Sensory toys are designed to stimulate the senses – in the case of fidget toys, the sense of touch. From soft and malleable to hard and textured, fidget toys provide all kinds of tactile sensations. One style that’s seeing an uptick in popularity right now is squishy fidget toys.

There are many reasons that fidget toys are more than a passing fad. Not only are they a lot of fun to play with, they offer cognitive and emotional benefits for both children and adults. These toys enhance concentration, improve emotional regulation and aid the development of fine motor skills. They can help children with ADHD to stay focused on a task for longer and can even help sooth PTSD sufferers by distracting them from distressing thoughts.

The gentle pressure that squishy fidget toys provides creates a fun and pleasant sensation. These fidgets are also easy to find: you can get them anywhere you buy sensory toys online.

Sister Sensory is Australia’s ultimate toy destination for sensory items and solutions including sensory educational toys. If you’re wondering why you should invest in the squishy kind of fidget and how to choose the right one, let this article be your guide.

Benefits of squishy fidget toys for children and adults

 Here are a few reasons why squishy fidget toys are so great for both children and adults:

A gentle, satisfying sensation

Squishing and stretching a soft toy provides sensory input that’s gentle on young hands and feels good. The soft sensation of these toys provides a form of sensory input that remains comfortable on the skin over long periods.

Small and easy to use

Squishy fidgets fit right into your pocket and you can use them anytime, anyplace with no learned skills or techniques required.

Improved concentration and focus

All fidget toys, including the squishy kind, are useful for children that struggle to pay attention, boosting concentration, focus and memory.

Relief from anxiety

In both children and adults, sensory toys can provide relief from feelings of stress and anxiety and a sense of inner peace and calm.

Endless variety

There are so many types of different squishy fidget toys out there. How do you choose the right one? We take a more detailed look in the next section.

Types of squishy fidgets

 Squishy fidget toys are available in a wide range of styles limited only by designers’ imaginations. Yet some of the most common varieties you’re likely to see on the market include:

Stress balls

An oldie but a goodie, a stress ball is a simple toy ball designed to be repeatedly squished and released.

Animal or food squishies

To give your child a squishy toy with a personal touch, try giving them one that looks like their favourite animal or food.

Slow-rising squishies

These toys prolong the sensory experience by slowly rising back to their original shapes after you squish them.

Putty or clay

You can stretch, squeeze or squish mouldable clay and putty into any creative shape your imagination allows.

How to choose the right squishy fidget

 There’s a squishy out there for everyone. But here are a few things to consider when you’re choosing the right toy for the children in your care, or even for your own sensory needs:

Texture

The softer feel is one of the main drawcards for those choosing the squishy variety of sensory toy. Yet some kids and adults may prefer a firmer type of texture or a little more variation in the texture. Luckily variety is one of the many things a squishy fidget toy can offer.

Size

Squishy fidgets come in all sizes, although most of them are on the smaller side. While it’s handy to have a sensory tool that fits right into your pocket, some kids and adults want something a little larger for their own subjective sensory needs.

Design

One of the things that make squishy sensory toys so much fun is the endless variety of designs to choose from. No matter your child’s taste, there’s a variety of squishy sensory toy out there that they’re certain to love.

Find the perfect squishy fidget toy at Sister Sensory

 The best place to start when it comes to sensory toy shopping is with the leading provider of sensory toys online in Australia: Sister Sensory.

Our squishy fidget toys include everything from nifty keychains to mouldable clay figures to stretchy figurines of bunnies, dinosaurs, penguins, avocados and more. Our squishy, stretchy toys are creative, reasonably priced and designed to appeal to all ages.

Sister Sensory is a family-owned company and a registered NDIS provider with over 2000 diverse products – including sensory educational toys to enhance children’s learning. With new toys arriving every week, we make sure we stay at the forefront of developing trends.

Need some help sensory toy shopping? Call Sister Sensory on 0401 689 313, e-mail info@sistersensory.com.au or visit Factory 4, 4 Brooke Court Melton, Vic, 3337.