Fidget toys for Kids with ADHD
Some might think that fidgeting with a toy while working would distract a child, but a physical outlet can actually have the opposite effect. A child with ADHD can use a fidget to help improve their focus. A fidget toy helps stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain.
ADHD Fidget Toys
- Comfort and compression clothing offers a sensory experience that soothes, calms and improves your body awareness.
- Balances can help centralize focus and improve overall body strength.
- Exercise balls, It is similar to seat cushions but more versatile for gross motor activity, Core muscles are strengthened by an outlet for movement in the brain to boost concentration and focus.
- Fidget for Your Digit offers fine and deep touch stimulation to be worn on the finger. If not the name brand version, try a ring, elastic band, or bracelet.
- Stress balls are used for fun, a simple squeeze or fiddle toy in various sizes. A foam ball at a dollar store can do the trick.
- Tangles are items for fine touch and a manipulative for fiddlers.
- Therapy is a soft manipulative that can be used to squeeze, form a pencil grip etc. Use Play-Doh, clay, or other made-at-home materials.
- Headbands, large elastic resistance bands, are available in different resistances and used in multiple ways, e.g., tied to chair legs to give children heavy legwork while seated.
- Wedge cushions are soft seat cushions placed in an angle for those who have a hard time sitting upright or tend to lie on their desks or floor.
- Weights or weighted products can provide pressure touch and proprioceptive input, giving a calming feeling. Weighted wristbands, ankle-bands, and lap weights can bring incredible focus to a person. Take out objects from home at varying times, especially during sitting activities.
- This is particularly beneficial for people that need mid-body stimulation. "Disco Sit" and "Movin Sit" are some of the examples.
- Wikki Stix is a mess free, hypoallergenic creative tool used for kinesthetic activities.
ADHD Fidget Toys to Calm
Sometimes, we all need something to help calm us down. Have you heard about stress balls?
- People love stress balls because they are an adult calming toy. Stress balls help calm the brain by releasing the feelings through the flexing of your hands.
- Stress balls provide soothing relief by allowing you to calm down and be quiet. 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 relax and focus through releasing some stress and energy through calming fidget toys.
ADHD fidget toys are calm and include a color-changing light ball, 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.
ADHD Fidget Toys with Feeling
To develop and use the best ADHD fidget toys, one must understand ADHD and learning styles. Many children with ADHD learn best through touch and feeling. They have tactile skills. Fidget toys work so well for children with ADHD because touching something with their hands or mouth helps them to focus and expel energy.
ADHD children are not trained to use physical stimulation but rather, there are various toys that help them develop stronger emotions. 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.
To best help your tactile learner focus give their hands something to engage with. ADHD fidget toys provide an outlet for children that need to use their sensory touch.
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. ADHD affects many parents. We get it. We are aware of it.
Finding effective ways to manage ADHD symptoms in your child can present challenges. When you add all the environments that your child interacts with, this becomes more complicated. ADHD management extends to educational environments and community events.