Fidget Spinner – Must Read If You Are Considering Giving Into This Latest Craze

A few days ago my family and I met up with some friends. At some point during the evening, I walked into the kids’ room and found that 3 of out the 7 kids there, had this little thing in their hands. They kept rotating this little gadget in their hands. They were doing a zillion other things and parallel, their fingers were busy with this little gadget rotating at high speeds. I hadn’t seen something like this, so I obviously asked them what it was. That’s when I was introduced to the fidget spinner.

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What Is A Fidget Spinner?

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We grew up in a world where the yo-yo and the hula hoop were widely popular. Today’s current obsession amongst kids is the fidget spinner.  A fidget spinner is a gadget with a bearing in the middle that allows it to spin. They’re made of metal or plastic and feature two or three prongs that blur as they twirl. You hold it between your fingers and spin or twirl it.

Marketed by companies as a gadget to help people who have conditions like ADHD, autism, stress and anxiety, these little gizmos are believed to stop fidgeting and help them to focus better. Manufacturers have also advertised it as a possible remedy for smartphone addiction – so one gadget to get over the addiction of another.

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What’s In The Spin?

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You can spin the fidget spinner either by holding it in the centre or the spoke. It is simple to use, and a diversion for overactive fingers and minds. You can also spin it on the floor. This new toy has taken the world by a storm. Kids are addicted to this spinner and from what I’ve been reading, so are a lot of adults. Kids have been carrying it to school and adults to their workplaces.

Fidget spinners range from Rs 200 to Rs 5,000. They’re available on all the shopping websites and most local toy shops too. Looking to buy one – click here.

How Has It Affected The Kids

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Children have started carrying it to their school. While the teacher talks, the kids spin these between their fingers to break the boredom of the lesson. Is that good? Of course not. Instead of helping them to focus and stop fidgeting, it’s become a trend and kids are using is show off about the number and types they have.

I was shocked to hear about a class 8 child, who was bringing these little gadgets and selling them in school for Rs 200. There were kids scrambling to buy them. Thankfully, the school authorities found out and the fidget spinners were confiscated. As per the Telegraph UK, these gadgets are being banned in schools across the country for a variety of reasons. You can read the full report here.

 

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This new craze has spawned thousands of videos on Youtube which show different ways to spin it and flip it and get one up on your friends.

Should You Get Your Child One

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If your child is suffering from ADHD, autism or anxiety, a fidget spinner may help him/her calm down. But there is no research to prove that this is true. While it may seem fascinating to watch a tiny object spin around crazy between your fingers, in my opinion, it can actually cause a child to get more fidgety than actually focus. Most kids anyway have the attention span of an ant nowadays. A fidget spinner is actually meant to be a tool to build focusing powers; but we need to watch out keen if it does just that with the kids.

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Not sure how fidget spinners work? Watch the video to learn a few tricks.

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What’s your take on the fidget spinners? Are your kids hooked on to them, too? Share snaps with us and tell us if you find them useful and aiding in cincentration or something of a distraction for kids!

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