DANVILLE, Ill. — If you’re a parent, your child has probably come home from school talking about the latest, greatest craze — fidget spinners.

The small device has been used for Attention Deficit Disorder sufferers and those wanting to curb unwanted habits, such as smoking and nail biting.

The mostly three-pronged spinners —with different shapes and wheel bearings allowing them to be spun by people’s fingers — have become a popular toy to play with and also a tool that local teachers are trying to use.

Local store owners are having a hard time keeping the spinners in stock.

“They just exploded,” said Tony Setser, owner of Chuckin’ Clouds Vape Shop in Tilton and Danville.

Chuckin’ Clouds started getting them in about a month ago. A supply of 150 mid-week and another 100 coming in Thursday was not expected to stay in stock through this weekend at the Tilton store.

Setser said the aluminum and plastic spinners are “kid-friendly.” He said he started hearing about them late last year, but just in the past month they’ve really become popular.

Daniel and Heather Nasser, with their 3-year-old daughter Eleanor, were shopping for plastic spinners at the Tilton shop after having bought metal ones at the Danville Chuckin’ Clouds.

Daniel Nasser said he’s been eyeing the spinners for the past few months.

“I’ve been waiting for the price to go down,” he said. The spinners can cost around $6 to $14.

The spinners come in various colors and also can have sports teams, super hero logos and other images on them. Some can be really fancy, Setser said.

“It’s endless,” he said.

Setser said they also are customizable and the pieces can be changed out.

Heather Nasser said it helps keep children active and away from electronics.

“It keeps them occupied,” she said.

Daniel Nasser said he finds himself using his cell phone a lot less when he can flick and spin the spinner.

Eleanor also was picking out her favorite color of spinner.

Setser said they started ordering more after people started asking for them.

Chuckin’ Clouds employee Andrew Finke said a lot of parents have come in to buy them for their children.

There also are fidget cubes that have clicking buttons and other features, but they’re not as popular as the fidget spinners, Setser said.

Some schools are banning fidget spinners in classrooms nationwide, but Setser can see how they can be a learning tool in looking at weight distribution and other aspects. Some students are having contests to see how long they can spin them.

In Danville, notes have been sent home with students “asking parents to refrain from letting their child(ren) bring the ‘fidgets’ to school. They are causing disruptions in the classrooms.” But the fidget spinners also have been used in science and technology learning.

“I have spoken to a few of our principals. Spinners are not a problem for them. In fact, principal Mendelle Speasard of Southview Upper Elementary has incorporated them as a classroom learning tool,” according to Danville District 118 Superintendent Alicia Geddis earlier this week. “Students are making their own spinners from different materials and charting performance as a part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum.”

The fidget spinners can help with anxiety, stress and also nervousness, as local parent Jessica Young has seen.

She said her 13-year-old son has a habit of rocking back and forth a lot when reading and doing other activities. It’s a nervous habit, not Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and a doctor said he’ll grow out of it, but he hasn’t, she said.

They tried a fidget spinner at home and it’s worked; he’s not been rocking as much, she said.

“It keeps him busy,” Young said.

She thinks the spinners have become popular because people are so stuck on their phones and technology.

“It’s something to keep our hands busy,” she said. “We do not like to be bored.”

Young said the spinners are a lot less expensive than electronics that can cost $100 or more. She said the spinners are like the Rubik’s Cube and other non-technological toys that have become popular over the years.