Having a Fidget Spinner is all the rage these days. I kept seeing them online, but as my kids are homeschooled they don’t hear about cool fads and the latest toys as quickly. The Fidget Spinner craze does not seem to be going away any time soon, so I began wondering when I would hear my kids ask for one. Especially my son, as he plays games online, so sees more advertising than my daughter. Last week, the day came. “Mom! Have you seen those Fidget Spinner things? I really want one!”

Of course, being the mean mom that I am, I refuse to run out and purchase the latest fad. I’m not particularly looking forward to a spinning thingy flying off my kids’ fingers and across the room or being a distraction when I would rather they focus. I know, it’s supposed to help with focus, but there are plenty of things to fiddle with around the house, trust me!

Did I flat out say no? Nope, I said, “lets look them up”. So, I googled how to make one. I can’t help it, maybe it’s the homeschool mom in me. If there’s an easy way to make something, we’re not going to go buy it.

How to Make Your Own Fidget Spinner

The first video we saw involved welding and bearings, so that was a bit above my craftiness level. Thankfully, I came across this video by Red Ted Art on how to make a Fidget Spinner without bearings:

My kids were jumping up and down while they watched it, begging to make fidget spinners right then and there. We had all the materials needed, so we did! They were super easy to make and we had a lot of fun designing and creating them. We used cardboard from cereal boxes, some were thicker than others. We also made a couple from card stock, the cereal boxes were a bit stronger, but they all worked really well. The kids made some for their friends, too, and they were a big hit! The pennies come off every so often, but we just glue them right back on.

Other types of homemade fidget spinner toys:

LEGO Fidget Spinner

Check out Easy DIY LEGO Fidget Spinners from The Wright Balance for an easy to follow tutorial with lots of photos. It doesn’t require a ton of LEGO parts like some complicated tutorials I’ve come across. Any kids can enjoy making their own LEGO fidget spinner.

No Bearings DIY Fidget Spinner

As a homeschooler, I wish we had come across this video first:  How To Make Fidget Spinner at Home Without Bearings by Jeevan Jee . The fact that he uses a compass and protractor to design it, makes it awesome! Maybe my kids will want to give this one a try. It is also made of cardboard, but measuring the shape exactly and putting nuts in each side, rather than gluing on top, most likely makes this spinner sturdier and allows it to spin longer than the one my kids made.

DIY Fidget Spinners with Bearings

If you want something more like a store bought one, it can be done with hot glue and bearings. This video is entertaining even if you don’t plan to make it, or maybe I just have a thing for accents: 3 SIMPLE WAYS TO BUILD A SPINNER by Mind Warehouse.

 

Have you tried making one? What type of home made fidget spinner does your kid like best?