Squishies, Fidgets and the Great Sensory Toy Takeover: Are they therapeutic tools, or have we just found another thing for our children to collect?
Hello and Welcome Back to The Therapist Diaries, I have a confession. As a therapist, I have a slightly complicated relationship with squishies. On the one hand, I love them. On the other hand, I am increasingly convinced that we have collectively lost the plot because somewhere between the first humble fidget spinner and today's shelves groaning under the weight of NeeDohs, Pop-Its, squishy animals, stretchy things, clicky things, magnetic things and approximately 4,000 varieties of brightly coloured silicone, something happened. A therapeutic tool became a toy trend. And honestly? I'm not sure children are the only ones who need help regulating. Some of us adults could probably use a squishy after walking into Smyths and discovering that the thing our child absolutely cannot live without costs £11.99 and comes in seven colours and our children need every single colour… for every different emotion. What are fidgets actually for? Fidgets aren't new. The idea...