Name: Fidget Cube
Category: Manipulable
Coping: Physical, Distraction, Soothing
The fidget cube is likely the second best known type of fidget toy – second only to the fidget spinner. Widely available and immensely popular, the fidget cube is beloved by young and old alike.
Name: Fidget Spinner
Category: Manipulable
Coping: Physical, Distraction, Soothing, Social
We couldn’t start a series on fidgets without first tackling what has become the most popular fidget to date – the fidget spinner. From the spring and summer of 2017 through today, fidget spinners have become a cultural icon. Kids love them. Parents are sick of hearing about them. And, they have become the bane of some teachers’ existence. So, what is the fidget spinner, and why are they equally so loved and so despised?
The graphic above from Willow Counseling in the UK provides helpful advice on reframing unhelpful thoughts you are your children might be having in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Reframing is a useful Thinking Coping Skill included in the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique [SSFMT] which is part of the Stand Strong component of our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! Comprehensive Emotions Management Plan.
For more information and resources related to Covid-19, please visit our Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Resource Page.
Name: Squishy
Category: Manipulable
Coping: Physical, Distraction, Soothing
As fidget spinners burst on to the seen in the summer of 2017 (despite having been around for years), the squishy burst onto the popular culture scene in the Spring and Summer of 2018.
Name: Infinity Cube
Category: Manipulable
Coping: Physical, Distraction, Soothing
The Infinity Cube holds the distinction of being my favorite fidget toy to date. At first glance, it looks a little bit like the lesser known cousin of the Rubik’s Cube, and I didn’t think much of it when I first saw it. The real measure of a fidget toy though is how much you find yourself using it. From the first moment I picked up, the Infinity Cube has been my favorite, and I’ve yet to find another fidget that comes even close.
Welcome to Fidgets 101. In this series, we will review a variety of fidget toys over the coming months. Before we do that though, an introduction to Fidgets 101 is in order. Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the last couple of years, chances are that you’ve played with, seen or heard about Fidget Spinner. They burst onto the scene in the Summer of 2017, seemingly out of nowhere, and became the focus (pun intended) of young people everywhere. Fidgets, though, have been around forever. From the Chinese baoding balls (sometimes called Chinese Stress Balls) created in the 14th century to greek worry beads known as kompoloi which were used by monks 800 years ago to todays fidgets spinners and cubes, there have always been outlets for human’s insatiable need to fidget.
A fidget is any sort of object that people fiddle with to help them to maintain their focus on something else. As described in more detail in the video below, a fidget is a kind of coping mechanism.
The science is still out on why fidgets work. One theory is that fidgets occupy our “floating attention.” We all have what is called “floating attention” which is that little bit of attention that is placed away from our principal activity no matter what we are doing. For some people, their floating attention isn’t well regulated and gets spread across tons of activities. Using a fidget gives that “floating attention” something to focus on which allows you to focus better on the primary items of focus.
Take a moment to think of someone you care about or someone that has impacted your life in a positive way. There are a lot of people that have impacted my life – especially in ministry. When I think of one lady in particular, and how she has blessed me down through the years, I get the “warm fuzzies.”
You know that feeling where you just feel better inside, under your skin and in your heart. You feel all warm inside and right with the world. My friend has been with me through thick and thin; through divorce and death; through the good and bad. She’s in her eighties now and still relevant and intentional in ministry. She lives on the West coast and I live on the East coast, but she is always with me in my heart.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit alerts me when there is a problem. This happens so I will know to pray for her. For instance when her husband, Jim, passed away suddenly I knew instantly something was wrong. I started praying for her not really knowing why or for what. But the Lord knew. In my prayers for her I am always grateful for her friendship.
Brain research shows that when we feel gratitude or thankfulness there are chemical changes in our brains. Thoughts physically alter the brain wiring. Many times children can sense the emotional state that you are in. What might happen if when a child comes into your group you silently looked at the child and thanked God for allowing this child to be in your group? Or you looked at this child with gratitude for what he or she might teach you today about being a kid? Or as Dr. Becky Bailey says, “You wish the child well.”
The Emotions Chart is designed to help young people to recognize and name their emotions which is an important step in the healing process. These charts can play a key role in helping kids with the See It! Say It! and Feel It! components of the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique. You can download the chart by clicking here or on the image above.
These charts are based on the characters and emotions included in our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotion Cards and the forthcoming book 150 Emotions Every Child Should Know, By Age. Each page includes 30 different emotions, and are designed to introduce new emotions as the child grows older.
The movie Inside Out has been great for those of us working to help kids better understand and deal with their emotions. In addition to being a great movie, it has sparked a litany of crafts and games to go along with it. These crafts and activities can help kids to better understand the emotions they are feeling. The Inside Out Mood Board is one of those activities and is a fun way for kids who like the movie to track their emotions.
We originally found this idea on the Eighteen 25 website. We love their mood board, but we made some minor modifications to the one we built. These changes were mainly due to the materials we had on hand and because we like the idea of using a white board. Here’s what we used:
Who doesn’t love a ball pit? With the Feelings Ball Pit you can bring all the fun of a ball pit to older kids and teach them about their feelings at the same time. Depending on how you play, you can help kids to explore all five components of the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique.
