Onslow County, NC: Local preschools to buy "fidget and sensory toys" to keep kids calm

August 4, 2021, Jacksonville (NC) Daily News: Do you have a child in an Onslow preschool? They'll have some neat stuff to learn with this year https://www.jdnews.com/story/news/2021/08/04/onslow-preschools-re-invested-supplies-one-place-relieves-burden/5468209001/

Early childhood development is extremely important for a child's growth as they age. Last week, Onslow County preschools were gifted more than $50,000 worth of high-quality learning materials to classrooms from One Place. Supplies and materials include books, sensory and fidget toys, indoor gross motor activity items, and social-emotional toys and books. A game-changing offering where "well-loved" items had to be replaced. All 70 preschool program classrooms in Onslow will benefit from these additional supplies…. Items were purchased from a variety of retailers including Kaplan, Lakeshore, Staples, Teaching Strategies, Book Pal, and Amazon. Fidget and Sensory Toys Sensory processing dysfunction, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or autism find that fidget toys offer the tactile sensory input and repetitive motor movements that are needed to help them with self-regulation. However, these items are becoming popular with children who don't have a sensory diagnosis. Fidget toys and sensory items help calm children when they feel overwhelmed by big feelings and allow them to re-focus on what is going on in the classroom….