to question teacher giving children toys

[Noodlenoon]

To play with in class?
Peeped in the window a couple of weeks back and saw my son (almost 7) went to a table and took something before he sat on the carpet. When I asked him he said it was a lump of blu tac for him to fiddle with. Huh? Since when were kids allowed things to play with in class? He said there were two of them that were allowed to play with stuff. Can anyone explain?

If they are fidgeters then I've known a few teachers do that lol

My son is HFA, blu tac is his safety blanket.

Yes some teachers use this to help if children struggle to sit still or cant keep their fingers to themselves. I think its nice that the teacher is doing something to help the children rather than just telling them off.

Not sure i understand.

Was there a table of toys, and your son selected Blue Tak? Or was it just a table with Blue Tak? So where did the idea of 'teacher giving children toys' come from?

My dd is 5. The infants have a play room in school. They get to go in several times a week, and on Friday afternoons when they have 'golden time.' They're also allowed to bring in their own toy for Friday afternoons if they'd prefer.

I wouldn't want my dd being handed a lump of Blue Tak though. She'd probably try and eat it.

I think it's a technique a lot of teachers use with particularly fidgety kids who might otherwise get distracted by looking for something to fiddle with/playing with something more complicated. Some particularly fidgety ones (often with some kind of issue like dyspraxia, ADHD etc I think) get special wobbly cushions to sit on too. I'm sure the teacher will be able to give a more scientific explanation if you ask.

I had a boy who used to scratch himself when he was frustrated. I gave him some playdough to squeeze/rip instead.

Ask the teacher - it might be to stop him messing with other things that would be more disruptive for the rest of the class.

Agree with sausage. Whatever works for her. And it wasn't a toy - it was a lump of blue tack. Why are you worried about it?

Playing with small things whilst learning can actually help you to learn more effectively. I learned that on a course where the leader let us (grown adults) fiddle with koosh balls & glitter wands the whole time. To this day I still remember how to count to 10 in Japanese.

So YABU

My daughter is Dyslexic and only really concentrates when "fidgeting" her Ed Psyc report recomends blu tac.

Your sons teacher sounds enlightened,DD still has to explain in some classes what she is doing

I have visions on you on tiptoe peering through the window!

My DD finds it hard to sit still and concentrate without something to fiddle with.

She has blu-tac as well, she can squeeze it and fiddle with it, it helps her concentrate and doesn't annoy or distract anyone else

My ds has a fidde necklace and a cushion to wobble on, at home he has silly putty to play with while doing homework, it helps concentration

Ahh I remember this too on a work course. We were given things like stress balls etc to handle whilst the lecture was on and there was a reason for it- about retaining knowledge better and maybe it does stop fidgetors/distractions. Looks like the teacher is a smart cookie

I was thrilled when my very twitchy ds3's reception reacher said she'd given him some blu-tac to fiddle with to help him concentrate while sitting on the 'carpet'. It's something I've heard recommended by OTs again and again as a very commonly used low-tech tactic.

Instead of complaining and speculating why not ask the teacher about it?

I am most pleased to hear that Blu tac is now a toy, DC and DNs maybe less so on their birthdays and at Christmas time though

combine was it lovely tiny camp Austrailian Nigel? Best ever course leader.

So toys don't come into it then?

Ok, will have to try fiddling myself when trying to learn something important.
Dialsmavis your kids would be thrilled with blu tac. Just like play doh but never dries out. Of all the presents my 2 had they seem to have most fun with sticks or random objects they find around the house.
I suppose my son must just be fiddly then and have a teacher who wants to make her life easier. That's ok. I just never knew it was common practice. Or that school made my son so fiddly.

my ds1 had a bag of fidget toys at proimary swchool and a move n sit cushion to help him with sensory feedback and to prevent fidgeting.

I don't think the teacher is trying to make her life easier, she's trying to make life easier for your son

noodlenoon, you sound like youre not impressed with the idea.

It IS quite common these days and its not about the teacher wanting an easy life.
Its to keep your child focussed.

Oooh, think I'll give my DS some blu tac although maybe I'm not brave enough after the putty trodden into the carpet, he used to have a stress ball to help him concentrate. I like the idea of a wobbly cushion too. I don't think all teachers understood about the stress ball though.

I will now be trying the Blu tac trick when I have to remember things. I will also go to macro and buy a bumper box to share between every child I buy for at Christmas and will use the money saved to by myself a lovely pair of bouts and the ridiculously expensive perfume that no-one ever buys me

Was the blu tac just for him, or could anyone help themselves?

Were they doing a specifc investigation?

It is common and good practice to let children 'fiddle' if they need to. It certainly doesn't help the teacher but may well help the child to concentrate.

I've seen children chewing on their ties, pulling loose threads out of shirts or 'cleaning' their shoes by repeatedly licking their finger and wiping it over the dirt.

Fiddling with blu tac would be a preferable option, don't you think?