Fidget spinners have become immensely popular nearly overnight, yet they have been around in use by therapists for ages. With the onset of this popularity, surely your kids have already heard about the fidget spinner. Let’s face it they look cool and if you get ones that have multiple colors it’s almost like an optical illusion on your fingertip. With that being said, there’s much debate going around as to whether fidget spinners are good or bad for kids.
Let’s chat today about the pros and cons of fidget spinners so that you can determine if you will be hopping on that bandwagon to purchase one or not.
Are Fidget Spinners Good or Bad for Kids
Why Fidget Spinners are Good for Kids
- Claims to Help Focus – fidget spinners have claimed that they will help ADD and ADHD kids to focus better in classrooms. While there isn’t a lot of research out there to back up this claim, there are many parents who agree that these gadgets have helped their fidgety child focus.
- Entertainment without Electronics – these little gadgets may just keep your kids off the electronics and desiring to attempt tricks and be outside with these spinners to test what they can do. Anything that helps keep kids off electronics must be a good thing, right?!
- Increase Imagination – the optical illusion effect of this fidget spinner could keep your kids imagination going. As kids work to do tricks, get different colors combined to see the results when spinning multiple colors, they are using their imagination and creative side of the brain which is awesome.
Pros and Cons of Fidget Spinners
Why Fidget Spinners Could Be Considered Bad for Kids
- Distraction in Class – sadly many schools across the world have started to ban fidget spinners, citing that they are a toy not a therapeutic device. With the spinning action of the bearings within this device, many kids are distracting other students and teachers had to say enough is enough. Even if you homeschool these could likely cause a distraction.
- Can Harm Someone – if your child is spinning the fidget spinner out of control to the point that it’s going super-fast, the gadget may fly out of your kids hand and into the face of another student or worse yet, you. These may help kids with attention and focus but they certainly can pose a slight danger.
- Pretty Price – some of these fidget spinners are even considered rare. It’s like Pokémon cards all over again with the kids desiring the rarest of rare which can cost parents a pretty penny. This can be one expensive focus gadget when there’s lower cost ones on the market.
Are Fidget Spinners Good or Bad? What do you think? Do your kids have them? I’m curious 🙂 Leave me a comment below and share your thoughts with us.
Interested in The History of Fidget Spinners Click Here.
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Shadez says
March 28, 2020 at 8:53 amThey r awesome
T Sledge says
September 9, 2017 at 5:08 amMy daughter age 11 not diagnosed with any disorder no ADHD perfectly normal content 11 year old girl.
In two weeks time my daughter discovered fidget spinners acquired a fidget spinner, and now carries it daily as a therapy item to help her cope with anger.
My concern is the crutch. I myself as a young student was diagnosed with ADHD because my behavior did not coincide with the school handbook. My oldest child also experienced this as he came through the lower classes 4th 5th 6th grade. as a young man I removed myself from the medication which is quite literally legal methamphetamine. my prescription was Ritalin generic name Methylphenidate. One generation later my eldest was prescribed Adderall. my experience was much more difficult than my eldest I was my own guide I removed myself from these horrible medications even after my therapist threatened that I would be punished if I did not do as I was told. Thankfully I didn’t stay in the grasp of pharmaceutical methamphetamine I truly believe it allowed me to be an independent person separate from the cookie cutter idea of what we ought to be. It took me over a year-and-a-half of good behavior at school before I was released back to normal classes this is because I was open and honest about my refusal of the medicines. My oldest son after 6 months of being on this medication with my guidance he began to stop taking it no bad reports from school his behavior was fine I would like to think that both him and I realized sometimes it’s best to open your ears and close your mouth and as long as there’s no threat or danger in a school setting there is no reason to fear threat or danger besides those two points a child should absolutely follow Direction at school.
Would never claim the ADHD or hyperactivity doesn’t exist. I do claim the ADHD and add are labels easily applied to a multitude a rainbow faceted kaleidoscope of how people are unique. unfortunately with my diagnosis I was able to witness the extreme cases children literally bouncing off walls being physical dangers to themselves and others. My deficit? Simply not following the rules.
the example of my daughter Miss using a fidget spinner not as a toy not as a focusing tool she’s claiming to use it as a therapy device for a topic that I believe allows her a crutch to avoid learning coping skills. Unfortunately she grew up in a generation with participation trophies. A generation of instant gratification. what eyewitness from her behavior when she uses this fidget spinner her focus is on the toy but it’s more of an empty shell then a focusing tool. It’s as if she attempts to block out thought emotion and environment whenever she feels anxious or upset. I could not imagine a world of humans homo sapien sapien being affected by their technology so much did it would effectively give us an excellent reason to remove one of the sapien. just as my oldest I will attempt to gradually guide from a distance and attempt to help my daughter realize that this item isn’t even a crutch for her, but an idea she thinks is valid with zero evidence, she did zero research, she truly believes its intended purpose is not as a toy but as a general use therapy tool. I truly hope she will be receptive towards the help that I will attempt to give her. because it makes me terrified to imagine my daughter without some of the most simple skills every human needs to learn so that person can effectively process, deal with, accept, cope, ignore the many physical and mental stresses of nature……let alone the wonderful world of humans self destructive tendencies.
If these items truly help your kids that’s GREAT. I don’t believe they are any benefit besides a toy. My oldest is even confused these things even exist.
May you and yours have healthy travels.
T Sledge
Iowa-USA
Alex says
May 24, 2017 at 2:55 pmAs long as it is kept as a hobby and not brought in class, fidgeting can be great. Thank you for asking those questions though.
Kimberly says
May 24, 2017 at 9:14 pmThank you for sharing
Felisha says
May 17, 2017 at 7:35 pmWell i dont think that at all fidget spinner are a good thing get over with it meaning it is fine
Kimberly says
May 17, 2017 at 8:35 pmI didn’t say they were good or bad I merely stated questions and opinions that have been shared.