyVic]

I was planning on getting one, but instead starting using Silly Putty for a similar reason.  I find keeping my hands moving is soothing and helps with my arthritis. 

[BerylBreeze]

Having both a (real) fidget cube and cheapy spinner, I like the cube a lot more.
I like the input of continuously presssing buttons and stuff on the cube. With spinners you just kind of spin it and sit there.

[lostpony]

Whats this fidget cube everyone but me knows about?

I found a couple of traditional wooden tops that i like but they require a surface to use. I took one to work but my fingers never stop moving there anyway so i've only used it a couple of times there, but it's nice to have around especially after taking my ponies home.

[tulagirl]

I think every decade has that one toy that is totally obnoxious that the schools have to ban and it causes all sorts of trouble.  I suppose this is a right of all young people growing up.  I remember the items from my childhood that got banned from school.  The fidget spinner has a great advertising gimmick. I think it is fun to explore the new items made for young people.  I like silly putty also.  The only thing I ever saw invented that became a craze I didn't get was those bands in the shapes of animals, characters or items.  They lasted a very short time and were banned from schools as well at least in our area.  Now they are in abundance in thrift store bags.  So, I would guess if you just wait a few months the first series of fidget spinners will be in thrift bags.  I always promoted fine motor skills, balance activities, physics and stuff in my classroom during free periods. I found kids did better over all when you didn't just shove their world out of the school day.  The fact is kids get addicted to things and can't control their use of these items.  Since time began, kids have brought toys to school and teachers have a drawer full to return at the end of the year.  This is the joy of childhood.

[Lhianneth]

Whats this fidget cube everyone but me knows about?

I found a couple of traditional wooden tops that i like but they require a surface to use. I took one to work but my fingers never stop moving there anyway so i've only used it a couple of times there, but it's nice to have around especially after taking my ponies home.

This is. It's a small cube, designed to help you focus when you're distracted. It has a lot of tactile aspects, including switches, buttons, and so forth, that you can "fidget" to burn off restlessness or excess energy. The goal is that by eliminating your desire to move around and fidget, you can focus on work or the task at hand.

It can also give you something to fixate on, if you're anxious, to get your mind off of whatever it is that causes your anxiety. People have used similar coping methods for ages, they just condensed them into a tidy package.

[melodys_angel]

I have a worrystone. Its a heart shaped marble stone.  ill sometimes be subconsciously holding onto it, Turing it in my hand..that kind of thing.