Fidget spinners. If you don’t know what those words mean, I congratulate you because that means your kids haven’t been exposed to them and you are spared the madness. But to my fellow mothers dealing with the fidget spinner plague, you have my love and support.
If there was ever a wild trend, fidget spinners are it! I like to think of them as the tamagotchi craze of my childhood. Or maybe pogs too. Anyone still have a tube of those lying around? I am still mad about Richard Bingham’s epic slammer from 4th grade.
Like most things trendy these days, they are justified because they are supposedly “good for you”. Fidget spinners are supposedly great for focusing because your hands are kept busy so your mind can concentrate better. I say supposedly with great emphasis. According to Livescience, kids with ADHD do better when they can move their whole body, not just their hands. This is why you often hear of classrooms that have done away with chairs and only have exercise balls. This allows the children to move more and they aren’t expected to hold completely still. Even the ability to bounce and roll in place makes a big difference in attention and learning.
As for my personal experience with fidget spinners, they are fine. Until they aren’t. My 9 year old likes to bring his to church, but because church is so quiet, I can hear the high-pitched whirring sound of his spinner. That’s not going to fly with me. In my kids school classes, some teachers are okay with them, while others have sent emails home saying “fidget spinners are the devil. Leave them at home.” It’s more that they are a distraction to other kids that don’t have one.
Adults Using Fidget Spinners
As for the adults in my life, fidget spinners are a hit. My friend keeps one in her purse so she can have it at work. I recently was at my son’s baseball game and my coach husband was down on the third baseline calling pitches while fidget spinning. My dad has ADHD and I told him about fidget spinners and suggested he buy one. His response was “Why buy something when I already stand and fidget by shaking my legs a lot?”
Like I previously said, I think a lot of hyped things are given the excuse that they are beneficial. We can’t seem to indulge in things unless they are good for us in some way. Fidget spinners fall into that category. Yes, fidget spinners are fun, but that is about it.
What is your experience with fidget spinners? Are they driving you mad or do you help your kids collect more of them? Or do you keep one in your car to get you through rush hour traffic? Sound off!
