Fidget spinners – the colourful, shiny, spinning gadgets – have exploded in classrooms and schoolyards across North America.
Marketed as a way to help kids with special needs focus, they’ve been adopted by kids right across the board. So what’s behind the latest craze? Could fidget spinners join the ranks of stationary bikes, Hokki stools and wedges in classrooms? Or, are they merely a flashy toy with the potential to distract kids from schoolwork?
Read More: Do fidget spinners really work or are they a distraction?
Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and the author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident and Capable Children. She believes in order for kids to pay attention, they need to move more. She says fidget spinners and fidgeting are a symptom of inactivity.
Watch below: Angela Hanscom says inner ear fluid needs to move in order to develop balance sense and activate the brain.
Henry Madsen is a principal at Nellie Carlson School in Edmonton. He says fidget spinners are not permitted in classrooms unless a parent can make a case for why it benefits their child’s ability to focus. That hasn’t happened yet.
Watch below: Henry Madsen wants proof fidget spinners increase attention before allowing them in class.
University of Calgary researcher Emma Climie studies the strengths of children with ADHD, ranging from mental health to knowledge. She says fidget spinners may help some students focus but she wants to see proof.
Watch below: University of Calgary researcher Emma Climie says fidget spinners may help some students focus but she wants to see proof.