Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is a complex neurodevelopmental condition. ADHD is characterised by impulsive, inattentive, and sometimes hyperactive behaviour patterns and is common in many children and adults.Â
This is where ADHD toys play an important role in development and social situational training. Fidget toys for ADHD can help to focus the mind, calm the nervous system, and manage emotions.
What Are The Benefits of Toys For ADHD?
People with ADHD are often creative thinkers and good problem solvers, but they also experience emotional regulation challenges. ADHD resources focus on a range of benefits for individuals with ADHD.
- Working memory: the ability to retain information.
- Mental flexibility: the ability to shift focus in response to different demands.
- Self-control: the ability to prioritise and resist impulsive reactions.
Toys help us engage in our environment in a non-threatening way. Carefully designed ADHD toys can encourage children and adults to focus, learn, and thrive.
Helps Retain Information
By practicing such things as puzzle solving and interactive play with ADHD toys, children instinctively retain information in a more relaxed and natural environment. This can help in the future when it comes to retaining information for social situations, school, and work.
Increased Focus
Recent ADHD research shows that even small fidgeting movements release dopamine and norepinephrine – brain chemicals that help to increase focus and attention. The intentional use of ADHD toys such as fidget spinners, beaded bracelets, and stress balls is a discreet and easy way to improve focus. They allow people with ADHD to focus on the task at hand while the fidgeting movements can relieve restlessness.
Improve Concentration
Sensory toys for ADHD occupy our hands and fingers, enabling our brains to concentrate on the given task. In a classroom setting, this is especially important. When students need to manage more than one task while surrounded by distractions at every turn, a fidget toy, tangle, or putty, is a subtle way to use movements to help concentration, which improves learning later in life.
 Reduce Fidgeting
We’ve looked at how intentional fidgeting can improve focus and concentration in children, but fidgeting occurs in adults as well. Liquid timers and ADHD popping toys, for example, can help to relax and develop patience and act as a sensory cause-and-effect stimulus. Other non-fidget and stress-relief toys that help with this are weighted toys, therapy swings, and wedge cushions.
Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Calming toys for ADHD, such as textured chew toys, squishy putty, and twisty tangles, help release anxiety and soothe stressful moments. The bonus to these toys is that the movements required also help develop your fine motor skills with dexterity being a key component.
Promote Calmness and Relaxation
Sensory toys can help reduce the anxiety felt by an overwhelming environment by providing a focus other than our anxiety or fear. ADHD sensory toys such as weighted toys, fidgets, and stress balls allow repetitive movements – stroking, twisting, spinning, and squeezing – which can help release tension and create a sense of inner calm for children and adults.
The Best Sensory Toys for ADHD
Sensory toys provide specific feedback that can help control the body and enhance learning experiences for people with ADHD. The best toys for ADHD engage the working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control to improve self-regulation, increase focus, and relieve stress and anxiety.
Let’s look at our top 7 sensory toys for ADHD:
Fidget Spinners
A fidget spinner is a palm-sized toy with a ball bearing surrounded by a multilobed flat structure made from plastic or metal. Fidget spinners keep hands busy and allow special needs minds to focus by providing an outlet for nervous energy.
There is some debate as to whether fidget toys are good for ADHD. People are unique, and so are people’s experiences with ADHD. One sensory toy won’t work for everyone. It is important to take the time to find the right toy that works for you and your needs.
Rubik’s Cubes
The classic Rubik’s Cube is brightly coloured and fits in the palm of your hand, making it a visually stimulating fidget toy and puzzle in one! This ADHD toy trains working memory and mental flexibility to help with regulation and focus on skills in later life.
Our Plug and Play Puzzler is a modern twist on the original. It also works double time as a fidget toy and problem-solving device that engages fine motor skills. Plus, it comes with a book of 48 challenges and, thankfully, the solutions! This ADHD toy trains working memory and mental flexibility to assist with regulation and focus.
Stress Balls
Stress balls can fit in your pocket and are discreet self-regulation devices for use anytime. They come in a range of textures and densities for varying tactile input requirements. Stress balls, as their name suggests, are helpful for anyone who needs to release some tension. For people with ADHD, stress balls are a calming fidget toy that promotes dexterity and fine motor skills.
Tangle Toys
Tangle toys come in various textures and sizes to cater to different sensory inputs. They are visually stimulating and made with soft rubbery strands. Its smooth yet sticky sensation encourages relaxation in children with ADHD as they engage with its unique sensory feedback. . Our Collection of Tangles includes textured and smooth versions, some of which are pocket-sized and better suited to teenagers and adults who need a fidgeting outlet.
Play Dough
For many of us, play-dough is a childhood staple. Easy to DIY, play-dough engages our creativity and fine motor skills through stretching, squashing, and pulling. One variation of playdough is Sensory Cotton Sand, which is mouldable and assists with focus and concentration. Another take on playdough is putty. Sensory putties can be scented, crunchy, or full of glitter. They provide a visually stimulating and satisfyingly fun way to release stress and anxiety for people with ADHD.
Liquid Timers
Liquid Timers are soothing for everyone. People with ADHD can use liquid timers for stress management, to aid concentration, or as a timing device for daily activities such as brushing their teeth. Our Erupting Volcano Liquid Timer also demonstrates scientific principles! The Liquid Timer Collection includes four mesmerising liquid timers that can help with relaxation, focus, and self-control  for those with ADHD.
Chew Toys
Chew toys satisfy a need for oral stimulation. They also help to maintain focus and assist with sensory integration. Sensory integration interprets different sensations (input) to enable optimal participation (output). Our selection of chew toys includes wearable jewellery such as necklaces and bracelets, pencil toppers, and figurines.
Browse Our Range of Sensory Toys for ADHD Today
As much as each person’s experience with ADHD is unique, so are a person’s sensory needs. Our range of fidget toys for ADHD and sensory toys for people with ADHD offers a variety of inputs that can help improve focus, attention, and relaxation.
At Special Needs Resources, we are committed to helping people of all ages achieve their potential. We are also partnered with the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) so you can order your items by classes of support using the scheme.Â
Browse our extensive range of ADHD toys and fidget toys for adults with ADHD or contact us if you have any questions about how sensory toys help people with ADHD.