Have you ever found yourself in a meeting or group discussion, fidgeting with your pen, your hair, or your jewelry.
We all have sensory interests and sensory needs, because we're all human with a sensory cortex area of our brain.
Fidget tools are great for helping children to self-regulate and maintain their focus.
However, not all fidget tools work for every child.
Some of us need more sensory input to self-regulation our body and emotions, and/or to maintain our focus and attention on a task (I often hold a warm coffee cup and stretch my toes).
The key to choosing the right sensory tool is looking at the individual child's 8 senses in more detail, including:
- Tactile (touch)
- Auditory (sound)
- Visual (sight)
- Olfactory (smell)
- Gustatory (taste)
- Proprioception (pressure inside our joints and body)
- Vestibular (movement of our head)
- Interoception (changes in temperature, pressure, etc. inside our body)
This sensory integration video below explains the senses in more detail.
For more information about the senses and self-regulation enjoy this training document.
