Since the rise of NeeDohs on TikTok, they have begun to infest Xavier as well as other schools. NeeDohs, though, may be a tool to help students focus better during class.
NeeDohs, designed by Schylling, an award-winning toy company, are squishy, soft fidget toys that are shaped in numerous ways. The most popular item seen on campus is the square NeeDoh, which comes in a variety of colors.
When playing with a NeeDoh square, officially marketed as “Ice Cube,” a person will find that the “squishy” is at first hard. It begins to soften as one continues to play with it.
Annabelle Jackman ‘26, who owns a NeeDoh, says, “I have seen a lot of girls in my class with NeeDohs. I feel like it helps alleviate the stress during school.”
An article in Edutopia by Youki Terada discusses a study on how NeeDohs are able to alleviate stress for students. “A 2015 study concluded that fidgeting may act as a ‘compensatory mechanism’ that supports ‘neurocognitive functioning in children with ADHD,’ suggesting that in some contexts, fidgets may be a way to substitute a moderate, controlled source of distraction for a less predictable and more disruptive source.”
Sophia Villanueva ‘26 says that, “As a kinesthetic learner or someone who learns with their hands, it is helpful to play with a NeeDoh in my hands while learning, because it keeps my mind active.”
Jackman explains that she uses a NeeDoh to help her when she is overwhelmed.
Having a NeeDoh at school can be beneficial for students since it can help them learn more clearly and can help them with the stress and anxiety that can occur during school; however, students often share Needohs and this could contribute to the spread of illness at school.
Many believe that the recent spread of the flu and other illnesses at Xavier could be spread by passing a NeeDoh to one another.
School nurse Stephanie Schafer believes that despite contrary belief, the use of Needohs does not necessarily cause sickness at Xavier. She says that the use of NeeDohs at Xavier has not been long enough to find a correlation between the two.
“I do not think NeeDoh is correlated with sickness, since they have only become popular recently,” says Schafer.
Schafer explains that while students could cough on NeeDohs and then share the sickness to others through this, it is no different than spreading sickness through cellphones.
Schafer has started to have Needohs in her office, to help students calm their symptoms when they are about to have panic attacks.
“I use my NeeDoh to help me calm down, make me less nervous and give me something to do with my hands when sitting in the classroom rather than fidgeting with my hair or necklace. Having a NeeDoh is a good thing to help decrease my stress during school,” Jackman said.
