Fidgets and fidgeting – tools to support distance learning

We all fidget at one time or another throughout the day for a variety of reason. Maybe you tap a pencil or click a pen when concentrating. Or jingle change to calm yourself when anxious. Do you fiddle with a paperclip when listening to a lecture or doodle during a meeting? Per haps you twirl l your hair just because you like the sensation.

Everybody fidgets, especially students. Over the years, I have seen firsthand that providing the right fidget to a student can positively influence success in the classroom. Fidgeting can actually support attention, emotional and/or sensory regulation.

During distance learning, the need to fidget is heightened for students. Contributing factors include extended screen time with the absence of naturally embedded movement that in-person learning provides. For example, with in-person learning, students move from one workstation or class to another or engage with a variety of manipulatives and hands-on experiences throughout the day.

As a result, having the right fidget tool readily available has never been more needed. In the absence of this, younger students may initiate fidgeting with a large toy that disrupts their attention and that of classmates. Older students may “fidget” by opening new tabs or fidget with their phone, missing instructional time.

In order for fidgets to be effective “tools” for learning they must be small and quiet, allowing discreet use. They are mindful of the learning environment by respecting those around them. For distance learning, this easily translates as keeping fidgets in you lap and not visible to the screen.

Fidgets are not a “one size fits all,” but rather chosen based on individual sensory preferences. I have found the following examples of hand-help, wearable, and portable fidgets most effective and also accepted by classroom teachers. They are “small, quiet and mindful of others.”

Handheld fidgets:

·       Isoflex Stress Ball (Sand filled so does not bounce or roll away)

·       Flippy Chain Fidget

·       Marble Mesh Finger Fidget

·       Tangle Jr.

Wearable Fidgets

·       Plastic Coil Bracelets

·       Mindful Fidget Star Wristband

Portable Fidgets

·       Pencil or pen (roll between fingertips and great for fine motor coordination too!)

·       Finger exercises (touch thumb to each fingertip)

·       Doodle

Finally, be certain to review fidget rules and expectations. Fidgets are tools for learning that are designed to support attention and engagement to the task at hand. They are always used discreetly, being mindful of others.

Kimberly Bonacum is an occupational therapist for Piedmont Unified School District and owner of Mindful Fidgets, LLC www.mindfulfidgets.com. For additional questions, she can be contacted at mindfulfidgets@gmail.com