Fidget spinners and fidget cubes are the new craze that’s sweeping through the nation (or at least through our little seaside town anyway) and I must admit that they’re a craze I actually like.
What’s a fidget spinner?
In case you don’t know what a fidget spinner is, it’s a little plastic toy that’s shaped a bit like a propeller which you hold in the centre between your finger and thumb. You start it spinning and the trick is to keep it spinning for as long as you can! They’re bright and colourful and are small enough that they fit in your pocket so Master Frugal, who is fidget spinner obsessed right now always has his with him lately.
Here’s ours in action….
What’s a fidget cube?
A fidget cube is a little hand held cube (one of ours is a cube the other has 10 sides) with each side having a different ‘activity’ – flicking a switch, turning a dial, pressing a button, sliding a mini joystick etc.
Here’s our ten sided fidget cube in action….
So now you know what they are, do you see the attraction?
As soon as I heard about these little gadgets I knew they’d be great for Master Frugal because he’s always been a bit of a fidget and can never seem to keep his hands still. In the past we’ve bought him things like squeezy stress toys and juggling balls so he has something small that he can fidget with to keep his hands occupied and they’ve worked for a while but then hes lost interest in them and we’ve been back to the start. He got his first fidget toy for his Birthday in March and the novelty hasn’t worn off like I thought it might.
The theory is that for children who find it difficult to sit still without fidgeting or who find it hard to focus will benefit from a fidget toy of some sort as they can literally fidget with it without thinking. This channels their energy meaning that they can then focus on whatever it is that they’re supposed to be focusing on.
They’re also said to help reduce anxiety in children thanks to their calming effect and I’ve seen lots of claims that they are great for children with ADHD – I can’t vouch for either of these but I’ve read enough reviews and articles about these little gadgets to believe that they must help in some way as so many people are recommending them for this reason.
Master Frugal doesn’t have an issue with concentration or focus but he definitely finds it hard to sit still without something to occupy his hands. Going to a restaraunt for example would have him messing with the cutlery, his drink – even the salt and pepper pots but if he has one of his fidget toys with him then he’ll quite happily sit and play with that instead which is much less irritating for the rest of us! 😉 The fidget spinner is almost silent and the fidget cube isn’t too bad with I think four out of the six sides being silent. The other two are a bit annoying as they make clicky noises but he loves it that much that I can (usually) let it go.
The best thing is that they’re so cheap to buy! Master Frugal has two fidget spinners and two fidget cubes altogether and he’s bought two of them himself. They’re cheap enough that he can buy them with his pocketmoney and because lots of them are on Amazon Prime, they’re with him the day after he orders one.
I bought one of our fidget spinners at Brooklyn Flea Market in New York for about five pounds and the second one, which spins for so much longer was bought from Amazon (here’s my affiliate link for the fidget spinners) for under three pounds. Our fidget cubes were also from Amazon and cost no more than five pounds for each of the two we have (again, here’s my affiliate link for the fidget cubes).
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