Educators are increasingly turning to fidget toys as valuable tools to enhance focus and reduce stress among students in classrooms. Once viewed as distractions, these handheld gadgets offer tactile stimulation that can help channel excess energy in constructive ways, promoting a more conducive learning environment. Research has shown promising results, indicating improved focus and on-task behavior, particularly among students with ADHD and sensory processing challenges.
Below is a curated list of our favorite fidget toys for classrooms:
1. Fiddlelinks Fidgeter - This soothing fidget is way too hard to put down. Developed by hand therapists, this long-time therapeutic favorite features interlocking, rotating links that are excellent for building fine finger dexterity and exercising finger joints.
2. Fidgeting Foot Bands™ - Foot Bands are a continuous loop of 1.5" wide stretchy band you "string" around desk or chair legs to keep fidgeting feet busy! Kids have fun and stay more focused as they push, pull, or kick these stretchy foot fidgets with their feet.
3. Chew Stixx Chewy Pencil Toppers - Made of non-toxic, latex-free materials, these toppers are an ideal alternative for sensory seekers who like to chew on their clothing, hair, or pencils. Nice for classroom, home, or office use (especially where gum chewing isn't allowed), these socially acceptable toppers help facilitate attention, too!
4. Springy Coils Fidget™ - Super cool little springy, bouncy, squeezy, orb-shaped metal coils that strengthen fingers as you squish, squeeze, and pogo away; providing deep pressure input to your fingers! These neat pincer and tripod grasp-building, pocket-sized sensory fidgets are perfect for anxiety and stress relief, keeping restless fingers busy, and for promoting/building finger grasps.
5. Tactile Zen Strips - Texturey Sensory Zen Strips fidgets are all the rage for kids, teens, and adults! Simply peel off the adhesive backing and stick them under the desk for subtle tactile fidgeting. Fidgety fingers and sensory seekers will be soothed and satisfied by swiping, rubbing, or scratching these focus-enhancing tactile fidget tools
6. Teeny Slow Rise Squeezies™ - These miniature squishes are cool little fiddle tools made of squishy squeezy foam that slowly rises back to its original shape after being squashed and squeezed.
7. Desk Bouncy Bands - Bouncy Bands designed especially to fit on school desks! These neat self-regulation sensory tools are effective for promoting focus and attention while decreasing stress. Super durable, extra thick, and very resisitive – Bouncy Bands provide subtle, silent bouncy, kicking sensory input for students.
8. Puppy Neato Doh Ball - Fidgeting fingers can’t get enough of these soft doughy sensory balls that are encased in buttery soft rubbery skin. Puppy Neato Doh Fidget Balls are squishy squeezy silent fidget tools that keep hands busy and minds more focused for many hours! A perfect sensory stress ball for touchy feely sensory seekers.
9. Thinking Putty - Thinking putty is like chewing gum for your fingers! Turn on your brain and melt away some stress with this cool sensory fidget putty. Comes in assorted vibrant colors and handy little pocket-sized tins.
10. Under Your Desk Ribbon Fidget Strips™Under Your Desk Ribbon Fidget Strips™ - Two innovative under-your-desk fidgets that can also double as a silent handheld fidget tool. These pocket-size fiddles are great for classrooms, the office, home desks, or the kitchen table. They feature soft fleecey fabric on one side and assorted textury sensory ribbons along the edge. Includes the velcro hook to safely adhere them.
11. Desk Buddy Sensory Ruler - Desk Buddy is a socially-acceptable, flexible, bendable, multi-textured sensory ruler that you can fidget with and run your fingers across as it sits upon your desk! This neat sensory diet tool features a sensory smorgasbord of raised dotted bumpies, tickley square knobbies, wavy ridges, and 3-D stripes.
12. Scented Kneadable Fidget Erasers - These awesome kneadables eraser fidgets come in assorted fun scents and colors: Orange Slush, Fruit Punch, Rootbeer Float, and more! Each one comes in a cool little plastic “suitcase.” Stretch, squeeze and squish ‘em–again and again! This fabulous little finger strengthening sensory tool is great for silent classroom fidgeting, too.
13. Mini Spiky Oodles Ball - A smaller, very similar version of your favorite Spiky Roly Poly Oodles Balls! Mini Spiky Oodle Balls are wonderfully tactile 2" fidget balls filled with colorful "gumballs" that are encased in a delightfully SPIKY rubbery skin! These refreshingly touchy-feely tools can help calm stressed minds, while keeping fidgety fingers happily engaged.
14. Boinks Marble Fidget - Cool 3-1/2" boinks with a marble inside that you can slide back 'n forth! Boinks Marbles Fidgets make a great silent fidget toy for school, the office, or traveling.
15. Showa Noa Fidget - You'll love this sensational fidget that's like a mini treadmill for your fingers... discreet, super durable, and a great workout for restless fingers! Showa Noa Fidget features 2 interlocking rings that are connected together with 5 links on each ring; the center link has a rubbery colored band that rolls back and forth like a treadmill! This multisensory fidget tool is a great choice for keeping fidgeters alert and focused, while helping to reduce stress, anxiety, nail biting, hair pulling, and skin or scab picking. Also comes in a jumbo-sized version.
16. Velcro Fidget Strips™™ - These soft velcro (loop) strips have adhesive on the back that allows you to "stick" these specialty fidget strips under desks, chairs, computer desks, inside backpack pockets, on seatbelts... just about anywhere! An inexpensive little tactile fidget tool for sensory seekers of all ages.
17. Squeezy Globes - You'll love this very colorful, 3" quiet fidget ball that's a glossy globe, complete with labeled countries, continents, and oceans! This neat sensory ball fidget is larger and firmer than most of our other squeeze balls. An awesome educational toy and silent fidget tool for school classrooms, home, or the office.
18. Pencil Topper Fidgets - These innovative fidget tools are a great silent fidget tool choice for those who like fidget spinners! A simple way to keep your restless fingers busy while keeping minds calm and focused.
19. Benji Fidget Rings - Addictive new metal fidget rings that are cool to the touch and feature lots of 2-layered spinning fidget rollers you can spin, roll, and fiddle with in fun ways! One of our smallest and most discreet fidget tools, Benji Fidget Rings are ideal for older kids, teens, and adults.
20. Bouncing Putty - Extra soft and light, this irresistibly squishy foam therapy putty is unlike any other! Fabulous for fidgeting... you can even roll it into a ball and it bounces! Bouncing Putty is safe, nontoxic, and smells good, too.
21. Under Your Desk Tangle Fidget - Under Your Desk Tangle Fidgets are soothing sensory tools by Tangle Creations that feature an adhesive disk in the middle (so you can adhere them under your school desk, to a notebook binder, on the back of your phone . . . just about anywhere)! This nice 'n subtle, quiet fidget tool is ideal for classrooms, libraries, home desks, and more.
22. Stretchy Chewy Jewelry Bracelets - These chewable chewy bracelets are a stylish, socially-acceptable, discreet sensory oral chewy tool for children, teens, and adults – and are latex-free, PVC-free, BPA-free, lead-free, and phthalate-free. These smart oral motor chewies also make a great chewy fidget, autism chew tool, or a handy piece of chewable jewelry you can wear anywhere!
23. Tickley Tactile Ball - A palmful of tickley tactile fun! Tickley Tactile Balls are an awesome fidgeter featuring 100's of wispy, rubbery strands that fidgeting fingers adore... plus a small stretchy loop so you can string it on a breakaway necklace, wear it like a ring, or hook it onto your backpack! Also comes in a jumbo version.
24. Fidgeting Foot Roller™ - Marvelous new focusing foot fidget device that fits perfectly under your desk or table. This colorful foot roller features two - 3-1/2" spiky balls encased in a sturdy 9-1/2" x 5" x 3" non-slip plastic base. Fidgeters rest their feet on the balls and spin the balls forwards, backwards, or both ways... or take off their shoes for a relaxing foot massage! This portable foot fidgeter helps facilitate increased focus and concentration.
25. Sensory Stones - Feel anxiety and tension melt away as you rub this silky smooth gemstone between your thumbs and fingers. Sensory stones are an all-natural silent fidget that make a great focusing fidget tool for classrooms.
26. Textured Metallic Tangles - Twist 'em, turn 'em... you won't be able to put these relaxing new, silent sensory fidgets down! Nice for finger strengthening, too as you can take the segments apart and snap them back together.
27. Color Change Squeeze Ball - You'll be crazy about this sensationally soft, dough-like ball that has a ravishing silky, rubbery skin. It feels like you're kneading a handful of fluffy whipped potatoes and changes colors as you knead, stretch, and squeeze it. Color Changing Squeeze Ball is an amazing sensory fidget tool for tactile sensory seekers and touchy feely fidgeters.
Looking for more sensory fidget ideas? Check out the links below:
23 Favorite Stress Reducing Fidget Tools
21 Fidget Toys for Compulsive Hair Pullers (Trichotillomania)