HYDERABAD: Remember those childhood days when you’d get grounded and would have to spend your playtime at home? If you are a millennial, you would remember passing time with rattlesnake egg magnets, fidget squishes and fidget spinners. Is the nostalgia kicking in? Do you miss them?
Well, the fidget toys have come back in a new avatar. This time, it is Pop It! A small, flexible silicone toy, which borrows all the colours from the rainbow, resembles a bubble wrap, with blisters you can pop in and out. This toy is the new craze for a reason — it helps calm and relax restless, nervous or anxious kids by engaging both their mind and body.
City-based psychologists and paediatricians explain why. “The fidget craze is back and it is growing wild in the city. All of us (including adults) tend to choose different ways to refocus our mind by giving it the right amount of stimulation. Some people might like to spin their pen or pencil while reading, while some chew on it. Fidgeting can help us refocus. It is the same in children. Fidget toys have been used for therapeutic purposes for long now. It helps children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety to stay focused and calm,” says Anna Vijay, a psychologist.
Not all fidget toys are therapeutic and that’s why they are banned in schools. Fidget toys might distract others or the child might focus entirely on them. “The fidget toys that therapists suggest can be used without looking at them and don’t distract others with their motion or noise. That’s exactly what Pop Its are. However, parents should understand their children and their needs before they purchase these toys. Toys have different effects on kids. Some are made to develop the brain, some just for fun and some can develop destructive behaviours,” Dr Vijay says.
Pop Its are more than just stress- and anxiety-busters. “They help release neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, due to which there is increased attention, widened working memory and tactical problem-solving. Fidget play helps in reinforcing autonomy, decision-making and risk analysis in children,” explains Pavani Mekal, a rehabilitation psychologist from the city.
Pop Its also stimulate sensory and tactile development. They give distinct pleasure in involving this sensory appeal. “These new toys also help kids understand different shapes and colours,” says Pavani.
According to Dr. Aparna, a consultant paediatrician at Care Hospitals, at the age of four, a child starts getting exposed to different kinds of environments and situations — they might experience stress which usually goes unnoticed. “Toys like Pop Its might help overcome this stress,” she says.