10 Activities to Use Fidget Spinners to Teach your Students

Are you as tired yet intrigued as I am with all the different types of spinners there are everywhere you go? What about the fact that they get hundreds upon hundreds of new shipments practically everyday? I have seen sports themed spinners, USA spinners, Light Up spinners, black, tie-dyed and rainbow spinners… to name a few! I have to admit: they are mesmerizing! Mention the “s-word”, and right before your eyes someone will say “Oh, I have one right here!”

Fidget Spinners do have a purpose, but they are also the 2017 must-have craze, like Pokemon cards, Cabbage Patch Dolls, and all the other toys you “had to have” when you were younger. That does not mean we cannot use them to teach in class!

They have been banned from many schools, and I am sure many teachers are a bit crazed, for lack of a better word, at how many of their students own a spinner. They can be purchased everywhere: Amazon, 5 Below, Learning Express, Hallmark, Wawa, 7-Eleven, and I might just set up a stand in my front yard!

 1) What’s is this Fidget Spinner craze?

Today, after my grandson was off from school, we went to Learning Express to spend a gift card he received for his birthday. And what did he pick out? You guessed it. A Tri-Spinner and a Bi-Spinner, with cases to hold the various spinners one has. Now mind you, as of today, he has about 5 different spinners, and has even made a few with coins and bearings, but this is what he wanted and it was his money!
Interestingly enough, while we were in the shop, they allowed him to come behind the counter because a shipment of brand new spinners had just arrived. So, Brady went behind the counter and took a few hours to pick out the precise one he wanted… Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. I can now tell you where every toy, book, game and trinket is located in the store because I walked around so many times waiting.

A few parents walked in looking for… yes, spinners. Brady began to share his knowledge ranging from when they were and where first created (A bit of history) to which one was better and which one should be selected. The phones rang and the sales lady declared that Brady could answer the phones and give the needed info, because 90% of the calls were about… again, spinners! He was offered a job after school as we left, but he really is too young to work.

2) Use them as a teaching tool!

So, as this craze sweeps all over schools and the toy that is supposed to calm the soul has been deemed as a distraction to many, there is a solution to the craziness, especially at the end of the year: Use it as a teaching tool! Yes, you read that correctly. I guess what I am saying is to have a Fidget Spinning Day.

Here are 10 activities so you can do this with your kiddos:

1. Have a contest to see whose spinner can spin the longest. You can use a timer. Start out with pairs and then the winners will proceed to the next round. Keep it going until there is one winner.

2. Graph the results of the time it took for the spinners to spin and stop, then find the mean, mode, median and range of the times.

3. Make predictions based on what they know about spinners, and see who can come closest to the amount of time the spinner will spin. This way, the students predict, write the actual time and finally, find the difference.

4. Calculate which surfaces (floor, blacktop, wood, desk, metal surface, etc.) support faster or slower spins. Which surface made the spinner spin faster? Explain your thinking. Does the spinner spin longer on a surface or in your hand? Explain your thinking. On one finger or between your fingers? Explain your thinking. Which kinds of spinners spin the fastest? And the slowest? Graph and compare the results.

5. How many spinners can you spin on top of each other? Graph the results.

6. Have your students spin their spinners, and see who can focus using their spinners while reading to self, listening to a read aloud, or doing math (try your best not to get distracted yourself by their spinners spinning). Evaluate the experiment by having them answer questions about the lesson taught. Then, have them write an opinion piece on how spinners help or hinder students when they need to concentrate.

7. Write to persuade by having students write you a letter convincing you or the principal that students should or should not be allowed to bring spinners to school.

8. Write a piece on how to spin a spinner correctly.

9. Write an opinion piece on which spinner is better, the Bi-spinner or Tri-Spinner (or other types), and why they feel that way.

10. Create a game that can use spinners in some way. Have each team or partnership write about his or her idea, make it, present it to the class, and play it!

I hope you find these ideas helpful. You know the old saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans” and “If you can’t beat them, join them.” Well, my new saying is: “When the spinner spins, spin along!”

Also, I have a freebie for you that you can print and use, and guess what? It contains some of the ideas above! What else could you ask for?