DIY Fidget Toys & Sensory Toys
Sooo I don’t know why I didn’t bring together this set of homemade fidget toys and sensory toys before.. many of them have been on Red Ted Art for years, and at least two of them (I will tell you which below) have been viral fidget toys on YouTube for years… crazy (I have shared our homemade squishies before but I have more for you today)! So.. if you are into making sensory toys or fidget toys, you really should take a peak at these below. DIY fidget toys or diy stress toys are fun and often easy to make! So. Let’s take a look!
Who are these fidget and sensory toys for? Well, not just people with ADHD or Autism. EVERYONE can benefit from fidget toys (which explains their general popularity among primary school children), but of course some people do benefit from having a fidget toy more than others. But on the whole.. anyone can have a go at these fidget toys!
The DIY Stress Balls
First of all the stress balls!! There are two different ways to make a stress ball.. but you can add many variations beyond the ones I have made!
First up you have the balloon squishy stress ball. This is indeed on of my viral fidget toys – at the time of writing my video instructions (also embedded here on auto play) had a whopping 84 MILLION views. Yeah.. kind of crazy when you think about it. But also lots and lots of fun!! The best bit about the balloon stress ball – is that you can fill it with whatever you want. I made mine with flour.. but you can switch it up with corn flour (quite different texture) or smile or a orbeez or whatever you want! Secondly you can have lots of fun decorating it! We made the “classic” face ones and you can also make some Halloween Stress Balls (we also did sugar skull balloon stress balls, they looked great!).
You can also make more roboust balloon balls – filled with rice. And to these you could add some lavendar to give them a sensory smell. Or experiment with things like toy stuffing (aka old cushion filling).
DIY Balloon Stress Ball Filling Ideas:
- Flour
- Corn flour
- Corn flou & water (oobleck)
- Slime
- Just water
- orbeez
- rice
- rice & lavendar
- rice & essential oils
- dried chickpeas or other dried peas/ beans
DIY Fidget Spinner fidget toys
Of course you need some fidget spinners in this collection of how to make fidget toys. I made a whole bunch way back when:
Two of the sets come with free printables, but I also love the middle one – as it is origami based, so no printing needed! Homemade fidget spinners are not just fun to fidget and play with, but you can also turn it into a bit of a science discussion.. either way, you HAVE To give the homemade fidget toys a go:
- Fidget Spinner Printables
- Origami fidget spinner
- Post it Note Fidget Spinners (with templates)
- My lovely friend over at Frugal Fun 4 Boys even has a Lego fidget spinner! So cool!
Printable Flextangles or Kaleidoscopes
Kaleidoscopes or Flextangles – they are both the same – are an amazing “changing” fidget toy, that is hugely popular too! They come with all kinds of designs and are so fun to make and play with. We have a set for you here today!
- Pokemon Kaleidoscope – I especially love these as the pokemon evolves with each turn
- Emotions Santa Flextangle – this is great as you can explore different feelings – Christmas is magical but can also be quite overwhelming, with LOTS of feelings!
- Party Emoji Kaleidoscope (free template) – and who doesn’t love a party emoji – great for New Year’s Eve or as a Birthday Party Fidget Toy
DIY Paper Squishies
Don’t underestimate the paper squishy! They are actually really fun to make and play with, and the kids love them! Here I had a go at two different paper squishy designs. But kids can draw their own.. or experiment. I made some crisp packet squishies, which were really fun.. as well as some chocolate bar wrapper squishies too. No need to draw or print anything.
Learn how to make a paper squishy:
- Emoji Paper Squishy
- Panda Paper Squishy with Printable (printable here – video here)
Beaded Fidget Toys
Now as we all know, beads are actually the original fidget toys! Who doesn’t love playing with beads? Right, so colourful and tactile. So here are a couple of beaded cratfs that would work well as fidget toys too!
First up, we have pony bead bracelets – Pony beads are wonderfully tactile and you can simply string them up.. pop them on pipe cleaners or make these loom band bracelets. The bracelets are extra fun as you can fiddle , stretch and squish them… Just be mindful that loombands do eventually snap. So don’t get too cross if that happens and just make more!
https://www.redtedart.com/pony-bead-loom-band-patterns-finger-looming/Next how about some beaded zipper pulls – a lovely contract betwene the soft squishy pom poms and the fiddely fiddely tassles. Fab. Quick and easy too. I like using wooden beads for these, as they come in all shapes and sizes – and with different textures too!
Other wonderful DIY Stress Toys
Fidget Clicker Crochet Toy
How about making a clicker fidget toy? If you love crochet, then these clicker crochet toys are quick and easy to make and you can make them in any pattern – watermelon crochet, rainbow crochet, chick crochet and more! They are great attached to keyrings for that on the go clicker toy to fidget with. They make a great click clack sound but also have that sensory benefit of being a fidget pressing toy too. And you don’t need any special “for the click” – all you need to do is insert a regular hair clip into your favourite melon crochet pattern (you can find some in our summer crochet collection towards the end).
MORE Fidget Toys Coming soon!!!
Check out our homemade squishies too:
