This DIY Fidget Tool is a good one to add to your therapy toolbox! A fidget tool attached to a zipper pull can be helpful for kids who struggle with wiggles, over or under responsiveness to sensory input, those who have worries or sensory challenges on the school bus or while out in the community. Using a zipper fidget tool can be helpful when waiting in line and it’s hard to keep little hands to oneself.
This DIY fidget tool is also a fine motor powerhouse for kids to make. I love adding crafts like this one to the therapy line up because not only does it work on essential fine motor skills, it also creates a functional tool that kids can wear and be proud of. When they have made a colorful and fun zipper pull fidget tool, they will be proud to wear it, show it off, and use it to address needed sensory processing struggles!
DIY Fidget Tool Zipper Pull
This DIY Fidget Tool Zipper Pull is very easy to make. You’ll need just a couple of materials:
Pony beads
Fuzzy craft sticks (pipe cleaners)
We received both of these items from www.craftprojectideas.com
To make the fidget tool, thread the beads onto a whole pipe cleaner. Bend the pipe cleaner in half and create a small loop. There should be enough space between each bead and at the top of the loop to allow for movement when the bead is wiggled.
Twist the top shut and loop the end through a zipper pull. Use the ends of the pipe cleaner around the zipper pull.
And that’s it! The diy fidget tool zipper pull is done!
So, why would a child need a fidget tool on their jacket?
When kids have difficulty with self-regulation, emotions, anxiety, sensory processing, or other concerns, they may act out or end up in meltdown mode. This can be especially true in settings where environmental stimulation is on overload.
A situation such as on the noisy school bus where students are jostled around among other loud students and a lot of other children sitting nearby can be overwhelming to the child with sensory needs.
Standing in line at school as students wait to go outside to recess or to come indoors after recess can be a time when students have trouble keeping their place or keeping their hands to themselves.
A child who becomes overwhelmed by worry and anxiety heading into new situations can find comfort in movement that a fidget tool offers.
All of these are situations when a zipper pull fidget tool would be a great sensory diet accommodation to keep on hand.
A Fidget Tool is a Sensory Diet Tool
Children who have a sensory diet in place or utilize sensory strategies to address specific needs may have other accommodations or tools in place such as a fidget tool. A keychain fidget tool can be just the item that provides children with a grounding point and gives them the ability to focus, attend, or participate in activities.
This DIY Fidget Tool would be great alongside our DIY Fidget Tool for School, allowing kids to wiggle and move those fingers!
This jacket fidget tool is inconspicuous, making it a great fidget tool for school, much like this DIY weighted fidget tool.
Want to know more about what a sensory diet is or how to implement one? Check out some of our recent posts on sensory diets and be on the watch for our upcoming book, The Sensory Lifestyle Handbook.
