Is Stix a Sensory Toy?

Yes and no... here's why! 

 

A sensory toy is specially designed to stimulate one or more of the senses, using materials, textures, technology, and weight to help a child put their focus into one of their senses, helping them remain calm and grounded.

 

Children with Autism and ADHD are often given sensory devices to help them stimulate or calm their senses, but the biggest problem with these items is children often become bored of them quickly, and they end up being thrown into a toy box along with a load of other sensory toys.

 

We don’t classify Stix as one of these sensory toys. Stix provides a sensory and immersive experience, but it does so much more on top of that.

 

We have a library of 30+ different activities, each with 3 levels, providing a wide variety of exercises to help in any moment.

 

However, one of the key aspects of the Stix Mindfulness experience is the tangible, hand held nature of the devices. Physically holding something whilst practicing mindfulness gives children something to focus their core attention to, helping them engage their senses and learn emotional regulation skills they can take into every day life.

 

Can’t they just hold something physical, like a pebble? 

 

Yes! This is a great way to focus attention on something physical whilst listening to an audio mindfulness exercises - in fact, Stix was inspired by a mindfulness coach who uses pebbles to help children with ADHD to ground their attention to, helping boost focus during their sessions.

 

However, if you really want your child to engage in a mindfulness exercise, they need more than a physical item to focus their attention to - That’s where Stix comes in.

 

Stix has lights, vibrations and audio built into each remote to help take this tangible experience a step further. The remotes themselves have soft-touch silicone sleeves, helping to provide a comforting feeling whilst they reset in children’s hands, but the secret-sauce is in what’s inside the remotes.

 

The technology combines with the mindfulness activities to create a sensory and immersive experience, where vibrations might help you focus, lights pulsate to help children pace their breathing, and audio guides them through step by step instructions and produces sound effects to animate the activity.

 

How else is Stix different?

 

Do sensory toys combine with an app to track progress and earn rewards? I don’t think so!

 

The Stix app also adds another element of differentiation from sensory toys, with our gamification principles helping kids to earn rewards after they’ve played a mindfulness activity. This helps them feel accomplishment and something extra to be proud of - one user in particular has just celebrated his 300th day in a row using Stix, a day streak he can feel very proud of, particularly as no one else has come close to that!

How does Stix benefit neurodiverse children, particularly those with autism and ADHD?

 

Stix was first designed for kids with ADHD for the exact reasons we mentioned above - they need something physical to focus on, that provides an experience that is more engaging that other mindfulness apps out there. We have since worked with a number of charities and experts in the neurodiversity space to ensure that there is an activity for every child - whether they like chilled sounds of waves crashing on the beach, or more interactive activities requiring them to shake out all their energy, or balance as still as possible.

 

Jenny, a recent Stix customer, had this to say about Stix:

 

“Stix has helped our 9 year old, who has probable ADHD, settle his mind and to get to sleep a lot quicker. He is really engaged with the Stix and the app, and it’s already noticeable how much calmer he is when lying in bed - he’s no longer damaging the walls and rolling around. We are hoping he will learn the calming down exercises to use when he is disregulated and doesn’t have the stix with him.”

 

 

So, is Stix a sensory toy?

 

Not quite - but we take the best bits from sensory toys and pair them with evidence-based mindfulness to create something children genuinely want to come back to. 

 

Whether your child needs help winding down after a challenging day at school, need to shake out their energy before getting down to their homework, or learning new emotional regulation skills, Stix offers a guided, engaging way to build those habits day after day.  

 

What is most important about this, is that Stix does it in a way that feels fun and achievable for them.

 

So don’t worry about Stix becoming another item that ends up in the toy box, after a week of use we’re sure they’ll become a household favourite!