The other day on Twitter, several of us had a discussion about a recent article in Time magazine. The article suggested that fidgeting actually helps hyperactive children concentrate, and I agree as did most of the other people I was talking to.
Here are some of the ideas we came up with for utilizing fidgeting to improve concentration and yet keep it from disturbing others:
Yawning
Stretching – arms straight up, looking at the ceiling
Doodling
A small, soft, quiet toy of some kind – a ball, for instance
Twisting a ring on your finger
Any kind of fidgety motion involving just your hands or fingers – no tapping, please!
Using a pen or pencil with texture on it’s surface
Attaching a small piece of self adhesive velcro (just one side – not both!) to the underside of the desk – with the teacher’s permission
Twisting your hair
I also added another idea to the discussion, although it’s not strictly about fidgeting. When I worked in Learning Assistance at Schoolcraft College in Michigan, part of my job included helping Police and Fire Academy students study more effectively. Since they had to do a certain amount of running every day as part of their training, I posted signs along the route with terms or other things that they needed to learn. It was a big hit!
I used the same idea when my son Andy was younger. Andy has played hockey all of his life and when he was little he used to go down in the basement and practice his slap shot against the basement wall. I figured as long as he was standing there looking at a blank wall, I’d make it worthwhile.
So I would post his list of spelling words or some other thing he needed to learn that week on the wall that he was shooting at. Painless learning!
Do you have any fidgety ideas you’d like to add?
I got an Amazon gift certificate from doing surveys, and I found what I’m gonna spend it on… a special ring that has a little spinny turtle on it! Perfect for discrete fidgeting! You can see it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00064C6CA?ie=UTF8&tag=sldogysh-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00064C6CA I am a horrid fidgeter. Unfortunately, I often drum my fingers or tap my feet without realizing it!
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