A Back-to-School Fidget Kit for Primary and Secondary

What fidget should go in a pencil case?

Something quiet that fits. A pencil case is a small space shared with pens and a ruler, so a fidget that's flat or pocket-sized will actually stay there.

For lessons, look at the silent and soft bands on our noise level guide. Textured grip fidgets and the smooth worry-stone style fidget make no sound at all. Linkloop chains and flexi animals are soft, which means only the person holding one hears it.

Clickers are brilliant, but every clicker we make clicks, and a classroom is the wrong place for that. If your child loves one, it can live in a coat pocket for the walk home or the bus.

Fidget toys for primary school

Younger children tend to get on best with fidgets that are sturdy and obvious to use. A flexi animal or a linkloop chain needs no instructions and survives being dropped under a table. Avoid anything with lots of small separate pieces, which will be in the carpet by lunchtime.

Primary teachers often have their own classroom fidget box and rules about when fidgets come out, so ask before September if you can, or in the first week if you can't. One fidget is plenty. Two different ones quickly turn into a trading session at break.

Our toys are not suitable for children under 36 months because they contain small parts. That matters at primary in a different way: little brothers and sisters at home, and reception-age children who still put things in their mouths.

Fidget toys for secondary school

At secondary the priorities change. Teenagers usually want something that doesn't look like a toy, and they move rooms every hour, so it has to go in a blazer pocket. A small textured grip fidget or a worry-stone style fidget does both. Infinity cubes and spinners are soft rather than silent, so they suit some lessons better than others.

Different teachers will have different views, which can be frustrating. A science teacher with a room full of equipment may feel very differently from an English teacher during a reading lesson, and that's worth explaining to your child before the first week rather than after a telling-off. If your child has extra support in school, the SENCo can let staff know a fidget is agreed. Our guide to fidget toys for teenagers has more ideas for older children, and if exams are coming up, read about fidget toys in exams, because that conversation needs to start well before the summer.

Labelling it and agreeing it with the teacher

1. Label it. A thin strip of tape or a dot of permanent marker with initials is enough. It ends "that's mine" arguments and gives a lost fidget a chance of coming home.
2. Tell the teacher. A short note or email saying what the fidget is and when your child uses it. Teachers are much happier when they've been asked first.
3. Agree the rule. Usually that it stays in the hand or under the desk, and goes away if it becomes a toy.
4. Talk it through with your child. They're more likely to keep it if they know it's there to help, not to show off.

If you're not sure whether your school allows fidgets at all, our guide to whether fidget toys are allowed in school covers how to ask.

What to do when the fidget goes missing

It will happen. Fidgets fall out of pockets, and sometimes one gets left behind in the PE changing room. Plan for it rather than being cross about it.

Before you buy a replacement, ask the class teacher or the school office. Lost property boxes fill up fast in the autumn term, and a fidget with initials on it is much easier to match to its owner than a plain one. It's also worth a gentle word with your child about where the fidget lives during PE and lunch, since that's when most of them go walkabout.

A trio or multipack helps here, because it means there's one in the school bag and a spare waiting at home. If your child is attached to one particular fidget, buying the same kind twice saves a lot of upset. Small fidgets under £10 are easy to replace, and our fidgets under £10 are a good place to look. Every toy we make is 3D-printed by us in Kent, and most orders are dispatched within 1 working day, but allow a little time for the post before the start of term. Our shipping page has the current delivery times.