fidget collection tour

NOAH FIDGET - Med Size| Silicone Center Band | Great for Classroom and Offices

Rizzle FIdget - #1 Adult Fidget | Size Large | Great for Work and Everyday Fidgeting

STEPHIE FIDGET - Silent | Med Size | Our Most Colorful Fidget

DIY Fidget Kits

LITTLE FELLA FIDGET - Med Size | Silent and Discreet

Fidget Ball

ELLIE FIDGET - Sized for Small Hands | Great for School

RHYS FIDGET - Hypoallergenic | 100% Stainless Steel | Sized for Teens & Adults

Fidget Pack - Great for Gifts | Our Top Selling Fidgets!

February Fidget of the Month

The Best Fidget Toys for All Ages

For reducing anxiety or just plain fun, these are the best sensory toys for kids and adults.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

The Best Fidget Toys

Best Overall

Zalik 4-pack pop-it rainbow fidget toys.

Best Magnetic Fidget

Finger rock magnetic rings fidget toy set.

Best Fidget That Makes Sound

Nutty toys 8-pack pop tube sensory toys.

Best For Reducing Stress

Schylling color changing needoh.

Best Soothing Fidget Toy for Anxiety

Hand2mind colormix sensory tubes.

Most Discreet Fidget Toy

Acerich 3-pack edamame keychain fidget toy.

Best For Babies

Manhattan toy baby whoozit.

Best For Curious Toddlers

Learning resources spike the fine motor hedgehog fidget friend.

Best for Tweens

Yeetec 6-pack 24 links wacky tracks snap and click fidget toys.

Best For Teens

Duomishu anti-anxiety fidget spinner, what to consider.

First and foremost, consider who the fidget toy is for.

“The purpose of fidget [and] sensory toys for toddlers is sensory exploration,” Sanschagrin says. “[They] are learning about the world through their environment, and offering them various sensory experiences encourages them to learn in different ways.” At this stage in development, she recommends sensory-based toys that have multiple textures, high-contrast colors, or even fun sounds, like crinkle paper.

Fidget toys for elementary-aged children are used more for regulation. “This means that fidgets can be a tool to either ‘wake up’ your body [and] brain or to calm yourself down,” she says. For this age range, she says the biggest benefit comes from toys that encourage more movement and strong sensory feedback. Kids might use more concentration while playing with these toys and often focus more on the toy itself.

“Additionally, fidgets that provide a sense of deep pressure, compression—or as we occupational therapists call it, proprioceptive input—would be a great option,” Sanschagrin says. “This would include things that make the child’s hands work hard by squeezing, pinching, stretching apart, or pushing the fidget.”

Teens and adults use fidget toys for regulation as well, Sanschagrin says, but tend to use smaller ones that are both fun and easily used while focusing on other activities. “Consider fidgets that would be inconspicuous when held in their hands or even fidgets that can be manipulated using only one hand,” she says. “These are the more traditional forms of fidgets, like the classic fidget spinner that was popular a few years ago.”

Sanschagrin recommends occasionally rotating fidget toys, as kids tend to go through phases of what they like, and this will help renew their interest in their toys. “Also keep in mind the goal or what function you want to fidget to serve prior to purchasing,” she says. “If your child really likes to fidget using their fingers, a fidget snake is more likely to land rather than a squeeze ball.” Overall, though, she says fidget toy preference simply depends on the person, and parents should be open to trial and error.

How We Selected

To figure out which fidget toys would make the cut, I asked for recommendations from other parents, as well as from Sanschagrin, who uses fidgets in her occupational therapy practice. I also tested a few out and allowed my 7-year-old to test some, too. I read through countless reviews on various retail sites to see which ones consumers recommend, making sure to note which reviews were independent versus ones that were in exchange for free products, to reduce bias. After careful deliberation, I compiled my list of the best fidget toys for all ages and a variety of purposes.

For more great toys, check out our picks for the best science toys , science kits , and popping toys .

Everyone seems to have one of these pop-it fidget toys these days, and they come in a wide assortment of shapes and colors. Brightly colored but quiet overall, this is a simple fidget toy that can be used mostly to relax and de-stress.

And while they may seem relatively basic, anyone who’s played with this type of toy can attest that they’re fun for folks of all ages.

This popular Amazon fidget toy comes in a number of cool designs that will appeal to tweens and teens. Wear one and spin it on your finger or stack them together in different ways.

You can even mix and match them with friends. And despite being engaging enough on their own, you can also use them while focusing on other work.

Kiddos can play with a single one of these pop tubes and make shapes and letters with them or connect them to turn them into larger creations. Squeeze ’em tight or pull them out, and you’ll hear some fun, satisfying sounds. They’re small enough to carry around in a pocket or bag for fidgety emergencies while away from home.

Stress balls have been around for quite a while, but these “globs” provide the added input of being stretched and pulled and smushed in addition to being squeezed, making for a more satisfying experience. The added color-changing material can also help engage younger kiddos, but it’s a toy that a teen would still happily use without feeling immature. Although the company recommends NeeDoh for ages 3 and up, we suggest giving them to slightly older kids in the event an unsupervised child thinks to bite into it (which we don’t recommend).

These three tubes come in a variety of colors that mix together as your child turns them over. It’s not a fidget toy that will get as much mileage as some others, but it does help greatly in assisting overwhelmed and anxious littles to slow their breathing and heart rate while they enjoy the swirling colors.

Sanschagrin says pea poppers are all the rage right now for increasing attention and allowing for sensory exploration. This adorable fidget toy definitely puts a smile on my kiddo’s face, as well. It’s both fun and cute enough for elementary-aged kiddos, but the keychain design is still discreet enough for tweens and even teens.

This multi-sensory toy will become your baby’s best friend on car trips, stroller rides, or even just hanging out in their playpen. Bright contrasting colors and a silly face keep littles smiling, while different textures, shapes, loops, sounds, and even a small hidden mirror keep hold of their attention.

Spike is an adorable little friend for youngsters who seek sensory input by way of turning cranks, spinning wheels, pushing buttons, and more. It’s lightweight and easy to take on long (dull) car trips so your little one can get their fidgeting out tantrum-free.

This fidget snap-and-click “snake” toy is the perfect combination of fun and functional. With bright colors and a near-endless number of ways to move, shape, and play, it’s no wonder Sanchagrin says many older kids have success using this particular toy.

This elegant fidget spinner is excellent for teens who want a less childish-looking fidget that can hold their attention a long while. The double-pendulum design keeps teens focused while they work out a problem mentally or when they need a break from homework.

Kylee McGuigan is an associate commerce editor for Hearst Magazines’s Enthusiast Group. She works with content for brands such as Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Bicycling, and Runner’s World. Kylee graduated from Penn State in May 2020 with a degree in journalism and a minor in French. During her undergraduate career, she spent a majority of her time writing for, and eventually editing, VALLEY Magazine: Penn State’s only student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine. She has produced content ranging from beauty and health, to lifestyle and self-improvement. After spending four years in the happiest of valleys (State College, PA), she moved back home to South Jersey—otherwise known as the famous “outside of Philly” area. Kylee can be found working out of her local Starbucks with her best friend, an iced chai in hand, and endless hours of music playlists to get her through the day. When she’s not working, she is more than likely on her daily walk in her neighborhood, at Orangetheory, binging Sex and the City or Gossip Girl, checking out local coffee shops, or trying new bars and restaurants in the city with friends and family. 

Priscilla Blossom is a queer Latina freelance writer focusing on travel, motherhood, identity, health and wellness, and pop culture. Originally from Miami, she now lives in Denver where she spends her time practicing yoga, frequenting indie cinemas and literary events, and catching Pokemon with her young son. She sometimes blogs at www.prisblossom.com, but she's mostly social on Twitter @prisblossom and Instagram @prisblossom.

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