Fabulous Fidgets

During my TBRI training this past summer, one of the things that I found most world-rocking was the idea of “fidgets.” Quite simply, these are toy-like objects that you hold and fidget with while you’re listening to a presentation or lecture.

Now, I have always prided myself on my ability to pay attention (not exactly an Olympic skill, but I worked with what I had). Teachers all throughout my childhood loved me for my constant, interested eye contact. I take fantastic lecture notes. I can sit for hours listening to people talk and be able to parrot their phrases back to you at the end (which is no guarantee that I actually understood, mind you).

Before TBRI, my response to the whole idea that someone couldn’t sit still and pay attention would have been “well, they’ve just never learned how.” I would have said the thing to do to correct their behavior would be to make them sit and pay attention, and practice until they could.

Do we need to teach children how to sit and pay attention? Yes, of course. It’s not an innate skill, and it’s certainly not one that our world of incessant distractions helps teach. But, if you just try and make a four year old boy sit still and pay attention for five, ten, fifteen minutes at a stretch, you will fail. You will be frustrated. It won’t be fun for anyone.

And if you think about it, our demands that kids sit still and pay attention are rarely for as manageable a time as five minutes. How long is a school day? How long is a Sunday school class? How long are you sitting at a restaurant trying to have a nice meal? Good grief, I have yet to make it through even a short car ride with a small tyke without having to say the words “just sit still!”

Now imagine there were something simple (and in no way dangerous or narcotic) out there that you could put into a child’s hands that would make it a lot easier for him to sit still. And imagine it helped him concentrate so that he actually paid better attention and retained more information. What if it were something ridiculously simple, like a ball of 39 cent silly putty?

That’s a “fidget.” It’s an uncomplicated toy that occupies the hands, freeing up the rest of the body to be still and the brain to be attentive. I know, I didn’t believe it either. Until around day two of the TBRI training when I started ‘playing’ with one of the fidgets on our table. It was a simple loop of plastic called a tangle that moves around. I had that thing going nonstop throughout all the lectures. I had picked it up out of curiosity, never believing for a second that a toy could possibly improve my stellar concentration. Boy was I wrong. I had a much easier time sitting through the long days (8 hours of lecture is rough on even the most quiescent adult), and I found my mind wandering much less than it had without the tangle. I was astounded.

But wait, you’re thinking, you can’t just let rowdy kids play with toys in the middle of the classroom! I had the same reaction, but then thought, why not? Would you rather spend your day saying, with increasing sharpness, “sit still!” or would you rather have the eyes and ears of your classroom, even if their hands are holding toys?

I have heard feedback from teachers who have used fidgets in their school classrooms, and they explain that the whole room is a bit bonkers for the first week or two. Every kid grabs a fidget and plays with it, and you just have to kind of ride that out. Over time, the kids who don’t need them quit picking them up, and the ones who do need them settle into the routine.

I will tell you that I used the concept yesterday in my children’s ministry classroom of energetic four year olds (mostly boys, several of whom have already been there for two and a half hours by the time I arrive). I offered the kids the chance to bring a small ball of play-doh with them into the main teaching time. About 70% of the kids brought the play-doh. Of those, about 50% just held the play-doh quietly in their hands. The rest actively ‘played’ with it, most rolling it into smaller balls that they then arranged. All of the kids listened more attentively and sat more quietly than they ever had before. Next week we’re going to try silly putty (it's less of a hazard in a carpeted area). But I also found this website that has a whole section of ‘fidgets’ and other small toys that are great.

Some tips to make it work:

1. I’ve found that fidgets that don’t actually look like toys work best. You want to keep their hands busy so their minds can focus elsewhere—if the toy is too interesting, their mind (and the minds of their neighbors) will be on the toy.

2. Give out the toys at the beginning of your time with the children. Those who don’t really need the fidgets will lose interest in them by the time you’re trying to get everyone to sit and listen.

3. I explained that they could bring the play-doh in with them if it helped them sit and listen quietly. This way it is both a fidget and an incentive.

4. Try and pick a range of fidgets: some tactilely interesting, some requiring repetitive movement, some akin to stress balls (for hard squeezes). Kids will gravitate toward what soothes them.

5. Things that bounce or pop up suddenly are great for one-on-one playtime, but make lousy fidgets. They are super distracting for everyone.

6. Magnets are dangerous for kids (they can swallow them). Keep in mind basic toy safety issues, especially if you are buying them from an adult-oriented company (many great fidgets are sold as office toys).

7. Try one yourself! Bring a tangle to fidget with under the table at your next board meeting or conference call. You might be surprised at the results, and it will certainly help you help the children you serve!