What is a spinner and why does your child need it. Health benefits and harms of a spinner How dangerous is a spinner
Translated from English, "spinner" means "turntable". It is a three-pointed plastic star on bearings.
Sold in any toy store, it is relatively cheap. Almost all children today have spinners.
Some teenagers even collect entire collections. Meanwhile, turntables want to ban. Who and why?
What are the benefits of spinners?
It is believed that initially spinners were invented for autistic children, children with mental developmental disabilities. The authorship of this invention is attributed to a housewife from the United States Katherine Hettinger.
Back in the nineties of the last century, she came up with a prototype of a modern spinner for her sick daughter. A little later, she got the idea to organize a mini-business selling such toys.
In our time, the spinner came out on top in popularity among toys. In the spring of this year, the demand for them was so high that some Chinese factories for the production of mobile phones urgently switched to the creation of spinners.
The main objective of this invention is to reduce general anxiety.
For many centuries, in difficult situations, they resorted to sorting out the rosary in the hands. Now spinners have taken their place. This is especially true for teenagers - many of them are prone to chronic stress, suffer from depression, increased anxiety.
The spinner helps to get rid of the habit of biting your nails, winding your hair around your fingers, biting pens and pencils. Even smoking can be fought thanks to this toy.
Interestingly, among today's teenagers, the spinner has surpassed the vaper, a more expensive gadget, in popularity.
One has only to pick up a toy once in a lifetime to agree that it calms, fascinates, relieves negative emotions, and distracts from bad thoughts. Constant exercises train fine motor skills, increase the sensitivity of the fingers.
Which spinner model to choose?
The shape of the propeller can vary: the number of blades is from two to four, the toy itself is in the form of a protective amulet or steering wheel, a variety of materials and colors.
Some copies are equipped with music and lighting. However, experts say that the quality of rotation and vibration is more important.
You can find out about such indicators by twisting the spinner in your hands.
Pay attention to the quality of the product. Try to buy certified models, even if it costs more.
Be sure to smell the spinner upon purchase, wipe it with a damp cloth. The presence of an unpleasant odor or peeling paint is a reason to refuse the toy.
What can be the harm of a spinner?
Schoolchildren not only collect collections of various spinners - they also manage to invent new tricks with them. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that.
Kids at work: spinning a spinner is much better than smoking. However, toys are banned in many US schools. There are countries in which spinners want to be eliminated by law.
Psychologists and teachers say that you should not trust advertising. There are no scientific studies that the spinner really calms and helps sick children.
It is far from a fact that the toy is struggling with bad habits. The twisting of the spinner can also turn into an addiction.
This is confirmed by the inadequate reaction of some teenagers to attempts to take away their spinner.
Cases have been recorded when, during stunts, it came to injuries, including quite severe ones.
If you decide to buy a spinner for your baby, give up models with backlight. Such a toy can cause an overload of the nervous system, increase nervousness, and cause aggression.
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What is a spinner translation into Russian?
The word spin, translated from English into Russian, means rotation, that is spinner is a spinning toy. It consists of several petals and a bearing located in the center. The weight of the individual parts allows you to keep the free rotation of the spinner as long as possible. To start the spinner, just lightly touch it with your finger.
Spinners benefit and harm.
The benefits of a spinner in that it helps to develop fine motor skills, develop hands and fingers. Suddenly, someone got injured and had to wear a cast for a long time, pay attention, you definitely need a spinner. The spinner is useful not only for the body, but also for the soul, as it helps to relieve tension, and, consequently, stress.
Spinner - a rotating toy Also this toy helps to get rid of bad habits. What, for example? Well, maybe someone bites their nails or twists something in their hands, so let it be a spinner. Another not unimportant plus of the spinner is that it helps to concentrate, concentrate, and therefore leads to making the right decisions. Finally, a toy you like improves your mood!
Let's move on to the disadvantages of the spinner. They are much less than advantages. The main one is the ability to injure fingers during spinning. It is easy to avoid this by paying attention to the appearance of the product even when buying. See that the product is intact, without cracks and roughness.
Types of spinners, which spinner to buy?
Have you heard that the spinner is called a cure for stress? But, besides this, this toy provides an excellent opportunity to show your individuality. You can make a spinner with your own hands, then it will be super individual, but there are so many models for sale that it will not be difficult to choose your own toy.
Types of spinners, they are: metal, ceramic, wooden. The weight of the spinner depends on the material from which the spinner is made, and since everyone's hands are different, choose which one is more comfortable for you. For example, I have ceramics with LEDs, or I don’t know what it’s called correctly, but when it spins and at the same time glows differently depending on the rotation speed, and I just look at it, all sorrows and problems disappear by themselves.
My dear friends, my dear stylish girls, if you are sad or have nothing to do, spin the spinner and may you always be in a good mood! Your Anna.
In 2017, spinners were wildly popular with schoolchildren all over the world. The antistress toy is still considered fashionable. The topic of this article is the benefits and harms of spinners. We will tell their story and explain the reason for their popularity.
spinner device
In the center of the turntable there is a ceramic or metal bearing, from which wings with weights extend. Spinners are made of plastic, metal and ceramics. Plastic products are the cheapest, metal products are compact, ceramic products rotate the longest.
How to use?
Using the spinner is simple: you need to pinch the bearing with two fingers and spin the wings with a sharp movement. The toy will spin for up to 2 minutes; it can be thrown and caught, thrown from hand to hand.
You can start playing with a spinner for a child from 3 years old (under adult supervision). A student can buy a relatively inexpensive little thing with pocket money.
Turntable design
In 2017, manufacturers managed to release many beautiful and original models. We will show you the most interesting options.
A typical spinner has 3 wings, but there are models with fewer and more wings.
Glow in the dark luminescent spinners and models with built-in LEDs look beautiful in the dark.
Manufacturers of equipment took advantage of the popularity of turntables: for example, a spinner in the form of a column and a spinner - a mobile phone appeared on sale.
Invention history
The first spinners were invented by Catherine Hettinger (in 1993) and Scott McCoskery (in 2014).
Spinning toy Katherine Hettinger
In 1993 from Florida, USA has patented a toy similar in properties to a spinner. She made a top from improvised means, which could be twisted on her finger. The inner part of the invention remained motionless, while the outer part could be spun around its axis. Katherine Hettigner's spinning toy looks like a mushroom cap or a flying saucer.
A chemical engineer by training, Hettinger successfully made and sold spinners at local fairs. The popularity of the toy gave her the idea of mass-producing toys. In 1997, Katherine pitched her idea to a number of companies, including Hasbro, but was turned down. In 2005, the patent expired and the inventor decided not to renew it.
When the toy became popular in 2017, Hettinger launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to revive the “Classic Spinner” but failed to raise funds: customers already fell in love with the new look and modern design of spinners.
Torqbar by Scott McCoskery
Bi-spinner (spinner with two petals)Scott McCoskerywas invented for office workers. Torqbar costs about $300 and is sold online. Despite the high cost, the anti-stress invention quickly began to gain popularity, and in 2017 Forbes magazine called this type of spinner a “must have for the office”.
The reason for the popularity, or how Chinese spinners took over the world
Few people in childhood were not fascinated by the top. The spinner works on the same principle, but it is designed for older children and adults. In addition, it is convenient to take it with you. Creating a compact universal toy for adults and children is a great idea!
Almost all spinner models are made in China. It is not known who invented the spinner with three wings, but it is easier to spin such a spinner, besides, it develops a high rotation speed.
Spinners began to be mass-produced in mobile phone factories. The owners of the enterprises had already established contacts with communication salons, so it was not difficult to distribute a huge amount of goods. And they did not fail: schoolchildren in the United States, and then in other countries, liked the variety of shapes and colors and the low price of turntables. In addition, this is a good way to calm the nerves, because there is a lot of stress in the life of students.
Helpful or harmful?
We have collected proven facts about spinners that will allow you to draw your own conclusions.
- Confirmed: Rospotrebnadzor recognized spinners as harmless to the psyche of children.
In August 2017, Rospotrebnadzor sent inquiries to research organizations, where they found that spinners do not harm and do not bring particular benefit to the child's psyche. The increased mass interest in turntables is a short-term phenomenon.
- Not Confirmed: Spinners Help People with ADHD, Autism or Anxiety Disorder
There is no official scientific confirmation that spinners are good for the mental state of children and adults. However, there is evidence that spinners calm autistic and hyperactive kids, help them concentrate.
When it comes to people with ADHD, Elaine Taylor-Klaus, co-founder of Impact ADHD, a company that helps children with attention disorders and their parents, is relevant. In an interview with CNN, she says: “For people with ADHD, there is a need for constant stimulation. The spinner helps some people - not all people - with ADHD focus on what they want because it creates background movement that satisfies that need.”
- Useful: spinners develop fine motor skills, relieve stress from long work with hands, this is an anti-stress toy; harmful: monotonous movements harm the child
Toddlers like to spin the spinning top and spinning top, they can do it until they get bored. The same with older children: a healthy child will not turn the spinner in his hands all day. If this happens, then he is probably very nervous.
By monitoring the behavior of your son or daughter, you can easily determine the level of stress. However, if you do not pay attention to the alarm condition, the torsion of the spinner will become the least of the possible troubles.
- Useful: increase concentration, help to distract from gadgets, get rid of bad habits; harmful: divert attention from study
A couple of minutes of spinning the spinner will help you concentrate. With a spinner, it's easier to coax your child to take a break to give their eyes a rest from the screen of a computer, phone or tablet. Such a respite will be a joy to the baby and teenager.
It is common knowledge that turntables are banned in some US schools on the grounds that they distract children from their studies. If the toy is really distracting, this is the right decision.
Many parents, unfortunately, do not pay attention to the fact that the child is under stress. Trouble begins when the guys stop letting the toy out of their hands. It is difficult to get rid of the spinner in this case. Naturally, with a pinwheel in hand and under severe stress, the child cannot work normally on assignments. To prevent this from happening, you need to create a calm and favorable environment in the house and do not forget to monitor the health of the baby.
What spinner can not be bought?
- Cheap
Cheap plastic models often contain the harmful chemical phenol. A product with a high content of phenol has a sharp unpleasant odor.
- with sharp edges
Do not buy your child spinners with sharp edges, made like ninja throwing stars. Such a toy can seriously injure a child! Safe classic spinners are made with a blunt edge of the wings. There are special spinners with a rubber edging edge.
The fashion for turntables will pass, and the joyful impressions of the game will remain in the memory of the child for a long time. Now you know enough about spinners to decide how useful or harmful it is.
Recently, spinners have become so popular that there is hardly a single person who has not heard of them. These toys are sold on every corner, so buying them is not difficult, but most often they are ordered online, as it usually comes out cheaper.
It is thanks to the Internet that spinners have gained such great popularity. Many vloggers make popular videos of themselves performing various tricks with spinners. However, it is unlikely that an adult will immediately understand why spinners are now so widespread. Let's try to figure this out.
Despite the fact that the bearing was invented several centuries ago, spinners began to be made only in the last few years, and these toys almost instantly gained immense popularity. There are several reasons for this spread, and it will be difficult to say exactly what exactly influenced it the most. The main reasons for the popularity of spinners are as follows:
1) Low cost
You can buy the most common spinner for a very small price, around a hundred rubles. Everyone can afford such a toy, and if you wish, you can buy a huge collection. Large cash outlays are not required.
Of course, there are more expensive models of spinners. They can have a more complex design, can be made from expensive materials. Some spinners become expensive due to their exclusivity, but despite all this, even the most expensive spinner is not much different from the most ordinary one, which can be ordered for a couple of dollars from China. There is no point in buying expensive spinners.
2) Variety
There are so many options for manufacturing spinners that even the most avid collector will not be able to collect them all. You can make such a toy from almost anything, the main thing is to have a bearing in the center of the structure.
Any child, or even an adult, will definitely be able to find a spinner to their taste, and this is one of the main reasons for the popularity of these toys in 2017.
3) YouTube video
Even if you go to the “Trendy” section on YouTube right now, you can find several videos on the topic of spinners in the list of the most popular videos. Children love to watch YouTube and that is why such spinners are now on everyone's lips. Children constantly come across videos with various tricks with spinners on YouTube, and actively buy them.
These were the three main reasons why spinners became by far the most popular and sought-after toy among children in 2017. Naturally, there were more popularity factors, but these were the ones that had the most significant impact.
Benefits and harms for children
Naturally, in the wake of the popularity of spinners, many parents began to think about the impact these toys have on their children. Let's try to figure out what benefits and what harm spinners bring to children.
Benefit
Firstly, it is worth noting that spinners help children focus and develop the skill of concentration. Moreover, these toys are used by doctors to treat children with Attention Deficit Disorder. Such a child cannot concentrate on anything for more or less a long time. He is hyperactive, constantly rushing from one to another. This is a real illness, in such a situation, the spinner helps to get together and concentrate on some business, at least for a few minutes.
Secondly, spinners soothe. If the child is stressed, the spinner helps to distract and forget about the problem at least for a while. This reduces the level of anxiety, respectively, the chance that the child will receive psychological trauma becomes much lower.
Well, in conclusion, it is worth noting that spinning a spinner is fun, and positive emotions always have a good effect on a child’s health. If you forbid him to do this, the reaction will be negative, which means that problems may arise with the nerves of a fragile organism.
Harm
It is unlikely that at least one qualified specialist will seriously say that spinners can cause any harm. These are the safest toys with which the child (even if desired) cannot harm himself in any way. Moreover, they have a lot of positive properties that are described above, so if a child plays with a spinner, there is no point in worrying about it.
The only thing worth noting is that it is better not to buy very cheap spinners. In such toys, oil may leak from the bearing over time, as a result, the child will stain his clothes. It will be very difficult to remove oil stains later.
Psychologists about the spinner
Every qualified doctor will say that the spinner brings only benefits, and there can be no harm in life. It calms, helps to concentrate and generally has a purely positive effect on the psyche.
“A spinner is just a toy that should be treated like child's play, nothing more. It helps the child to be more collected and also entertains in his free time.“
This year, a toy of American origin - a fidget spinner - is very popular, and not only children, but also adults rotate it with pleasure. Statistics show that almost 80% of the purchased toys on Ebay and Amazon online auctions are all kinds of spinners (photos above and below). What is this thing? What is a spinner toy for? "Popularly about health" will tell, as well as about the dangers of the spinner and the benefits.
What is a spinner and where did it come from?
A spinner is a spinning toy. Its device is very simple - petals are located along the edges, which serve as weighting agents, and in the center there is a bearing. Due to the accuracy of the location and weight of individual parts, the toy is able to rotate for a long time, while maintaining balance. People who are carried away by this fidget choose a toy that develops high speed and duration of rotation. This fidget quality indicator is indicated by the ABEC marking - the higher it is, the faster and longer the spinner spins.
As already mentioned, this toy comes from America, and was invented by Kathleen Hettiger, the mother of one girl, to help her daughter cope with the disease - she suffered from a rare form of muscle fatigue. She noticed that the girl was constantly fiddling with something in her hands, which helped her calm down and concentrate on what was important. Then Kathleen invented such a fidget, which began to gain more and more popularity in America, and then conquered the whole world.
How to set spinner in motion?
The spinning toy is very easy to operate. It is enough to take it by the bearing with two fingers - thumb and forefinger, and unwind it mechanically. Having achieved rapid rotation with both hands, in the future, the finger spinner can be supported with the finger of one hand, making wave-like movements. Thanks to the precision of the design, the rotation can continue for more than two minutes. The turntable can be found literally everywhere - adults and children perform various tricks with it and shoot a video about this, and then post it on video hosting sites. In connection with the growing interest in the fidget, parents have a question - is there any benefit from it?
Why do you need and why a spinner for hands?
When the fidget was just gaining popularity, psychologists were unanimous in favor of an unusual subject. Consider how the novelty affects children and adults:
1. Develops fine motor skills in children.
2. Helps to restore the work of the hands and fingers after injuries.
3. Increases concentration.
4. Distracts from gadgets.
5. Helps to calm down.
7. Relieves stress, relieves feelings of anxiety.
8. Helps to get rid of some bad habits - tapping fingers on the table, biting nails, clicking the cap of a ballpoint pen.
9. Distracts from thinking about smoking if a person is trying to quit this habit.
It would seem that the finger spinner is actually useful, but today on the Internet you can also find negative statements about it. Let's see why.
Damage from a spinner
In some states of America, this toy is not allowed to be brought to school, and violation of this requirement is fraught with expulsion from the educational institution. What's the matter?
Teachers are worried that children are playing with spinners in the classroom instead of delving into the essence of the subject. Mass enthusiasm has grown into spinnermania, schoolchildren are constantly distracted from classes, and an attempt to take away a toy from them causes a protest, accompanied by aggression. This has already begun to be observed in other countries, including Russia. Once harmless entertainment has become threatening.
The second reason why spinners are harmful is trauma. The fidget consists of several small parts, which makes it dangerous for babies. There are cases when a part of an object separated during the game with it and injured children, getting into the face and eyes. One girl swallowed part of the toy during a demonstration of a trick with a toy, and another had to be rescued in the hospital due to the fact that the part got into her airways.
Of course, this can happen with any other object, for example, an ordinary ballpoint pen, but still parents of babies should be more careful. A child under 5 years of age should not be allowed to play with a spinner without adult supervision.
Varieties of fashionable fidget
There is a huge variety of finger spinners on the market. They are made of plastic, metal, ceramics, wood. Models are also different - with two petals, three, four and six, there are toys with backlight and even with built-in bluetooth. Exclusive models can be decorated with precious stones and Swarovski crystals. The cost of spinners varies from 100 rubles to several thousand.
No one suspected that such a simple little thing would appeal to modern children and adults so much, but the popularity of the spinner suggests otherwise. After considering its benefits and harms, parents should decide on their own whether to buy a popular toy for their children. It is worth taking into account the age of the child, as well as how much a new thing will capture his attention, whether it will interfere with his studies, whether it will cause injury. Perhaps it will help develop other useful skills for a son or daughter, for example, help develop dexterity and master several tricks, and this, in turn, will increase the child's self-esteem.
