The Fidget Spinner Craze-y Fad

We are starting a new series here on our blog. We are going to talk about fun fads, trends, or everyday life happenings once a week, usually on Monday. Something to get you more involved. Something  more than just t-shirts.

Fidget spinner. Just saying that word makes teacher cringe and parents roll their eyes. But if you say that word to kids, you see their eyes light up. It’s a conversation starter, even for the introverted child (Minecraft is also a conversation starter with most kids these days. Just an FYI if the fidget spinner thing doesn’t work). Most kids have at least one. Many have a collection. It’s a fad, much like Cabbage Patch Kids when I was a kid. Thankfully a lot cheaper than a Cabbage Patch Kids, but still costs money, nonetheless.

If you don’t know what a fidget spinner it, it’s a simple toy that spins in a child’s hand. It’s flat and has an overall circular shape so it will spin better but has lobes (usually rounded) to give it a more fun design. It’s a simple machine because it has a bearing in the middle and the shape helps it to spin with very little effort. With all the technology today, it’s a wonder that something so simple is so popular.

I thought my family was free of the fidget spinner craze. We are homeschoolers, so we are sheltered from many of the crazy fads and wants of regular schooled kids. With a fad this big, though, there’s no hiding.

It showed up in the spring session of our homeschool co-op. Kids started bringing them to class. So parents and teachers had to tell them to put them away. It was mostly an upper-elementary and middle school age thing, but the other ages were interested too.

It was an amazing phenomenon. Kids would be interested in the lessons, they’d be engaged in their art projects but the moment a spinner would be whipped out of the pocket, all the attention would go to the spinner. Kid’s would stop everything just to stare at a spinning piece of plastic.

My kids soon started asking for one. We haven’t bought one yet, but I know we will soon (we’re even making shirts with spinners on them). Not because kids need one, but because I remember being a kid and sometimes it’s fun to participate in a fad for no reason other than to participate.

So we are looking into rules now, before we buy one. We have the basics down, not during school (yes, we’re on break now), not during church or co-op. Mainly because it’s such a distraction for everyone else around them.

My question for you is this – does your family do fidget spinners? What are your rules? Are there things we should be looking out for? Do you think we’re crazy for joining in the fad? What was your favorite fad as a kid?  Okay, so that was more than one question, but I remember my Cabbage Patch Kids fondly (I had three), and I hope my kids can have that same nostalgic fondness someday for something more than tablets and video games.

***Tonight 7/10 Amazon Prime Day starts for over 24 hours of deals. We have marked down some of our shirts for this occasion. Stay tuned for a blog post showing what shirts we marked down for Amazon Prime Day.