Make Your Own Fidget Spinners That Work!
Fidget Spinner mania has swept through our household and my boys have been flicking, spinning and balancing non-stop for several weeks. My 8-year-old’s obsession is so great that he figured out how to make his own fidget spinners out of fuse beads. (He also cuddles with his spinners when he sleeps, but that’s a whole other story!)
If fuse beads are already a craft staple at your house, these spinners are pretty easy to put together. The hardest part is getting your hands on the bearings that make them spin, but I found some on Amazon for a good price (shipped through Prime too!). A set of 8 costs about $7, so when you add in the cost of the beads and glue that means you can make these fun toys for about $1 each! (Please read through all the directions first before starting.)
Supplies you’ll need to make Fidget Spinners
- Fuse beads (such as Perler, Hama or Ikea brand)
- Round fuse bead pegboard
- Ironing paper (use the paper included with your fuse bead kit, or you can use a piece of parchment paper)
- Iron*
- Skateboard bearings
- Hot glue gun* (or substitute with regular white craft glue; just allow for extra drying time)
- Small washers or pennies
How to make Fidget Spinners
Start by laying out your fuse bead design on a round pegboard. Leave the middle three rows of pegs empty so you have a place to mount the bearing. If you want your toy to spin smoothly you should try to make your design symmetrical but otherwise this is a great place to get creative!
Once you have your design the way you like it, have an adult iron* the beads according to the instructions on the fuse bead packaging.
Fit the bearing into the middle of your homemade fidget spinner toy.
Carefully run a thin bead of glue around the outside of the bearing with a hot glue gun*. It’s important that you don’t get any glue inside the bearing because that might keep it from spinning. Once the glue has dried, flip the spinner over and glue around the outside edge of the bearing on the other side too.
Your spinner will work at this point, but it will probably be pretty slow. To speed it up, glue some weights on the outside edges. We used small washers on some of our spinners until we discovered that pennies work even better.
Once the glue has set for the weights, give your new spinner a whirl and fidget the day away!
*ALWAYS be careful when using a hot glue gun or an iron and have a responsible adult do this step. If you are worried about burning yourself you can use regular white craft glue in place of the hot glue — just allow for extra drying time.
