If you’re looking for homemade fidget toys you can make with your kids, this post is for you!
While fidget toys are a relatively new phenomenon amongst kids and teens, fidgeting is nothing new. From foot tapping, to hair twirling, to repeatedly clicking a ballpoint pen, there are many ways people fidget in school and work settings. Fidgeting is often the result of pent up energy and an inability to focus, but sometimes these small behaviors can actually be helpful while trying to concentrate on something complex. Many of us are prone to fidgeting when we feel restless or amped up on caffeine, but constant/excessive fidgeting can point to underlying challenges like ADHD, autism, stress, or anxiety.
Keep reading for the benefits of fidget toys, as well as links to homemade fidget toys you can make with items you probably already have lying around your house.
What Are Fidget Toys?
For those who aren’t in the know, fidget toys come in various shapes, sizes, and textures and are used to improve focus and concentration while also helping with self-regulation. Playing with a fidget toy can help improve a child’s active listening, keeping them calm, centered, and on task. Stress balls, silly putty, fidget spinners, fidget cubes, and pop-its are all examples of fidget toys that can be used at home and in the classroom to redirect fidgeting behaviors and improve a child’s learning abilities.
What Are the Benefits of Fidget Toys?
- Redirects fidgeting behaviors
- Improves self-regulation
- Helps with focus and concentration
- Requires kids to use the left and right sides of their brains, which is beneficial to learning
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Strengthens hand muscles
- Improves dexterity and fine motor skills
14 Homemade Fidget Toys Kids Can Make
While Amazon is full of the most popular fidget toys on the market, making homemade fidget toys is sure to be a hit with your kids. There are TONS of DIY ideas you can try, and since fidget toys are all the rage with tweens and teens, it’s the perfect activity to do on weekends and school holidays to beat boredom. If you’re on the hunt for homemade fidget toys to make with your kids, we’ve curated the best of the best below!
How to Make Stress Balls | Red Ted Art
DIY LEGO Fidget Spinner | Creative Green Living
LEGO Fidget Cube | Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
DIY Stress Ball with Netting | Living Life As Moms
Bead Slides | Marvelous Multiagers
Origami Ninja Fidget Spinner | Red Ted Art
DIY Therapy Putty | Wonder-Mom
DIY Duct Tape Endless Cube | Frugal Fun For Boys and Girls
DIY Zipper Bracelets | Moms and Crafters
Anti-Stress Balls | DIY Is Fun
How to Make Squishier | My Creative Days
DIY Fidget Sticks | We Are Teachers
DIY Marble Maze | AppleGreen Cottage
Fidget Pendant | Instructables
Whether your child struggles to focus and concentrate due to a learning disability, stress, or anxiety, or they are simply going through a fidget craze like most tweens and teens are these days, I hope you enjoy making these homemade fidget toys together!
